This series of articles is composed by  Swan   Sometimes, in the daily grind of things, we forget about what others go through or sometimes we are so tired of what we do that we may wish and day dream about being or doing something else.  I interviewed several women in various types of careers and jobs.  I thought that maybe seeing a part of another woman's life would inspire us or help us to appreciate our choices, a little more. I've chosen to call these women, professionals.  It doesn't matter if they've had a certain type of training of not.  They have made their way with hard work and perseverance.  They deserve the title.  Come listen what the professional has to say.   What is your name and your profession? Trudy I am a Dog Groomer What made you choose this line of work? My love for dogs. Since I was 16 my parents and I have raised and showed German Shorthaired Pointer. When I finished high school I worked as a receptionist in a Vet’s office and some one told me about grooming and there was a grooming shop behind where I lived at the time and I went and talked to the owner. She gave me a job as a dog bather and then over the next 2 years taught me how to groom. Has it been a long life dream? A life long dream? No, because I did not know of its existence, but working with dogs has been my dream, I thought I would work in a Vet’s office as some type of office help. Do you find any satisfaction in what you do? Very much! When you see some of the dogs that come in matted and dirty and hardly recognizable you tend to shake your head on how an owner lets them get. But when you are done, and they are clean and comfortable and looking so darn cute (well some of them) the satisfaction you feel is great, you can look upon your work and smile and say I did that, I made a difference in that dogs life, I made him feel good. My real satisfaction come when a new puppy comes in for its first grooming, they are so nervous and scared. The trust you need to build with them is fragile and in that first grooming you can either make or break a dog on how they will act for the rest of their grooming experiences for the rest of their lives. I really enjoy taking a puppy through that first experience.  Also taking a dog that another shop says bites and won’t groom it anymore and turning that dog around to a non biter and finally making its grooming experience a pleasurable one. For this to happen it can take a long time and a lot of trust. What kind of benefits do you receive? Knowing that I made a difference and made that dog feel more comfortable. Some owners only get their dogs groomed once a year so just for a short time you made that dog feel better. Knowing that I have made a customer happy. Knowing that a puppy’s first grooming is going to be a good experience and hopefully groom it for the rest of its life. Are there downfalls with this job? Downfalls that go with this job? LOL! There are quite a few for starters you have the dogs that don’t like to be groomed and every time you touch them, or start your clippers up they try to bite you. The biting dogs are the worse part of this job; thank goodness I have never been bitten badly. The other downfalls are ticks, fleas, dirty dogs, matted dogs, and those hidden secrets under a matted coat like sores or debris caught in the coats of some dogs. Is it a career or just a job? Well I started in 1978 so I guess it is a career. Is there a historical (?) figure that you admire in your profession? No Where do you draw support from to remain where you are in your career? From my husband and my family From my long time customers that are happy with what I do for them and their dogs and ask for me every time their dog needs grooming Could you share a special anecdote about you profession? About 16 years ago I was on the look out for a Standard Poodle, I lived in Texas at the time, but the were just too expensive for me to buy but I wanted one. Then one day this white standard poodle came in to be groomed and she was about 18 months old, very dirty, very hairy and it was really very hard to tell she was a poodle. At this time I worked in a small shop and I did all the larger dogs. The owner wanted just her face and feet done and the rest of that coat just brushed out she was getting her ready to be sold for she was with the Poodle rescue group and the dog was up for adoption. I got the dog up on my table and started to shave her face and I feel in love. I was getting married in about a week, and when I was done with her I went home and got my fiancée to come look at her, I wanted this dog very much. So when the owner came back for the dog after she was done I talked to her. She agreed to a payment plan and I took our “Winky” home that day and she lived with us for 9 years until she passed away. LOL, I worked for a place in Texas that had this one miniature poodle that everyone hated to groom because when you brushed her out she would bite, and the owner insisted that she have a long coat. When I started they gave her to me to groom. Well from years of having nieces and nephews and them going thru their biting stages I tried something on this dog that I did with them. When I started to brush her out my boss told me I would have to muzzle her because she hated brushing, but I don’t like muzzle a dog if I can’t get by with out it. So when I started brushing her she tried to bite me and I told her NO and reached down and nipped her with my teeth on the side of her face. Everyone in the shop thought I was crazy, and rest assured this did not hurt the dog or leave any marks, but it got her attention and she never tried to bite me again and we had a happy grooming time together from then on. What are you responsibilities? Grooming and bathing of the dogs I groom Communicating with the customer to make sure I know what they want done Did you receive special education for profession? Where? I received on the job training There are grooming schools, but when I decided to do this I went to a mobile dog grooming place that would train you for if you signed a 1 year contract to work for them after your training was complete. I lasted 2 weeks and they told me I did not have what it takes to be a Groomer. As I stated earlier I then went to a grooming shop behind where I lived at the time and I and talked to the owner. She gave me a job as a dog bather and then over the next 2 years taught me how to groom. And I have been a dog Groomer for 25 years. How long have you been doing this line of work and how has it changed since you’ve been with it? I have been a dog Groomer for 25 years. Everything is still pretty much the same. They have newer equipment coming out all the time to make the job easier and you have to keep up with that, but the concept is still the same. What are you goals in your career? To own and operate my own shop and have a good cliental. Being able to make my own decisions on how to communicate with the owner on how a dog need to be groomed Financial freedom Trudy, thank you for sharing a piece of your life with us.  I salute you for your hard work and endurance.  Swan By Grace