During the summers of 1980 to 1984 (while I was still in high school), I spent my time in Maryland, living with my aunt and learning the basics of dog grooming. My aunt, Carol Parker, was a groomer, breeder and handler. She taught me the basics, and had high expectations for my work. I learned to bathe dogs properly, brush and dry the coats properly, and learned to do 'shavedowns' as well as basic, sanitary clips. I was taught how to properly clean the ears, do the glands and trim the nails. All of which is basic knowledge that is the foundation for every 'good' groomer. If you don't know and perfect the basics, you cannot move on to more complicated tasks. And believe me, I perfected the basics, as my aunt often sent dogs back to be 'redone' several times, until she was satisfied that I had gotten them as clean as possible, and 'prepped' for her finish work.

In 1984, when I graduated high school, I was living in Columbus, GA. I went to work at Town & Country Pet Salon, and the owner, Peggy Granberry (a Certified Master Groomer), taught me breed-specific haircuts as well as how to groom mixed-breeds and adapt my skills to every variety of dog. She taught me how to properly scissor breeds such as Poodles and Bichons, and we soon discovered I had a 'natural' talent for grooming. I have an 'eye' for properly finishing dogs and can always present them at their best. I also discovered that I have a 'knack' for handling dogs... being able to calm the skittish ones and control the aggressive ones, with the least amount of stress in both situations.

In late 1988, I moved to Salisbury, MD. I went to work for "Cobbs Hill Kennel", to train the owner as a groomer. However, she soon discovered she was not 'cut out to be' a groomer, so she hired me to come on-staff full time as the first groomer their kennel ever employed. Due to their remote location (about 20 miles from the center of Salisbury, in a rural community), I had a hard time building up my clientele. I received exclusive referrals from many of the local vets, but the location was a definite deterant. So in 1995 I went to work for "Pets Plus" in the center of town. I immediately saw a tripling of my schedule, and income. I was still given exclusive referrals from many local vets. While I was there, I was voted "THE BEST GROOMER ON THE EASTERN SHORE", by Metropolitan Magazine. The Eastern Shore covers Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

In 1996 I opened my first business, "Town & Country Pet Salon" in downtown Salisbury. We were very successful, and very much in demand. I continued to maintain my status as 'The Best Groomer on the Eastern Shore". However I had a business partner who had some issues that were beyond my control, and so in spite of having such a successful business, we parted ways, and she closed the business. I moved to North Carolina with my fiance.

After my youngest daughter was born, I started working at Clayton Animal Hospital, in Clayton, NC. I liked it there very much. I learned a lot about handling 'medicated' or 'sedated' dogs and cats. While I don't suggest medicating pets for grooming, in some extreme cases I found that this was a necessity. I met many dogs and cats that would never tolerate having a hands-on experience without the calming affects of the medication. In these cases, it allowed the grooming to be done in a less stressful mode and be completed much quicker than when trying to constantly 'control' the aggressive animal. I gained some valuable knowledge about grooming animals that we normally would not have been able to groom. But having 3 young children and being so far away from extended family, I needed to move back to MD and be closer to my family.

In 2001, I opened my second business, Christy's Pet Salon, in Salisbury, MD. This was, by far, my most successful business. It grew by leaps and bounds. Within 3 months of opening, I had 'outgrown' my salon on Snow Hill Rd. It took another 2 yrs. to grow to the point of not accepting 'new clients' anymore. And for the next 5 yrs, we could not accept 'new clients' except for replacements for pets that had passed away. All of my clients maintained regular, 'standing' appointments throughout the year. I tried many times to hire additional groomers, but no one could provide a service that met my standards, or the expectations of my clients. So I continued to operate as the only groomer in my business, with one assistant, and we worked hard (averaging 55-60 hours a week), to meet my clients needs. However, following the death of my son in April of 2007, I came to the conclusion that it was time for a fresh start. I have returned to Columbus, where I have always felt 'at home'... and am ready to move on to the next phase of my life. I am accustomed to hard work, long hours, and provide a quality service, with the focus being on the happiness and comfort of my clients of the 4-legged variety. I take great pride in my relationship with my clients, and the quality of my work. Pet grooming is more than just a job to me, it is a relationship, built on trust and reliability.