GUTTED

[Nicky Vangalis]

Hi all,

I went away last weekend and my fiance decided, kind heartedly, to take ollie to a new groomer for a groom and bath before we go on holiday to get married next week.

I've come home and they have cut all his hair off :-(  They took his ears right back, and they have also clippered all over his back and taken most of his feathering away from his back legs.  They took his neck down nicely, but I'm just so so upset as he doesn't look like my boy any more.  What's more annoying is I gave Dan a photo of a setter and how I would like him cut but Dan forgot the photo and basically I think he didn't explain it properly.

I can't fault their workmanship but they buggered up how he looks, and I must say I don't blame them but my wally fiance!! I know his heart was in the right place but grrrrr I'm upset!!

And I guess, at the end of the day, it will grow back...he just doesn't look like my boy anymore :-(

[KC and the boys]

That's really annoying Nicky but at least no permanent damage was done. I'm wondering whether it really was just a case of miscommunication? After all the costumer is king and some dog owners come up with very peculiar non-breed specific requests so I'm told. I know two people who trained as dog groomers but are no longer working in the profession because they found the owners so irritiating. Not making any suggestions here of course!

I've only ever taken Errol to the groomer once (he misbehaved so badly I don't think I'll ever be able to take him back) but I was clumsy in explaining what I was after. Luckily the ladies were very careful in checking what I wanted done else Errol would have been left without any feathers, too.

 

Hope this hasn't put a damper on your wedding proceedings btw. Congratulations!

[Margaret Sierakowski]

Not the first setter this has happened to! I can remember a big winning and beautiful Sh Ch who was sold as a puppy to a pet home, then came back to his breeder with ALL his coat and feathering clippered down to the skin. It took a few months to grow back, then he went into the show ring and started winning

And worse than this can happen. Probably the best IRWS dog I have ever bred was taken to the vets and neutered by his owner's girl friend , while the owner was away in Afghanistan . The vet didnt even ask for the owner's signature, just did it! The owner found out only when he get home again, he was furious and I was incandescent!

[Stefan]

It grows back, but was grateful that it did not get an extreme clipping that this poor poodle (or whatever it is) :)PoodleBizon :)

[Kristina]

OMG, this is awful! Poor dog. 

[Stefan]

Human taste is the only thing that counts, if anyone thinks dogs should be styled in addition to the breed standard, so will it be .. There are competitions in dog grooming, creativity is high, there is no limit to how humans can disfigure their "darlings" ...

[sue morgan]

Poor  Nicky  and   Ollie, that is  awful,  no they shouldnt need a picture if they are   in the grooming  business.....

.I always used to ask if the client wanted  a show  trim..........OR  a  Pet trim, 

the pet  trim  still had feathers  and ears   but shorter  ....and still looked like  it should do, never mind....it will grow , as va  suggests   ask  some one in the breed to show you how to trim  

[june walsh]

We have a mobile groomer??  in our area that clips everything short including IS. (leg feathering and ears shaved off.)   The groomer l go to, asked me to show him how to show trim an Irish, before he touched mine,and now does quite a few IS.

[KC and the boys]

Just a general question: Do Setters really need that much trimming? On the one occasion that he saw a groomer Errol was trimmed only with the lightest of touch. Literally a tidy up. What's the point of having a dog with feathers when all keeps being lopped off?

 

[Lois McCullough]

For me it's a personal choice I just love to see them with a show cut long neck,ears cut back, toe nails cut, ears cleaned etc or maybe I'm just lazy however they have a virtual health check every 6-8 weeks

[Nicky Vangalis]

Can I just say people are getting the wrong end of the stick - we did not WANT him cut short!  We wanted his toenails cut, his ears and neck tidied up as he had a winter lion's mane and the fur between his toes done and then my fiance decided to take him there so that I didn't have to bath him and mess about this week as I have been marking examinations all week in addition to teaching, so he knew I wouldn't have time.  As I said, heart in the right place, shame the groomer got it wrong. 

[Rhonda Fisher]

Confused groomer, neck, toenails and ears. What the heck was she doing touching his legs and back. Sounds like Ollies gorgeous red coat was too much to resist. I am sure your fiance would have told her neck, toenails and ears. Group hug and back to the wedding plans.

[Nicky Vangalis]

that's the thing, I'm not sure he would have - he just gave her the picture bless him.  What's worse is Dan thinks he looks really nice like this!  I was like, no way!  Grrr.  I just took him out for a run and for the first time someone asked me what type of dog he was, I said he was an IS and they said 'oh he looks different to the ones you see on the bakers advert'.  GRRRRR!!