Dog Grooming 101

Being that I am a Proffessional Dog Groomer, I felt it neccessary to share a few basic Dog Grooming tips with my readers here on Le Blog. As we all know, owning a pet is very costly, & time consuming, but can be a very special and rewarding addition to most family's households.

 Some people think the only cost to owning a dog is purely food...then there are a few more who believe that the cost is food & vet costs. 

Then there are my favorite type of pet owners, the smartest pet owners, who believe that pet costs come from food, vet, & grooming!

Yes, even if you have a cute little short haired chihuahua or a gorgeous pit-bull, Grooming should be included in the cost and time it takes to owning a pet.

Here are the grooming tips I feel that EVERY dog owner needs to know:

Slicker Brush

Tip #1: Brushing! No matter long or short haired: Brush your dog with a Slicker Brush. I've heard owners claim it "looks" like it would hurt the dog, let me tell you, it does not. In fact, it helps every type of coat on any type of dog, because the wires or bristles, are designed to massage the scalp of the dog and release natural oils from their skin into their coat. These natural oils keep the coat conditioned and silky smooth, as well as keep matting off of long haired dogs. This is the ONLY type of brush designed to reach the scalp of a dog & with long-haired dogs, if you are not brushing your dog DAILY, and TO THE SCALP, it is guaranteed that you will have a matted dog within days. Matting will start from the scalp and work its way to the ends of the hairs. It is very painful for a dog. Imagine your hair covering your entire body & being in a huge knot that spanned across your back to your legs & every time you walked, it pulled REALLY hard with every step. Ouch, huh?  I've actually had a client drop off a dog that didn't look matted at all; even to pet the dog, you'd never guessed it was matter. They even showed me the ball point tipped bristle brush they brushed the dog with. I ended up having to chisel my clippers through the dogs coat to get the plates of matting off the dog because even though the owner brushed their dog daily, it was never brushed to the scalp. Hence a fully matted dog.
So, this tip, is #1 on the list, because it has multiple reasons as to why it is the most important grooming tip for Dog Owners everywhere.

Golden-Doodle completely matted & the outcome.

Tip #2: Ear cleaning and ear plucking! Yup, that's right, I said ear plucking. Every dog owner should always keep on hand some sort of ear cleaner. Whether or not it is purchased from a store (please no Hartz products should ever be purchased or used on your dog) or you prefer an all natural home remedy, it is something that should be in your pet's weekly grooming routine. Home remedy items include things such as: witch hazel, vinegar, peroxide or simple saline solution. Soak a cotton ball with whatever it is you prefer to use and wipe the inside of the dog's ear until the cotton ball[s] come out clean. Keep using more cotton balls until the ears are completely clean. If you keep up on this process, they should not be that dirty as time goes by. Now, if you notice a pungent odor and what looks like wet coffee grounds inside the dogs ear, it's safe to say your dog has ear mites. Ear mites are not serious and can be treated without a trip to the vet. Simple purchase Ear Mite drops and apply as directed. If they do not get better, then your next step should be a visit to your dog's vet.

Ear Mites in a dog's ear

Any long haired breed, such as: ShihTzu, Poodle, Yorkie, Havanese, Bichon Frise & others, grow hair inside the ear canal. This hair, if it isn't plucked or pulled out, can trap dirt & bacteria causing ear infections and other problems. It sounds quite painful to most people who aren't familiar with this hygiene process, although it is about equivalent to human eyebrow plucking. Just like with eyebrow plucking, a dog will become accustomed to it and overtime it will not affect them. Unlike the hair on the rest of the dog's body, the ear hair is not rooted deep and will come out very simple. My advice is to start messing with a dog's ears as young as possible (6-8weeks). I once had a poodle who I could pluck her ear hair at anytime without the slightest yelp, twitch, or her pulling away; she would lie there and allow me to do it by the age of 6 months. I started ear plucking at 6 weeks old on her. If you take your dog to a professional Dog Groomer and you see hair in their ears, the groomer is not doing their job and you should definitely ask them about it. Also, know that that this task is not something a professional must do, it is simple and can be done by anyone.


#3: Bathing! If you are not taking your pet to a groomer every two weeks for a good bath, then it is recommended to bathe your dog about once week. Indoor dogs that do not get dirty or who are outside any length of time could go two weeks. Never groom a dog more than once a week unless otherwise directed by a vet for some sort of skin condition. Even if your dog has fleas, giving it a flea bath everyday will NOT keep the fleas off. When bathing your dog, make sure not to get shampoo or water in the ear canal of the dog or in the dog's eyes. It's recommended to use a puppy tear free shampoo only on any age dog's face to protect their eyes. Also, never use any Hartz products and keep in mind most shampoos purchased from Walmart or other like department stores will probably not yield the best results. I recommend Tropiclean™ products. Not only do they smell divine, but they are also all natural and work wonders for cleaning and brightening the coat!

I will continue these tips in later posts...in the comments section feel free to ask questions, recommend another tip or ask to clarify on anything I may have talked about in this post. I think these 3 tips are the most commonly needed or asked tips I can give as a dog groomer.

Please take care of your pets....Oh, and one more thing - human food is for HUMANS. Not Dogs!! If you feed your dog table scaraps or treats from a fast food joint or even share your ice cream with them - you aren't being their best friend...you are killing them.
Not only is it bad for their health (in SOOO many different ways) but you are causing them bad breath, tooth decay and their coat will always look dingy and dull and won't grow to it's potential. It's not cute to let the dog get it off the floor and it's not sweet to reward them with McDonalds or an ice cream. It's sad and mean. If you went through Dog Grooming school or Veterinary school (at any level) you'd feel sorry for dogs you see getting ANY type of non dog food. Do some research - it's GROSS!






Love & Grooming,

I'm a Co-Host!!! Instagram Hop!

Welcome to week 26 of our Instagram Blog Hop! Half a year? Wow! How time flies when you're having fun, right? We want to thank each and every one of you who come and link up each week. We hope you have fun meeting new Instagram friends and are continually inspired by what you see in your IG feed! If you're new to the party...

Here are the RULES:

1. Follow your HOSTS on Instagram:

Ashlyn | @loveeashlyn of Let It Be Beautiful 

Emily | @mrsemshhh of The Pink Elephant 

Kimberly | @anightowlblog of A Night Owl

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS on Instagram:

Melanie | @nowaqueen of Now A Queen

You can find Melanie here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Twitter :: Pinterest

***

Kristen | @mamawinkle of Mama Winkle tell's me so...

You can find Kristin here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter

3. Check out and follow a couple fellow IGers. 

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

4. Spread the word! 

Tweet

Grab a button HERE for your sidebar!

5. Link up your profile from any Instagram web interfaces like these listed here: 

Followgram | Ink361 | Webstagram | Gramfeed | Extragram 

Just log in with your Instagram account, grab your profile URL and enter it in the linky below.

Want to co-host an Instagram Blog Hop? Email Kimberly and she’ll get you on the calendar!

Now, on to the HOP! Remember, please link up your INSTAGRAM account, not your blog.

Just to clear things up...

I think it's a good time to just clear the air on a few things...

I'd like to set a few things straight.

I have two children.
Both by the same father - who I have been with for 6, count them, SIX years. Not 3, not 1. 6!
Two children that are only 19 months apart.
I also attained my AA in Psychology and almost my BA since getting pregnant almost 4 years ago.
I lived 18 hours away from ANY family who could have or would have helped me at all with my babies for the first 3 years.
In the 3 years that I have been a mother - I have had a babysitter maybe 3 times. MAYBE.
My children have never been sent to another state for a week or even a day without me or their father.
My children have never been dropped off at someone else's house to be babysat for an entire weekend whilst I galavant around a city far far away. Never. Not even for a weekend while I was nearby.
Never for more than overnight..and never, EVER both kids at once.
NEVER.

I am married...to the father of my children. If you knew me, you'd know that. It's public info...go search for it. Call it what you want. I'll call it what we want. I didn't meet him when I was with my ex, I know that's right! & I surely didn't "fall in love & want to marry" 3 other men before meeting my soulmate. Or 10 or 15 other men, for that fact!

I have NEVER, EVER pawned my children off on ANYONE! NO FRIENDS, FAMILY, ANYONE!

What I have done...what I am guilty of is....saying I needed a break, wanting a break, wishing for a break, crying because I needed a break....

But, guess what else....

I've never had my BOYFRIEND call up my family and say "Hey, we're dropping off the kids because Kristen needs a break".

Nope. Never.

Yes. My own mother has helped my family (myself, kids) out financially & emotionally. I think everyone has had help from their parents before....especially the great big FAT ASS kettle I'm referring to.

Everyone who really knows me, knows that my father and I have never had the best relationship. Well, even my father and Mr.B. have spoke about our life since moving here to FL and my own father, the one referred to me tonight as "The Ass", told Mr.B. he believes some people go through times of bad luck in their life...Wow, if Mr. Insensitive can come up with that...what's wrong with these people who seem to think they are family. But, I suppose having our rent paid was a handout. Yes...I loved living for 6 months not knowing how I would pay for a diaper for my child. How I would pay for gas in our 1 car. How we would pay for a flat tire. Tylenol for sick kids. MILK FOR MY BABY.

I guess it's a handout when we spent every single weekend sitting outside at a flea market selling hand made jewelry just to have $50 (hopefully) so we may have some worry free gas in the car or groceries or diapers.

I switched to cloth diapers for my baby...I don't give a crap about the environment, I care that my child has a damn diaper on!!!

I make my own laundry detergent. I don't care about carcinogens in store bought soap - I WANTED TO HAVE CLEAN LAUNDRY!

We played in the water hose this summer...not because we liked it - because we couldn't afford a 40 minute drive to the FREE BEACH!

I pawned my 50" LCD TV to pay for our electricity bill because I thought I was getting a tax return in a week and could just go get it back out....It never came and I lost my TV....I never asked anyone to go pay  to get it out - that's a luxury....NOT A HANDOUT! I didn't see it was important to have a 50" when I couldn't even put gas in our car. It was our decision to let it go...nobody but us made that choice. But I guess we were just looking for a handout.

I spent 2 months trying to get off all my medications that a dirty doctor had me on for years in Kansas City, when I first came to Florida at the first of the year....Sick as a DOG. Never got that break I was always needing (oh, but you knew I was sick, too!). I sucked it up and did it all. I didn't even have the heart to tell many people and still, hardly anyone knows what I really went through. Because I didn't need any pity...I needed to get well, for myself, for my children. For my family. And damnit, I did it.

But I guess all I've been doing is looking for a handout. And looking for someone to take my kids and babysit them.

This is all I'll say for now. When I calm down and can see more rationally, I'd like to post more.

I have so much more to post.

How about the story of when I was about 8 years old....locked in your car.....with you....scared to death....remember that one? Or, what about when I was alone in your apartment (same age)...what was his name?

Yeah....you love me, alright.




That's all there is to it,

hahahaha

Wow...it's a very good thing I didn't hit "Publish" on my last blog post. I may have wrote my exit for my  right there. 
Oh, it's itching. The audacity of others. I can't believe the way people treat others when they are down...but yet wonder why they're having such bad luck. 

This is all I care to say...

If I had to pinpoint a certain amount of lyrics that really spoke truth to my relationship with Mr.B. in the beginning of our lifelong journey, this would be it. He's always promised to take care of me and to never ever let me be hurt again. I came from a long long road of hurt when I met him and it took me along time to heal after we met, too. Sometimes I like to think I'm still healing - other times I don't like to think that - but the truth is...I am. I'm never perfect, never proclaimed to be, just as the saying goes...and he always stuck by me being a positive light that I've always needed no matter what I did in my past or present. I needed that. I need him. I miss us. I need alone time with him....

I never get very personal on Le Blog...but...I don't have much energy to type up anything else. So here ya go~!

It's Story Time, Folks!

Well...here I am. Not much to say....or is it that there's just too much to say and not enough time. I'm going with the latter. 

I would like to thank everyone that is still checking back here and also a big "Welcome" to all my new followers, too! I am over 120 followers and couldn't be happier with that and I have a really neat give away coming soon, so stay tuned and keep checking back. It will be put up this coming week!!!!!

It's story time, Folks~!

...Let me tell you about a little girl who woke her mommy & daddy up by crying and screaming as she sat upon the toilet at 4am. Well, mommy went down the hall, across the house to see what was the matter. My little 3 year old said, whilst crying hysterically,
"Mommy, [inaudible] frog....blinds....green frog...scared..get door..."
Mommy goes to move the door and 3 year old then screams even louder.
So, mommy left 3 year old sitting and crying on the toilet and went back to her bedroom to recruit daddy for this job. Mommy said,
"Daddy, she is saying something about a frog and then started freaking out when I went to look behind the door, so, you'll just have to go see and if she is just having a bad dream, fine, but I am not about to go catch a frog!"
Mommy watched from our bedroom as daddy went down the hall and across the house to go find out. We can see the children's bathroom from our bedroom. Mommy knew he must have found something because he was in the bathroom with the door closed behind him as if he was catching the frog behind the door. & it was taking longer than a couple seconds. So, mommy just knew.
3 year old baby girl was RIGHT! Daddy had something in his hand and came back up the hall and opened the front door to throw it out. Seeing as how the toddler was still on the toilet, still crying her little heart out, mommy decided to go console and get her cleaned up and back to bed. Mommy noticed daddy at the entertainment center looking around and said,
"What are you doing, daddy?"
He replied, "Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard something moving around. Now that mommy thinks back, it's strange that she didn't think THAT was odd. [& this does come back in to play, later.]
So, everything is calm and now mommy & 3 year old are saying how blessed we were that daddy was not working the graveyard shift as he'd been and he was actually home to get it for us....because we were very scared.

{Sidenote: Mommy does NOT do reptiles of any sort. Or BIG bugs. Anything bigger than an inch. But, most DEFINITELY no frogs, lizards, snakes, skinks...nada...nothing!!, Mommy would take her children to the neighbors and call for help or for a ride and LEAVE said home. End sidenote}

Keep in mind, this all occured around 4am and daddy had just switched his schedules and now works during the day & not the graveyard shift. Daddy got home from work later on that day and about a little while after he was home from work he says to mommy,
"Do you want to know how that frog got into the house?"
"WHAT?...hhhhhow??!?!"
He proceeds to tell mommy this: "Remember the other day, you said there was a really cool looking tree frog out back and that I should put it in her Bug Keeper we just got for her (keep in mind, audience, a Bug Keeper is made for keeping bugs/small reptiles from escaping ~ this too will play a part, later on). Well, since I didn't go do it that day, I felt a little guilty and when I went outside to leave for work (at 6:20am) yesterday morning, I saw one out front and figured I would just grab it and then show her when I got home; since I was on my way to work, I didn't have time to find the Bug Keeper so I just grabbed one of those 'ToGo' coffee cups (you know, the paper ones with the plastic lids, made to look like drive-thru coffee cups) out of the kitchen and put it in that and set it on top of the TV and left for work. I had NO idea that thing would ever fit through that tiny little hole in the lid. (the hole was very tiny).
At this point, mommy is nearly in tears.
She said, "You seriously put a nasty-ass, stupid M'F'ing FROG in a disposable coffee cup and left the thing on our Living Room TV for us to be alone with, all day. Without any knowledge of it being there??
OK, now mommy is in tears.
"I should have never told ya....Well, this is me telling you the truth, NOW, and that I'll never, ever bring something like that into the house again. I'm sorry, babe."
Now, mommy is making connections....
"So, that is why you were over at the TV saying the you heard something...ahhhh, you were checking for the cup, huh!"


I think Mr. B. learned a thing or two about a thing or two about Me not liking frogs. What do you think? I just could not believe he did that, at the time. Now, that it's been a few days, I'm sort of laughing about it. A lot of things could have been a lot worse had some of the factors of the story been changed.
What if he had been working.
What if M didn't see it in the Bathroom...never got up to go to the bathroom.
What if it showed itself during that day while he was at work and just me & the babies were playing in the living room.
HOW did we NOT see it?? Normally, if I see cups, I pick them up right away...I never even saw the cup. What if I had seen the cup and went to go throw it away and AAAAHHHHH found the frog?!!?!?

WHAT IF?!?!

 I hate frogs!!!

source

Love & story-time,

It's OK & Thankful Thursday...

It's Thursday!! Our schedule is changing today! Mr. B. is now working 7am-3pm and we will now join the rest of the world in having a "normal" routine and daily schedule in our home, as well. We are so stoked about this. I'm going to link up with "It's OK" Thursdays & a whole buncha "thankful Thursdays"...read on!
***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***~***
It's OK:

...that i don't care to ever hang out anywhere or with anyone except Mr.B....he's my most favorite human being - BY FAR!

...that my kids sometimes stay in their jammies all day long...and skip days at a time without a bath.

...that I leave my kitchen dishes (some nights) until the next day (& notice I didn't say "morning").

...that I'm totally comfortable talking with and telling my mama all there is to know about my sex life. & that it doesn't bother me to hear about hers with my father, HAHA! Call me crazy, but I think it's ok! (Not saying we do this often - & she probably doesn't share the same feelings!)

...to be having baby fever - I have an IUD!

...to take a break from school...I've dealt with A LOT lately and it's better to break than to fail.

...that I don't have much else to add to this so I'm moving on...

**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**

via

Today, I am very, humbly thankful for:

1. Iced Milk Tea. I can't say this enough. Basically, in a nut shell, it's southern sweet tea + french vanilla (or Ameretto) creamer, just a splash. Over ice. Ah! It's SO, SO, SO good! Try it!
2. My man. I won't ever be thankful enough. He jumps at the opportunity to do anything he even thinks I may want/need him to do. He loves me for me and tells me how much he loves the way I look. What woman wouldn't love that?
3. My home...I really love where I live. I love my furniture, the kids' toys everywhere, the laundry that needs to be folded/put away, the occassional water bug (gag), and the simplicity. I love that my 3 year old says she loves her home.
4. my kids...even when they fight ;)
5. my parents...and my sister and her family. My grandparents too...THIS is my family. They are the reason I am here today and that I love who I am.
6. That my grampy drove himself to the pharmacy yesterday...oh man, we were at a place in our loves where we thought he wasn't going to ever come home just a couple months ago...to hear of this almost made me cry. 
7. Air conditioning! Both in my home and my car!! Nuff said.
8. My ability to make very good money from home...no leaving my kids with people I do not know, no using gas in the car that is outrageously priced, and no having to work for someone else!
9. My man's job...he is finally doing what he's always wanted to do and we finally (after a long 3 year span) have stability back in our lives! Praise God!!!
10. my friends who understand that I am a mom of two toddlers...sometimes I can't keep plans or show up when promised. That's how it is when you have two toddlers and a man who works 3rd shift (not anymore!!)...thankful they understand and don't hold any of that against me! (Cherie, Kimmy-Poo, Rachelle, Melissa, Jamie, etc...) I am glad those who didn't care enough to understand are GONE from our lives!
    **~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**
    Linking up here:

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Love & Link-ups,

Really...wow...

Um. Wow. I am obviously still a noob. I totally thought I was being blog savvy by typing out a couple of posts ahead of time and using that nifty "schedule" feature....if only I'd have known how to use the darn thing.

Yeah. I guess I wasn't aware that you need to not only schedule the post...but, also hit "Publish"; not just "Save" & "Close".

Well...no wonder I was still getting email/comments on my post from last Monday (8/27/12)....I thought I'd been an awful blogger for not blogging for 4 days....and according to my actual blog, it's been waaay too long TEN days!

How boring I must seem. So sorry, you guys...I really was blogging...but, it's not been published yet. 

Wow. Loser.

via.

Anyhow, I got it now. & now I have my work blogging for the next few days already done, haha. 

~Always find a positive in the negative =]

Love & Learning,