PetEdge Groomers Share Their Halloween "Horror" Stories

Graveyards and haunted houses aren't the only places to find spine-tingling tales of terror this Halloween.

To celebrate the scariest day of the year, the groomers on our product support team shared some of their "horror stories" from the time they've spent working in grooming shops.

From clingy clients to difficult dogs to tools that vanish without a trace, these twisted tales are sure to keep groomers tossing and turning at night.

The Client That Couldn't Stop Clinging

"A woman came into my shop with two dogs who hadn't been groomed in two years. It took me five hours (and four trash bags filled with undercoat) to wash and brush them out, but when I finished they looked like show dogs.

"When the woman came back to pick up her dogs, she was so impressed that she wanted me to come live with her and be her personal groomer. I politely declined."

The Disappearing Dog

"I had a client who brought in her terrier mix for 'just a bath.' When I took a closer look, I saw that the dog was completely matted from head to tail. I couldn't even feel the skin underneath. I had to wash the dog five times and shave it down completely.

"When the client came back to pick up her dog, she didn't recognize him at all! She started to accuse us of switching dogs on her.

"It was only after we brought out the matted pelt that she realized it was her dog."

The Incredible Expanding Dog

"I sometimes get panicked last-minute calls from customers who need an emergency grooming job. When they ask me if I have time to fit their pet in, they assure me that it's a small dog that won't take up much time.

It's amazing how much bigger the dog gets by the time they arrive at my shop. I think that they undersell the size of the dog so that I'll agree to groom it on short notice."

The Owner Who Stayed—And Stayed

"It's always tough when you have an owner who wants to stay with the dog while you're grooming.

"They think that they're helping you, but often times the dog behaves much worse when the owner is around. And if the owner starts giving the dog treats to encourage it to cooperate, they're just reinforcing the bad behavior." 

The Costume-Crazy Boss

"I had a boss who made all of the groomers wear costumes on Halloween. Not only did I feel silly in a costume, but it also made it harder to work—and potentially more dangerous. Have you ever tried scissoring with a mask on?"

A Killer Way to Keep Track of Tools

"Whenever you work in a shop with multiple groomers, there's always a chance that your tools will disappear overnight or when you're out of the shop.

"To keep track of my supplies, I decided to mark all of my tools with a dot of red nail polish. But after I did that, every time I glanced down at my tools I thought I was seeing blood.

"I decided to use purple polish instead."

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Your Turn:

Do you have a grooming horror story to share with us? Post one in the comments here or on our Facebook wall. We'd love to hear from you and share in the fright.

Thanks, happy grooming, and Happy Halloween :}

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