Monday Mischief Summer Puppy Cut for my Silly Australian Shepherd

Nailahs coat can get insanely long if I dont trim it once a year. 
When spring time rolls around she drops her coat like crazy, l
eaving little blue merle tumbleweeds all over the house.

Spring time comes with a lot of things: flowers, baby animals, allergies, and fur. Lots of fur. Mounds of fur. Tons of fur. Enough fur for me to make another dog. No seriously, its bad. Nailah has been dropping her coat like crazy these past few weeks and despite all the vacuuming and brushing were still finding blue merle tumbleweeds. 

I spent an entire afternoon furminating Niles after giving her a long over due bath. The amount of fur I pulled from this dog was obnoxious. After she got free from the hour long torture session I decided it was time to do something neither of us liked. I had to do the only thing that could help me combat this natural mischief: book a session with the groomers. 

I have taken Nailah to only two groomers in her life. One of them was a local mom and pop salon back in Gainesville and the other was PetSmart. The mom and pop store did a pretty good job with her, though her mane did tend to get a roughed up, so I usually went to them. 

My Australian Shepherds butt looking pretty overgrown. 
Despite all my brushing she was still producing massive amounts of fur 
so I knew it was time to visit the groomers.

The one time I decided to take her to PetSmart was when I couldnt get an appointment for her and I desperately wanted her groomed for her birthday party. After asking the groomer if she was used to working with Australian Shepherds, she told me she was, I left her and went about my daily business. When I picked Nailah back up I was shocked, they butchered her. 

Her fur was jaggedly cut and much shorter than I had wanted it to be. After taking her home and crying about it (seriously, that actually happened) I mustered up the courage to bring her back and ask that they fix it. The groomer was extremely rude about it, saying it was Nailahs fault for being so fidgety. Even after the "fix" her coat looked terrible but since it wasnt as bad as the first time I decided to just cut my losses and go. 

That little episode left me extremely wary of new groomers and I never again booked with a different salon... but then we moved. 

I got Nailah a very short summer cut last year right before we left Gainesville. Since I only get her trimmed once a year I figured thatd hold us until I could visit them again. I had planned on going up there this month to visit my friends but as luck would have it those plans fell through. After seeing how badly Niles was shedding and how hot it had already gotten I knew I couldnt delay the trim any more. It was time for a new groomer. 

Nailah likes to play innocent but I know shes all for her coat dropping. I
ts a good excuse to rub herself all over the furniture!

After doing a lot of research I found a promising salon here in Miami. After a bit of debating I gave them a ring and pleaded my case to the groomer. I told her of our past experience where someone claimed they could give Niles a puppy cut yet they totally butchered her. I told the lady that if they werent experienced with working with Australian Shepherds that I would like them to be honest and tell me so. Even after all this the groomer promised they had some Aussie clients and were used to working with the breed. With some hesitation I booked her appointment and started preparing for the worst.

When it was finally time to get Nailah groomed I was a bit nervous. What if they had lied about knowing how to groom Aussies? What if they were mean to her? What if they cut her? What if they sold her on the black market? Yes... Im a slightly paranoid dog mom. 

Despite all my fears I did turn her over to the seemingly nice lady and after showing her pictures of what I wanted and again telling her about the previous incident, left my little Aussie in her hands. 

The next 2 hours went by miserably slow. I went to a local PetSmart to keep myself occupied while I waited and tried not to think about all the terrible things I might be greeted with when I went to pick her up. 

My freshly groomed Australian Shepherd. The new grooming salon did a 
pretty good job on her and the puppy cut looks mighty adorable.

When the time finally came to get Niles I braced myself. As soon as the groomer brought her out I had mixed feelings. She looked good... right? I gave her a very through look over as the groomer patiently waited for my comments. Over all I was impressed. They did a great job on her body and her rear was nicely trimmed. Her mane, however, was a bit uneven. After telling the groomer my observations she immediately brought out the lady that had worked on Niles. I explained to her where the issues lie and she happily brought us both back to fix the problem.

Over all I was happy with the new groomer. 
She left her coat even and the length is pretty good too.

After she straightened things out Nailah looked much better, though I still wasnt happy with the length. I told the groomer that next time itd be best if they didnt touch her mane much and just focused on the body. She happily jotted down my request and after paying we were off.

Nailah letting us get a butt shot. 
Australian Shepherd bootys are the cutest.

I dont know if Im too demanding when it comes to Nailahs appearance but in the end I was pretty happy with the results. What do you guys think? Was I too harsh on the groomers? Do you get the same when your dogs get groomed? Please tell me Im not the only nutso dog mom out there! 

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