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Rub-a-Dub-Dub, There’s a Dog in the Tub!

My own stinky ladies, Spunky and Abby. Even a groomer can’t escape having dirty dogs!

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And when your dog comes to snuggle you with *THAT* smell, times have gotten desperate. It’s okay. Even though our doors are closed, our hearts are wide open, and we absolute feel for anyone with a stinky Spot.

But, before you throw your dog in the tub for a quick scrub, we want to give you a few helpful hints!

Washing a squirmy or uncooperative dog is no easy feat. Give yourself a leg up by gathering your supplies first!

Gather your supplies before starting! You will need:

*Tub or sink with traction. If you are using a sink with a smooth bottom, lay a towel or washcloth down to provide a safe, slip-proof placed for your precious pup
*Towels. If you think you have enough, get a few more
*Dog specific shampoo (While it is not recommended for regular use, in these unique times, human shampoo and conditioner make an acceptable alternative)
* Washcloth (for cleaning bottoms)
* Fine tooth comb (AWESOME tool for getting eye boogies!)
*Brush

TIPS!

If you have a shedding breed, brush your dog BEFORE the bath. Trust me, your pipes with thank you!

Your pipes will appreciate a good brush out BEFORE bathing your beauty!

Be very aware of your water temperature. If it feels like a comfortable bath temp for you, it is TOO HOT for your dog. Bring it down a few degrees. A dog will be most comfortable in water that falls between room temperature and your preferred bath.

In a best-case situation, you have a bottle of high quality dog shampoo ready and waiting. If, however, like me, you were caught unprepared, that’s okay! Because dogs’ skin produces oils differently than humans do, if you are using a human shampoo, its best to follow it with a human conditioner to re-balance the moisture distribution to the coat.

Bottoms and boogies! Make sure you are getting the backside real clean, and removing those crusted on eye goobers. Once these areas have been allowed to soak, its MUCH easier to get them clean, and as both are beacons for bacteria, it’s important not to miss these spots!

If you can’t easily remove the eye buildup with your fingers, a fine tooth comb can be a great tool if used gently

Rinse, rinse, rinse! Make sure you get ALL of the product off of your pet. Shampoo left behind will cause itchy, flaky skin and an uncomfortable pup!

A good lather followed by a thorough rinse!

Dry thoroughly, and take your time. One minute of towel drying can save you up to five minutes of blow drying time. When using a hair dryer, make sure you are using a cool temperature setting! Dogs’ sensitive skin is prone to burns, so we want to make sure we are NOT using heated air to dry them!

Don’t Skip This Step!! Brush your dog! Freshly bathed hair locks up pretty quickly, and can actually cause mats or tangles to worsen. Any time you wash your pet, make sure they are being brushed afterward to help keep the coat healthy!

Snuggle time! There is nothing better than snuggling your clean, sweet smelling pup after a bath!

Just to be clear, this particular snuggle happened BEFORE Covid-19. I am currently practicing social distancing and did not take a selfie in the car with my dog today. Just making sure we’re all cool…






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Temporary Heartache

Dear Clover Pup Family,

It is with very heavy hearts that we must announce that on Saturday, March 21st, Clover Pup Salon was temporarily closed. In an abundance of caution for our team, clients, and the community that we live and work in, we feel it is immensely important to support the advisories to stay home as much as possible.

It is currently our intention to open again on Tuesday, April 7th. We understand that this is a very fluid situation, though, and that dates may change with little notice.

We are working on some new projects and fun posts for you in the meantime, so keep an eye out for some upcoming (more positive) announcements!

Thank you all so much for your understanding and support.

Be safe,

Allison and the Clover Pup Team

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A Few Minor Requests

Hey Cloverinos!

So, we’ve had a few questions about how we are handling the Coronavirus situation.

We are keeping a close eye on all of the updates, and as we have all seen, things can change pretty quickly, but as of right now, we do intend on remaining open.

There are a few small requests we have from you in order to help keep us running through this.

1. Please limit the number of people coming into the Salon for drop offs and pick ups. If you need assistance, one of our employees would be happy to help!

2. If you are uncomfortable coming into the building, call us from your car when you arrive. We would be more than happy to run you pup to and from the car for you.

3. If you are not comfortable coming to your appointment, PLEASE give us 24 hours notice to allow another client to take your space. The current situation is hitting small businesses hard, and ours is no exception. Missing your appointment is totally understandable, but we’d like to open the space to another client where we can.

 

Since cleanliness has always been a very big part of the Clover Pup Culture, as always, we are well stocked on disinfectants, and our sterilizers are all well-maintained and used to a heavy load.

While small cleaning changes are being made (cleaning door knobs, counters, and other high-touch areas several times a day, instead of only once), our disinfection game has always been solid and on-point!

Stay safe, guys! We’re going to get through this together!

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Purple Leash Project

I know that this is going to be lengthy, but I have never posted anything quite so straight from my heart, so I sincerely hope you take the time to read this through…

The time has come for us to remove the muzzle on Purple!

Every year, we are approached by many groups, both local and national, requesting assistance in raising funds and awareness. While we want to help everyone, it becomes overwhelming, and we start to feel that we lose passion for the groups in need. We decided that this year, we want to concentrate our efforts on one organization that speaks the most to the hearts of the team here at Clover Pup Salon, which will allow us to really connect with the one group, and make a more substantial difference for the chosen organization

A few weeks ago, our friend and owner of Bardel Bows, Delise Knight, threw out a call to action for grooming salons across the country. She put out several videos talking about an organization that she is very passionate about, and through her passion, we found that purple flame within ourselves.

Enter Purina and RedRover’s Purple Leash Project. 

An estimated one in three women and one in four men experience some form of domestic abuse in their lifetimes, but only ten percent of domestic violence shelters accept pets. As a result, nearly half of victims choose to stay in abusive situations rather than leave their pet behind.    

Over half of victims in shelters are forced to leave their pets behind with their batterers, and over seventy percent of the pet-owning women entering shelters report that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed, or threatened family pets.

The Purple Leash Project is a grant program that will provide funding and resources to domestic violence shelters who wish to accept both survivors and their pets. Their Safe Housing grants fund start-up shelters seeking to create a safe place to allow families and pets to escape abuse together. In areas that DON’T currently have shelters that welcome pets, their Safe Escape Grants pay for boarding and veterinary care to enable those leaving a violent situation to know that their pet is in a safe place.


Delise and Bardel Bows volunteered to donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales of their purple bow packs to the Purple Leash Project. $50.00 has already been donated in the name of Clover Pup Salon.

But that $50.00 is just the beginning. We have decided to match their donation, and continue helping the Project throughout the year.

Every month, we are going to provide another way to bring the Purple Leash Project funds up to help keep people and their pets safe. For the month of March, 2020, for every dog that leaves Clover Pup Salon in purple (bows, ties, bandannas, etc.), we will be donating a dollar to the Purple Leash Project. We are encouraging you to match your pet’s donation with a $1.00 donation of your own.

Let’s help keep our community safe, one groom at a time.

Clover Pup Salon will be submitting donations monthly. If you are interested in donating, you can deliver your donation to the Salon where we will add it to our monthly contribution, or you can donate directly here:
https://my.redrover.org/give/221740/#!/donation/checkout

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 



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Second Place

Three years ago today, I was six days into a lease on a building in a state I didn’t live in, with a little money and a lot of big ideas.

Three years later, I woke up to an emailed Google Alert saying my little business had been named Second Place for Pet Pampering by the people of my community in the Racine Journal Times.

You guys. I did not see this coming. I never once anticipated being mentioned among the top in a community that loves their pets the way that Racine does. Being pitted against long time groomers, multi-service mega stores, and enormous doggie daycare centers left me with little doubt that my little spot wouldn’t stand a chance.

But today, I was shocked, surprised, thrown entirely, and brought to tears to find that my big ideas turned into something that means something to my adopted community. You are all so amazing.

With every ounce of my spirit, I thank you all so much. For giving us a chance when we were the new kids, and for sharing your experiences with your friends. For your support and critiques and comments and compliments. For you love and your loyalty. For everything.

Thank you, Racine.

Thank you.

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Making Lemonade

Clover Pup Salon rarely closes for weather. Snowstorms, heavy rain, one hundred degree summers… We’ll be here.

But when the forecast was calling for temperatures well below zero, we were forced to make a decision to keep our team, our clients, and all of our four-legged friends at home where they belong. Because a bath and haircut just aren’t worth the risks that going out in this extreme cold comes with.

While for most that means a free day from work bingeing on Netflix, ordering in, and midday naps, for me it just means a shift in my Clover Pup Salon focus. Instead of being elbow deep in shampoos and fur, I’m spending my day in front of the computer, working on the things that I have been putting off in favor of time spent at the Salon with my furry friends.

For example, one of the Salon’s 2019 New Year’s Resolutions was to put out blog posts every month, instead of two or three times a year. If not for today’s weather, January would have slipped past without any new content…

When life gives you a polar vortex, you make lemonade…

So, while I can’t say I won’t indulge in some time spent on Hulu or a mug (or two) of my favorite Raspberry Hot Chocolate, you can bet that my mind and my heart are always with Clover Pup!

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What We’ve Been Working On

A few weeks ago, we posted a photo to our social media account telling you that we were excitedly working on a fun new surprise for all of you!

Since then, we’ve been bombarded by your messages, emails, and in person questions and guesses as to what the new project is.

While it may be a bit of a work in progress for some time still, we are just too excited to keep it from you any longer! Since the weather started warming up months ago, we’ve watched you pick up your beautiful, freshly groomed pups, walk them outside of the salon and stop to take pictures.

While we love that you’re so excited to share your freshly groomed friend, we’re a little unsure of the background selection….

 

Is concrete, brick, and Taylor Avenue really the best place to showcase that little furry friend?

Does it bring out their best features?

Does it add a level of fun and whimsy to your photos?

Is it the safest place for an impromptu photo shoot?

…Probably not.

But what if you had a better option?

While we’re still working on perfecting it, we’re so excited to finally share with you our latest project: The Clover Pup Salon DIY Photo Studio!

This is a space designed especially with you and your pup in mind, equipped with props and backdrops so that you can safely take adorable photos of your pet!

Each month, we’ll replace the backdrops with totally new ones, so that your pet can have different photo experiences each time that they visit!

And the best part, guys, is that this is totally, completely 100% free for you to use!

We want you to share your precious pets with your friends, and we want you to have a fun, safe place to do it in!

And what’s better than fun, free, and totally Instagram worthy?

How about a free bath for your freshly photoed baby at Clover Pup Salon?

Who doesn’t love a contest? After visiting the photo studio and snapping your sweet pics, send the best ones to us at CloverPupPhotos@gmail.com. At the end of the month, we’ll create an album with all the precious pups, and the one with the most votes will win a free bath!

So get creative, start snapping, and don’t forget to share! We can’t wait to see what kind of awesomeness you come up with!

Our clients are all amazing, and we’re always looking for new ways to make your experience the best that it can be! If there are ways that we can enhance your visit, we’re always happy to hear about it! Send your thoughts to us at CloverPupSalon@gmail.com

 

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Comfort Grooms

J is a beauty who suffers from extreme arthritis. All of our employees are trained to work compassionately with dogs with different needs and abilities. Dogs like J are treated to comfort grooms.

When working with our oldest clients, or those with extreme medical conditions, or dogs recovering from injuries, we always provide a comfort groom. In these cases, while we always strive to make your dog look as good as possible, the goal is always their comfort over aesthetic.

We work around your pet in a way that keeps them from feeling pain or adding to an existing condition by manipulating body parts or asking them to stand for long periods of time. These pups are given multiple breaks through their stay, and position themselves comfortably, so that we can work around them.

When doing a comfort groom, we always start with the most important parts of the visit, so that if the pet can’t get through the entire visit safely and comfortably, they will at least leave clean, dematted, with their sanitary area trimmed, and a neat pawdicure!

In J’s case, she struggled to stand for more than a few seconds at a time, but was happy to lie down and allow us to work with her that way. She was happy to roll to allow us access to different areas of her body as needed, and thanked us with her endlessly wagging tail.

While these visits require a bit more effort on our end, our goal is to be as kind and gentle to all of our clients as possible, even those that need a little extra love. With EVERY dog we meet, compassion and comfort is what we always aim for.

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Winter Grooms

One of the most common myths about pet care is that dogs shouldn’t be groomed during the cold winter months.

Unfortunately, skimping on these visits can do more harm to your pet than good.

Longer hair that drags on the ground (think of those sweet shaggy feet), picks up snow, ice, and salt which can tangle into the hair and even cause burns on your pup’s pads.

Longer, un-brushed coats are prone to becoming severely tangled, or matted. Matted hair can cause discomfort for your pet, but also destroys the insulation properties of the coat. Once a coat becomes matted, it loses the ability to keep your dog warm.

That heavy, tangled coat that you think will keep your pet warm could actually be doing the opposite. Thick coats and heavy tangles, when wet from snow, ice, or rain, stay wet much longer than a shorter coat, and hold moisture and cold tight up against your dog.

The good news is, Clover Pup Salon can help!

Scheduling regular appointments for your pet allows us to keep the coat clean, remove dead hair, and brush out those snarls before they become a problem, restoring the natural insulating properties of the hair. All of our bath visits also include a trimming of the face, feet, and potty spots, to keep your pet looking and feeling lovely, even in the cold.

If you don’t want the maintenance of a long coat, it is always healthier for your dog to be clipped short and wear a stylish coat or sweater than to go out with a matted coat.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 262-583-3155 so we can help get your pup winter ready!

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Chilly Dogs – Winter Paw & Pad Care

We recently discussed the need to have pet dogs bathed and clipped during the winter, and how we can actually be causing problems by waiting for the warmer weather to have our pup’s grooming needs met.

It’s also important to get your pet in for some one-on-one with their groomer during the winter to ensure their paws are getting all the care that they require during this rough period. There are two foot concerns that are exclusive to the winter months, and until pet boots become widely popular for more than youtube videos, they need to be addressed regularly.

The first is the cracking of paw pads.

Again, the dry heat in your home coupled with ice, salt, and other snow removal chemicals wreak havoc on delicate pads causing painful cracks and even bleeding. Just like the skin and coat, pads need to be maintained or they dry out and begin cracking.

If the hair on the feet and between the pads are not kept trimmed, that hair can catch salt and snow. The snow builds up to create hard pellets of ice that dig into the feet and pads, and salt caught up in these hairs can cause a great deal of pain when you dog walks or stands, and especially in feet that are already cracked and vulnerable.

Ice salt is typically made up of sodium chloride, which is incredibly harsh on the sensitive skin of the feet. When in pain or discomfort, your dog will start licking his feet, and the ingestion of this can make him very sick.

Feet and pads should always be cared for, but in the winter months it is especially important to have the assistance of your groomer in this.

At Clover Pup Salon, all dogs being bathed or groomed have their pads shaved and excess hair around the feet trimmed up to help with traction and to keep salt and ice from building up between the toes.

We always have pad and nose moisturizer available to our clients upon request, and for the month of January will apply it to any dog receiving a bath or groom in our Salon at no additional charge to help ensure their safety and comfort as we battle these cold days.

Visiting the groomer at all times of the year helps keep your pet comfortable and healthy. Does you pet need a winter appointment? Call 262-583-3155 to set one up today!