Cocker Spaniels in Your Life

I’d better do my disclaimer first concerning Cockers. I am sure if you own one, you love them. I am sure if you “breed” them, you love them. However there is another side of the breed and that concerns grooming them. Pet grooming them is a lot of work and I will leave it at that. I will give you my take from a groomer’s perspective. It is not so much about grooming them, as a lesson in life I have learned concerning them and a word of advice from my Dad.

I owned Cherry’s Groomobile in the early 80’s, Canada’s first service that comes to your home and grooms your dog right in a custom van. I enjoyed it and made darn good money for a young entrepreneur. I filled up with water at my parents place and shared a cup of coffee every morning with them.

My Dad knowing me all too well could see one day I was in a bad mood. In a way that only Don Cherry can ask, “what’s up with you?” I explained that somehow I had booked 3 cocker spaniels all in one day. Unless you’re a groomer you have no idea how much work and aggravation this is.

He then asked me if I had any other appointments that day. Of course I did, a poodle, schnauzer and a westie, all easy regular customers. That is when he strikes. “you know Cindy, I know you pretty well, and you’re going to be in a bad mood all day, and those easy going dogs and customers, will also feel your irritability, and that’s just not fair.” He was 100% right on. Then he told me something that I still apply to everything. “you had better get rid of those cocker spaniels in your life”. And so I did. I tripled their cost to be groomed. Since some of these thoroughly matted to the bone dogs, got shaved bald ( yes, I said bald) once a year, there owners didn’t seem to care. So in my head I was getting paid handsomely for my aggravation.

But as I said, you can apply this philosophy to many things. If something is constantly irritating you, like a particular person, job, or a plant that won’t bloom (inside joke) and it’s making you old before your time, ELIMINATE IT, you’ll feel better in the long run.