Willow and her Beauty Shop Appointment

Willow laughing at one of my jokes.

We decided our dog Willow needed her nails clipped by a professional. Professional meaning “not us”… I don’t think she would let us.

I called a dog grooming we used to use for out late dog Brandy and got an appointment. I noticed that they had moved and I asked them in detail where it was at and they said at the veterinarian on Canton Road near Canton Road. I thought I immediately recognized the place because I rode by often watching the building going up, and next to it was a big dog daycare center, which I have mentioned on an earlier blog of seeing a dogfight onetime when riding my bike by.

I made the appointment for Tuesday. That was the day my sister and I went to north Georgia in search for the Spring in Varnell. I was aware of that before I made the appointment, but we decided because she is a new member of the family it might be traumatic for her to be away from us that long of a period. So, Tuesday morning I called and cancelled the appointment and rescheduled it for Thursday morning.

Thursday morning I took Willow to the pretty yellow building with the big fence with dogs running around enjoying themselves. Yep, that must be the one, a sign said grooming.

On the fence by where I parked said that they had dog birthday parties. I wonder if they had a dog-clown blowup balloons and maybe dress like a postman or what. They also had a dog bakery inside. All the bakery items behind the glass counter looked what would appear to humans and not dogs… a lot of the items looked like Duncan or Krispy Kreame Frosty Donuts.

A perky short little woman opened the door for us and asked what she could do for us. I told her Willow had an appointment I said I brought Willow for a bath and nail clipping. I told her we would like to have her bathed in a skin conditional bath because she scratched a lot but had no fleas as far as we could tell. And please file her nails too, so they would not be sharp.

She asked me did the person on the phone give me a price. I said no. She said that it would be $40 when I picked her up. She then she had Willow and me to follow her back to the back room where an mature woman and a teenager were grooming a dog. She introduced both to them. I told them it was nice to meet them and Willow just looked around, wondering what was next.

The mature woman asked me did I want to have her anal gland taken care of. Well, I never thought of that, but sure, why not?

The lady, apparently the owner, who met me in the front, led me back to the front, and leaving Willow there. She told me they would call me when Willow was ready, but it would be before lunch.

I went back home and kind of helped and overseen a handyman we having to build a dog proof gate to separate the deck from the carport. The deck has a railing that separate the two with a 54” opening. A gate there would solve the problem of Willow galloping away in the wide opened world.

Time went by quickly for the morning. I looked at my watch and it was a quarter to noon and the dog grooming shop had not called yet. I had written down the telephone of Clip & Dip and I called them. The lady on the phone said she believed that I carried Willow to the wrong grooming shop. She went on to say that they had an appointment this morning for Willow but we never showed up – but there was another groom shop next door, maybe I carried her there. I bet I did too! She didn’t know their name for me to call them.

I just got in the truck and drove there. The handyman was breaking for lunch anyway and to get a gate bolt at Home Depot.

I went to the pet grooming place and saw the name on the door and went in and told the lady I made a mistake – I had an appointment next door. She said, “Aren’t you glad you came to us though?” Now, I suddenly realized, the knew the whole time this morning when I brought Willow in that I was making a mistake and took advantage of it.

Me – grumbling lowly.

The owner, “Just wait until you see Willow, her black hair has the finest quality to it now – oh, and forty dollars please”. I wrote a check and she wanted to see my driver’s license. I haven’t had to show my I.D. for a check for years.

Willow had a little scarf around her neck. It looked kind of sporty. The lady gave her a little bag of dog greats in it for being so well-behaved.

In the truck I noticed there was a dog-shit smell that just started when she stepped in. Was she seeping gas out of her rectum? Is this the anal treatment the lady was talking about?