Dog Grooming School : Studying the Mystique of Canine Make-Overs

When people ask Teresa Clark what she does for a living and she tells them she’s a professional dog groomer, they usually ask her, “Any plans for a real career?”

Her answer is, “No way, not on your life, and if I get asked once more I’ll shave pompons on your head, paint your toenails pink and give you a flea dip.”

Clark and her husband, Stephen, own The Classy Canine in El Cajon, the only dog grooming school in the county. Its graduates undergo a 12- to 14-week course in the techniques of handling, shearing, shaping, clipping, and trimming dogs, and also cats.

The school looks like a beauty college for people--the store window advertises hot-oil treatments and designer bows--until you go inside. The critters stand on individual tables lining a small, square room while students slowly and cautiously give them make-overs.

Opportunities Abound

The students have paid $950 in tuition and another $250 for equipment to learn the fine art of professional dog grooming, said Teresa Clark, but it may be worth every penny. Forty job openings at dog grooming salons across the county are posted on the school’s bulletin board. Jobs can pay $100 a day. Are students guaranteed a job after graduation?

“There’s no way we can fill these jobs now,” Clark said, pointing to the job opportunities. “It will take us years to fill them.”

Stephen Clark says 12 people are on the school’s six- to eight-week waiting list, and enrollment is staggered so that 10 people at a time are taking the course.

Fear of Getting Bit

During the first few weeks, the new students’ biggest fear is getting bit; they’re often too gentle with the animals, Teresa said.

“They’re like Snow White,” she said. “They say, ‘Oh, what sweet little thing,’ and they wouldn’t reprimand an animal if they had to. When they start working with the animals, they learn to be firm and control the animal on the table,” Teresa said.

When student Julie Brown started, she fell victim to the Snow White syndrome.

“When she first came in she was so sweet with the animals, we used to laugh,” Teresa said. “She called them all ‘Honey.’ Now, she doesn’t mind muzzling them if they’re going to bite. She can handle them. She’s a good groomer. If you come in (as) Snow White but walk out with just a touch of Rambo, you’ll get your dogs groomed.”

Brown, 29, graduated last Saturday with a certificate of completion, cap and gown and an honorary photo of herself with her trainee pooch. Before entering the school, Brown worked in the parts department of a concrete company, which she found boring.

“It will be nice to be able to get paid doing something I enjoy,” Brown said. “When you see a scroungy dog come in and he goes out groomed, and you see the owner’s expression, you feel good for the owner and the animal.”

Brown said she didn’t switch careers because of money.

“I’ve always been an animal lover,” Brown said.

Stephanie Sosna, 25, whose sister is a veterinarian, said she left her accounting job at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation because she missed animals. She just started the training session about a week ago.

“I love animals,” she said, carefully holding a quivering dog. “I couldn’t go into veterinarian work because I’m too squeamish. But it takes a while to get used to this.”

Easy-Going ‘Guinea Pigs’

The cats and dogs lounging around the school on a recent day seemed as relaxed as the people working there. Zeb, the Clark’s toy poodle, is the shop’s guinea pig. Hershey, a black and white cat, and a calico named Witty often have students clipping their toes and cleaning their ears. A Siamese mix named Topaz was occupied with a litter of kittens. All were rescued from the pound, the Clarks said.

The school gets most of its subjects by offering dog and cat owners half-price grooming--$7 to $10 for dogs and $5 to $7 for cats. The bargain rate brings in some real challenges for new students.

“We get some dogs that gross us all out,” Teresa said. “One had broken glass in his coat, and another had an entire chunk of a chain-link fence in his coat. Other places might charge $60 for an animal in that bad shape.

“Students learn the tough way, but then it will come much easier when they’re out in the field. Our graduates out there call back and say thank you.”

Teresa Clark is a graduate of Betty B’s San Diego Dog Grooming School, which closed about a year ago when the owner died. The Clarks filled the void when they opened their school 10 months ago.

Aside from the biting dogs, it’s not the animals that give the Clarks the most headaches.

“Many owners have no idea what’s involved in grooming, the hours it takes, how long it takes to shave them,” Teresa said. “People are learning on the animals. People make mistakes.”