Happy Tails – Dog grooming – they come to you!

I saw the van in the parking lot of the Acme last week and the ad in the Gazette, and it intrigued me. How neat would that be to have the dog groomer come to you?  I called Betsy Singer this morning and she was at my house this afternoon.

I usually take my doggies to Pet Smart. My Bichon needs to be groomed about once a month or so, but with everything that happens at this time of the year, we’ve been a tad neglectful and boy was she a mess!  A dingy shade of gray from rolling around outside, she wasn’t looking so hot and her fur was too long and pretty shaggy.

Betsy Singer arrived and within about two hours, Pearl was transformed. Her “summer cut” is adorable and she smells lovely.

“The dogs love it,” said Singer. “They feel a lot more comfortable when you pull up in their driveway rather than making them go somewhere unfamiliar.”

Not too long ago, Singer was a cocktail at the Sands. Like hundreds of other employees, the Seaville resident lost her job and after 25 years found herself in need of a new career.

“I thought ‘what in the world am I going to do?’” she said. “I worked as a veterinary assistant years ago, I love animals and I always wanted to work with them. I couldn’t handle the euthanasia aspect of it so I decided against that. I came across the opportunity to buy a van and try the mobile grooming thing, so I decided to try it. I drove 2 ½ hours to Farmingdale to take the classes to be a groomer.

“The thing I like about the mobile is that this is my business, and if I do four or five dogs a day I’m going to be happy,” she said. “If I went to work for someone else and they were unkind to an animal, it would bother me.”

Singer lucked out with the brand-new truck. She bought it from an outfit called Wagon Tails in Indiana.

“I was their 1,000^th customer, so I got a very good deal, lots of extras,” said Singer. The van is like a small mobile home, a miniature grooming center with a 50-gallon tank of water, a huge bathtub and a stainless steel grooming table that adjusts to a variety of dogs.

“You can get hot water within 10 minutes,” said Singer. She arrived at my house, and I sent Pearl out to greet her. Pearl liked her instantly and lavished in the attention of her new friend. She never likes the grooming process, but Singer made her feel quite comfortable. Since everything is brand new, the state of the art equipment makes grooming a smooth process.

“This is a hydro-massage,” said Singer. “It gives you water and shampoo, like a spray.”

When you take your dog to a groomer, they end up spending a good deal of time in a cage. When Singer comes to your home, she’s with the dog from beginning to end.

“I trim their nails, brush their teeth, and each little doggie gets a bandana or a bow, whichever they prefer,” said Singer.

Singer has two daughters and works her schedule around theirs and the clients.

“I can do evening hours, whatever works for the customer and the dog,” she said. “The mobile service is great for any dog, but particularly and older dog or one that gets nervous in the car or at the groomers. I have clients that go out to dinner when I come, some stay right in the house and others stay with the dog.”

Singer says her rates are slightly higher than what people are accustomed to.

“I provide a service, I come to your home, and one-on-one groom your dog, so it is going to cost more, but its not a lot more,” she said. “It depends on the dog, but a Pug for instance would be $60. A Golden Retriever that needed to be shaved down would be $85. A lab that just needed a bath and a cut would be $70.”

I paid $70 for Pearl, not that much more than Pet Smart charges when you add the teeth and the nails to the shampoo and cut. It was well worth every penny not to have to take Pearl out to have it done, wait for her and so forth.

Singer said the van is generating a lot of attention.

“The first two weeks I had several calls,” she said. “Things are going great. I had15 dogs the first two weeks and I was thrilled. They say the truck is the best billboard. I’m busy, you can only do so many dogs in one day, I’m very pleased. I really enjoy working with dogs. They’re so happy to get the attention. Even thought they hate to get that icky bath, they love that you talk to them and make a big fuss over them. People tell me that they don’t mind paying the extra for my service.”

Count me among the happy customers, and no, I did not mind paying just a little it more. It was very well worth it!

You can reach Betsy Singer at (609) 390-0020 Stress-free grooming in your home!