Prepping and primping pets for the holidays
by Bayshore Courier News
Posted:11/17/09

With 62% of US households having one or more pets, it is no wonder that the pet members of the family are also considered for pampering during the approaching holidays.

Even in a tight economy, pet owners make sure to make their appointments with the groomer now in order to ensure that their pet is groomed during the salon's busiest season of the year. One such South Jersey salon is inundated with requests every year for grooming appointments and holiday pet photographs top the list, which is booked solid between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 "People may watch their wallets a little more closely in a bad economy, but penny pinching does not apply to their pets," said Chuck Simons, owner of The Pet Salon in Margate, NJ. "This is our busiest time of year. We are nonstop preparing for our customers' requests for the holidays, including photography, grooming and special gift orders. It isn't just people who are decked out in their finery at the holidays. Their pets definitely are too."

Pet gifts today go beyond the standard dog bone, catnip mouse and stockings full of toys. Pet owners also are buying high quality foods and shampoos, pet clothing, bedding and grooming tools. A visit to The Pet Salon in Margate, New Jersey is an education in the business. Besides the grooming tables occupied by pets in various stages of grooming, there is a retail store with all the implements needed for daily pet care, pet foods and a photo studio.  The pet photos are used for creating holiday cards, mugs, mouse pads, tote bags, tee shirts, simulated oil painting, silver jewelry, plaques and other decorative and commemorative items.

In addition to gifts for the pets themselves, pet owners purchase holiday gifts for the groomers and veterinarians that care for their pets all year, including the latest tools of the trade, such as designer combs, clippers, smocks and the innovative Groomers Helper, a revolutionary pet safety and positioning system which helps groomers increase safety and sales.

 "While it's nice to get your groomer another fruit basket, I'm sure he or she also would appreciate a specialized gift like Groomers Helper or another tool that they can benefit from all year," said Simons. "Using Groomers helper is like having another pair of hands. It makes grooming significantly less stressful for the animal and the groomer. It's much safer and enables the groomer to work faster, which translates into revenue all year long."

 Simons is one of the nation's leading authorities in the pet grooming industry and writes a monthly column, "SAGE Advice" in a leading national grooming trade publication. He also travels nationwide presenting business-to-business seminars on the subject as well as exhibits at grooming trade shows, and authors an ongoing internet blog, accessible on his website www.groomershelper.com, addressing current issues in the industry, frequently with a touch of humor.

He recently founded a new nonprofit organization, "Save Americas Pets," with a goal of helping reduce the number of preventable pet deaths in the United States by becoming a primary resource bringing together pet owners, trainers, groomers and veterinarians, and streamlining communications, helping serve as a clearinghouse between animal rescue operations, shelters, pet foster organizations and adoption programs. For information on The Pet Salon, Groomers Helper or Save Americas Pets, contact Simons at (866) 987-2426 or (609) 822-6366, or online at Groomers Helper.


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