Candy’s Pet Grooming

07/26/2026

Just got back from Pets Return Home! What a day! The monsoons really wreaked havoc there! Thank you to all the volunteers that showed up today! It was so nice meeting everyone and seeing that our flyer reached so many people. What a great turn out! They will still need lots of volunteers. There’s so much that needs to get done.

Sam got another skunk bath today!
Little Jimmy got a full groom.
Lots of nails got trimmed.
And I delivered a ton of donations today!
Thank you all that dropped donations off at my shop! Yay! So glad they had a wagon for me to get them from my van to the clinic. It was a lot!

It was a hot, humid…. And a very dirty day. I smelled like sweat, skunk…. And Jimmy p*ed on me. I smelled like p*e on top of that too. I’m home and showered!

Another good note for the day! I clipped all of Rosie’s nails in record time! She’s a strong girl and will usually bulldoze her way out of getting her nails trimmed by the time you get to the third foot. I was so fast she didn’t even know what happened. I had that as a goal but surprised myself by how quick that went. I’ll be starting sp*ed nail clipping Olympics as suggested by Elise Happe. I have a good chance of winning that.

Send volunteers our way! Sign up at petsreturnhome.org (lime green tab- for volunteer sign up)

Plumbers, electricians, mechanics, landscapers, cleaners, general contractors needed!!!! Have a business? Donating time, materials, or money is a great tax write off for your business! Volunteer and/or donate today!

Have donations? Call to schedule pick up or check our hours at the shop to be dropped off there.

928-499-2279.

Candy’s Pet Grooming
280 S. Main St. STE. H
Cottonwood, AZ.

(Located in between Acme Pizza and KC’s Taekwondo, Big red grooming sign is us)

Pets Return Home is an Animal Shelter providing Dog Behavior Rehabilitation, Adoption & Sanctuary. We are a no-kill facility with a free-roaming philosophy. Mark Happe.

07/23/2026

URGENT! Please read flyer! Please share like crazy! Looking for volunteers to pass out flyers and put in local businesses and areas throughout the entire Verde Valley. Please reach out to Mary if you can help distribute. Please share to local groups,Nextdoor app, with friends, family and work! I need help spreading the word. I will make more post in between my appointments today and this evening. Mary will have flyers available, we’ll get some at my shop for pick up as well (in the works).

07/11/2026

Had some fun with these two Bark and Bakery pups! Show them some love! Thank you to all that support my small business. All items in my shop are all from local small business vendors like bark and bakery. Your support means the world to me and also helps me to provide free grooming for local rescues and for our homeless population. We love our community and want to say THANK YOU!!!

07/11/2026

Your senior pet didn’t suddenly become “difficult” for grooming.

Their body changed.

And sometimes those changes become noticeable on the grooming table before they become obvious at home.

As pets age, they gradually lose muscle.

Their joints become stiffer.

Their spine becomes less flexible.

Their skin becomes thinner and more fragile.

Their circulation may become less efficient, especially in the legs and feet.

Their balance, coordination, and ability to reposition themselves can also decline.

So when a senior pet is standing on the grooming table, they are not just standing there.

Their body is actively working to stay upright.

That takes energy.

A grooming session they tolerated easily five years ago may now leave them tired, uncomfortable, or physically unable to continue.

This is why senior pets may need more breaks.

Shorter appointments.

Modified grooming positions.

Less time standing.

A simpler haircut.

Or, in some cases, a groom that needs to be stopped before everything is finished.

And that can be difficult for owners to understand.

Because the pet they see walking around comfortably at home may struggle in a completely different environment where they are being asked to stand, balance, reposition, lift their legs, and tolerate handling for an extended period of time.

Grooming can also uncover changes that were not previously noticed.

Lumps.

Sensitive areas.

Skin changes.

Hidden matting.

Pain when certain parts of the body are touched or moved.

The groom did not necessarily cause these problems.

Sometimes grooming is simply where they become visible.

There may also come a point when the finished groom no longer looks exactly the way it did years ago.

Because with senior pets, cosmetic perfection cannot always be the priority.

Comfort has to come first.

Safety has to come first.

And sometimes the kindest decision a groomer can make is knowing when to modify the groom, simplify the haircut, or stop.

Senior pet grooming is not about forcing an aging body to tolerate what it used to tolerate.

It is about working with the body that pet has today.

This is why clear communication, realistic expectations, and professional boundaries matter so much when grooming senior pets.

Because aging changes the risk.

And understanding that before the appointment protects the pet, the owner, and the groomer.

(I did steal this from my big sister who is also a caring groomer that also specializes in senior care and comfort care. Yes, it runs in the family!)

07/02/2026

Was at CAASR today to groom some pups there. I volunteer my grooming services to them every four weeks so this was like any other time until this sweet girl pushed her way through the door as I was getting a dog and she didn’t want to go back inside. She decided to check out my van and hopped right in. She laid there watching me groom this other pup and gave him gentle reassuring kisses throughout. Then I set him on the floor and she walked up the steps to the tub as if she was saying it was her turn. Why not. She got a good bath then followed me back as I dropped off one dog and got another. Well… she followed me back to the van and laid there while I groomed that one, then the next and the next. She was by my side the entire day. I fell in love. Hubby and kids are on the fence about having a fourth dog. So here we are, doing a test run. My dogs greeted her gently and she is already a part of the pack as if she’s always been there all along. Meet Daisy! A 15 year old catahoula mix. Welcome home sweet girl!