The Barker Shop

07/09/2023

That smile! 😄🥰😍

03/23/2023

10/16/2022

Adorable Dog Transformations

☺️☺️☺️☺️

11/01/2021

Happy Howl-o-ween!! ❤️🎃

10/26/2021

It's now easier to send The Barker Shop a message.

It's now easier to send The Barker Shop a message.

10/18/2021

Dog Wash 🐾

Bring your dogs into the Barker Shop for a custom bath suited to your lil ones needs and a grooming to your satisfaction before they go rouge at the local car wash and handle business themselves. 😄

08/26/2021

Come join the fun!! Looking for crafters that want to set up a table. Send a message if you want to help or donate!!

07/15/2021

This is a policy that is definitely reinforced time and time again.

06/21/2021

Perfect ponies ❤️

New day, new hairstyle 👧🏼 👅

05/06/2021

Mar See Ya on TikTok

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If your dogs name is Bella, she’s done all of these.

04/25/2021

Have we talked about ‘Comfort Grooming?’ Do you know what that means? Well here’s a breakdown.

There will come a point when your dogs haircut will be about 10% determined by you and about 90% determined by them. When this happens your pup will have entered the comfort groom stage of their life. No matter how hard we try, how much you beg, or how sweet your dog is there is no way a senior dog will be going home looking the same as they did as a young puppy or a middle aged adult.

Last week I let my 9 year old niece cut Remy’s hair and as I was teaching her the basics of grooming I found myself using the phrase ‘make sure he’s comfortable’ a lot, which got me thinking. Remy is a few months shy of his 12th birthday and his comfort level changes every day. He used to get super fluffy cuts with long beautiful ears and a big pompon on his tail. Now he’s clipped pretty short all over.

If I’ve been with you through a pets aging we’ve probably had some difficult conversations about how your pups grooming evolves as they age. If we haven’t had to have those conversations yet hopefully this prepares you.

Getting older affects them just as aging affects people. Their joints become stiff or sore, their skin becomes tissue paper thin, they start losing their sense of awareness, their muscles tremble, their balance is shaky and they get various skin blemishes and tumors. But how does this change their haircut?

A poodle with arthritis in their toes for example might not be able to spread them apart to get those pretty shaved toes anymore and so we adapt and start doing a fluffier teddy bear foot.

A schnauzer who’s developed some canine dementia might not tolerate having tangles brushed from his beard without panicking so we will start trimming it short to keep him calm and comfortable.

A shihtzu who’s always had long hair might end up having to get a short puppy cut because their skin has thinned too much to handle the extra brushing required to maintain a lot of hair.

A bichon who’s always had a pretty fluffy scissored bichon trim but when his joints start getting stiff and his legs start trembling we do a shorter cut that can be done faster.

Along with these things are a few things that we ask you as an owner to remember. A comfort groom is not a show groom, odds are it won’t be perfect. We do what we can while keeping the dog comfortable which means sometimes there may be some slightly straggly looking areas depending on your dog and their individual issues. If they can’t balance on three legs without collapsing then their feet may still be a bit fluffy for example.

Skin blemishes are annoying and moles in particular bleed if the wind blows the wrong way. We don’t intend to irritate them but sometimes the bath, drying or brushing can cause them to ooze a bit.

Give us the time we need to get them done, rushing through a senior is dangerous for them and stressful.

Occasionally we will have a senior who just can’t be totally finished in one session for whatever reason, either they’re having a particularly bad day and just can’t handle it or there’s something else going on with them.

No matter how hard we try to make it easy on them grooming is still physically demanding for older dogs who usually nap 23 1/2 hours a day. We are stretching their legs out to shave them, manipulating toes to trim nails and turning their head side to side to trim it. If they start acting sore after routine grooming they may need a prescription for arthritis medication from your vet to be given on grooming days.

These grooming decisions will always be made with your pups comfort as the ultimate deciding factor and after discussing everything we need to do with you because we do this job to help pets, not to hurt them for the sake of human vanity. Now hug your pups and cherish those grey whiskers.

04/24/2021

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🤣❤🐾

04/17/2021

Who’s in?? 😃😃😃

01/08/2021

Tired of the winter blahs?? Ask about our fun colors that can accent your fur baby!! Call and make your appointment today. Spots are filling up fast! Mention that you saw this post and get a few bucks off!! Cya soon!! ❤️❤️🐾🐾

12/06/2020

Timeline photos

THE MOST DANGEROUS PET CHEW EVER: RAWHIDE!

How can one of the most popular chew sticks on the planet be so dangerous for your pets, you ask? I mean, most dogs chew on rawhide for hours on end, and not only does it keep them busy, but they seem to last forever.

Well if you understood what it took to make this toxic “raw” leather stick, you would quickly understand what the problem is.

Aside from the horror stories circulating all over social media these days, of pets needing emergency surgery after consuming rawhide, the majority of pet parents today, especially the newbies, believe that this chew is some sort of dried up meat stick. Let me debunk that myth right away!

A rawhide stick is not the by-product of the beef industry nor is it made of dehydrated meat. Rather, rawhide is the by-product of the “Leather Industry”, so theoretically it is a leather chew. Sounds awesome, right?

“Producing rawhide begins with the splitting of an animal hide, usually from cattle. The top grain is generally tanned and made into leather products, while the inner portion, in its “raw” state, goes to the dogs.” TheBark.com

So, how does this leather, which is conveniently rolled up into pretty shapes, actually get made into those rawhide chews?

Follow along my friends and I will enlighten you on how this hide travels through a leathery process where it transforms from hide to a not-so beautiful, colorful, chew stick. Here is a paraphrased tutorial that was explained by the whole dog journal several years back:

STEP 1: Normally, cattle hides are shipped from slaughterhouses to tanneries for processing. These hides are then treated with a chemical bath to help “preserve” the product during transport to help prevent spoilage.

(No one wants to purchase a black, spoiled rawhide stick!)

Once at the tannery: the hides are soaked and treated with either an ash-lye solution or a highly toxic recipe of sodium sulphide liming. This process will help strip the hair and fat that maybe attached to the hides themselves.

(No, no one wants to see a hairy hide…)

Next on this glorious journey, these hides are then treated with chemicals that help “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into layers.

The outer layer of the hide is used for goods like car seats, clothing, shoes, purses, etc. But, it’s the inner layer that is needed to make the rawhide. (Oh and other things like gelatin, cosmetics, and glue as well!)

STEP 2: Now that we have the inner layer of the hide, it’s time to go to the post-tannery stage! Hides are washed and whitened using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and/or bleach; this will also help remove the smell of the rotten or putrid leather. Bonus!
(Research also shows that other chemicals maybe used here to help the whitening process if the bleach isn’t strong enough.)

STEP 3: Now it’s time to make these whitened sheets of this “leathery by-product” look delicious! So, here is where the artistic painting process comes in.

“Basted, smoked, and decoratively tinted products might be any color (or odor) underneath the coating of (often artificial) dyes and flavors. They can even be painted with a coating of titanium oxide to make them appear white and pretty on the pet store shelves.” - whole-dog-journal.com

“…the Material Safety Data Sheet reveals a toxic confection containing the carcinogen FD&C Red 40, along with preservatives like sodium benzoate. But tracking the effects of chemical exposure is nearly impossible when it’s a matter of slow, low-dose poisoning.”– thebark.com

Ok, now that these hides have been painted, it’s time for the final process.

STEP 4: Getting it to last forever!

Because the FDA does not consider these chews to be food, really it’s a free for all when it comes to the manufacturers of these leather strips, and the products they may want to add to these chews, to get them to last forever. Any sort of glue can be added here to get these bad boys to never come apart.

When tested: Lead, arsenic, mercury, chromium salts, formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals have been detected in raw hides. So it’s safe to say that any sort of glues can be used as well!

Finally, it’s time to package and attach all the glorious marketing labels to the product.

Check out the fine print warning that’s attached with some of these rawhides:
“Choking or blockages. If your dog swallows large pieces of rawhide, the rawhide can get stuck in the esophagus or other parts of the digestive tract. Sometimes, abdominal surgery is needed to remove them from the stomach or intestines. If it isn’t resolved, a blockage can lead to death.“

(Oh, how lovely…)

And there it is! It’s now ready to be shipped to store shelves where it can be purchased for our loving animal companions.

How do proactive veterinarians feel about these chews?

Here is world-renowned veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker's take on the matter:

“The name ‘rawhide’ is technically incorrect. A more accurate name would be processed-hide, because the skin isn’t raw at all. But the term “rawhide” has stuck.

Rawhide chews start out hard, but as your dog works the chew it becomes softer, and eventually he can unknot the knots on each end and the chew takes on the consistency of a slimy piece of taffy or bubble gum. And by that time your dog cannot stop working it -- it becomes almost addictive.

At this point, there’s no longer any dental benefit to the chew because it has turned soft and gooey, and, in fact, it has become a choking and intestinal obstruction hazard.“

P.S. Ready for the jaw dropper?

An investigation by Humane Society International stated in their report, “In a particularly grisly twist, the skins of brutally slaughtered dogs in Thailand are mixed with other bits of skin to produce rawhide chew toys for pet dogs. Manufacturers told investigators that these chew toys are regularly exported to and sold in U.S. stores.” – dogingtonpost.com

Rodney Habib Pet Health Site

"An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!"

11/26/2020

Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for all you! Hope you have an amazing day! Stay safe❤️

10/01/2020

We love our black beauties and many of yours have seen ours at the shop! Let’s see yours!!❤️

Let’s celebrate National Black Dog Day 🖤 Show us your black beauties!

05/01/2020

We are a full two days back into work and want to thank everyone for their patience and generosity while we continue to practice safer at home measures in order to stay open. Please allow for extra time for sanitizing and pickup and delivery. Safety of you and your pets are one our top concerns.
Please be mindful of the following:
-Be on time for your appointment. In order for daily operations to run smoothly, you must be punctual. Please remain in your vehicle until someone grabs your precious cargo and take off collar and leashes while waiting. Nothing should be left on the dog that’s entering the premises. Also do not come to door knocking or tapping on window. No one is allowed on the premises and can make it unsafe for whoever is in our care.
-Be patient while waiting for your dog to be finished. We need extra time to do curbside pick up and delivery. Our cleaning and sanitizing procedures are even more diligent this time as we only want the best for you and your pet.
-Be sure to ask about new payment methods BEFORE your appointment. As no client is allowed inside, payment will be taken electronically. We are sending invoices through square, and also taking Venmo, Apple Pay and Zelle.

Please understand it’s taking a little longer to return calls and texts and the wait time for an appointment is much longer. We understand your concerns and that this is a very scary and frustrating time for all. We are trying to do our part in making it a little easier for everyone!! Again thank you for your continued patronage and generosity. We love you all and will continue to do our best to provide exceptional service!!❤️

04/28/2020

It’s official!! We will be open on Wednesday April 29th!! Appointments are booking fast so please be sure to text or call to set one up.
We are taking extra precautions and doing curbside pickup and delivery per governors orders, taking other forms of payment, and performing extra sanitizing measures.
It’s important to be on time for appointments as schedules have to be adjusted for extra time
allowing us to facilitate these new rules, making sure you and your pet and safe. That is our number one priority!!

We look forward to seeing you and your fur babies very soon. Be safe and stay healthy. ❤️❤️🐾🐾

04/21/2020

Pet groomers are essential

Pet groomers are essential

Pets are considered family members to their owners and getting regular grooming is essential to their health and wellness. Grooming salons have sanitary protocols in place to keep every owner and pet safe.

04/13/2020

Join gina defalco and make a difference in these times ✊

http://chng.it/mPq7srb9pk

Allow Dog Groomers to Be Essential

03/24/2020

Effective today 3/24 we will be closed following the mandatory stay at home. All appointments will be rescheduled for at least the next 2 weeks. Please stay safe and healthy. Hope to see you all very soon!!

03/19/2020

We just want all of our clients to know that we are still open and accepting appointments. Know that your health and safety are very important to us. Being a small business with one other part time employee, the risk is low and we will be extra cautious during this time. Our goal is to stay open
as long as we can with your pets and your safety as always, a top priority.
So if you have been putting off making that grooming appointment there’s no need. Call or text today and we are more than happy to accommodate you. Your fur babies still need to be groomed and taken care of and we are more than happy to assist in making that happen as long as we can!
You and your pets are family to us and we will never stop treating you as such. Stay healthy and safe!! Hope to see you soon! ❤️

03/17/2020

03/17/2020

Please our amazing clients remember we are still open and your fur babies still need grooming. Please book your appointments today. Don’t prolong! Be strong and carry on. ❤️

Imagine you panic buyers coming home to this 😂😂

02/24/2020

Timeline photos

02/17/2020

Gather around children....

02/12/2020

Don't Judge a Dog By Its Color! It's Black Dog Syndrome Awareness Month - The Dogington Post

Don't Judge a Dog By Its Color! It's Black Dog Syndrome Awareness Month - The Dogington Post

Black dogs have the lowest adoption rate and the highest euthanasia rate than any other dog. For Black Dog Syndrome Awareness Month, celebrate black dogs!

02/04/2020

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01/22/2020

Pitbull Gets A Trim At The Barbers

Pitbull Gets A Trim At The Barbers

01/12/2020

Photos from Koh Samui Pet Sitter's post

12/25/2019

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Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday surrounded by loved ones. ❤️

12/24/2019

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