05/01/2026
We are fully aware of the viral video that has been going around this past week about a local groomer here in Tucson, AZ demonstrating unacceptable treatment towards a dog at a grooming salon.
We’d like to remind all of our friends and clients that not every groomer is like this.
Kasee, our Certified Feline Master Groomer, joined Arizona Professional Groomers Guild in February of 2025, A non-profit focusing on education, community collaboration, and professional development, simply because groomers should be held to a professional standard especially in an unregulated industry.
Education, safety, and the well being of not only the animals in our care but groomers mental/emotional state are a top priority.
Therefore, we would like to invite every groomer to become a member of this non profit.
The Arizona Professional Groomers Guild was founded on a guiding principle of compassion and community. Compassion not only for one another, but for the animals entrusted to our care and for the humans who love them.
It is with a heavy heart that we formally acknowledge the deeply unacceptable behavior recently displayed by a groomer in Tucson, Arizona, who chose violence instead of choosing to step away.
There are many factors that can lead up to an event like this, but none of them excuse the outcome when it results in trauma, harm, or abuse. While this individual was not a member of the Arizona Professional Groomers Guild, we believe it is important, as representatives of professional groomers in Arizona, to speak up and remind pet owners that not all groomers are the same.
In an industry that remains nationally unregulated, many of us have made the choice to hold ourselves and one another to a higher standard. We pursue continuing education not only to improve our technical skills, but to strengthen our professional development, mental health awareness, communication, and accountability.
Members of the APGG are individuals who prioritize transparency, encourage growth, and actively work toward more compassionate, collaborative, and effective care for the pets in our service.
As always, the APGG chooses to lead through compassion centered education, because when we know better, we do better.
This moment serves as a reminder to everyone who works with animals to reevaluate their own burnout thresholds, anger and stress management tools, regulation skills, and the resources we have in place before stress turns into harm.
With this in mind, we would like to invite our local grooming community to a free therapy panel with Dr. Mandigo, a local psychologist with a specialty in mitigating high stress situations and relationships. Let us all seek ways to appropriately address anger and stress within our grooming industry.
Save the date: Friday, May 22nd.
Location and exact time TBD
This event will be recorded live for individuals to ask questions and participate.
Comment below if you would like to be notified when details for this panel event are announced, and if you have any questions for Dr. Mandigo. We will be compiling any questions in advance and providing them to her to answer during the panel.