08/09/2026
I recently received a negative review, and normally I don’t feel the need to respond to every review. But I think this one gives me a chance to explain something that is actually really important to me and my business.
The review was mostly about me asking about a dog’s breed and explaining that I am particular about the behavior of the dogs I take on as grooming clients.
Yes. I am. And I’m okay with that.
When we first spoke, I was told this was an 11-month-old large breed rescue who could be “a lot.” Naturally, I asked what breed the dog was and explained that I am particular about the behavior and temperament of the dogs I take on.
And honestly, I don’t think I need to explain why I ask what breed a dog is. Breed, size, age, coat, grooming history and behavior are all important things to know when deciding if a dog is a good fit for my grooming setup. It’s part of my booking process for a reason.
So why am I particular about behavior?
Because I can be.
Because this is my business, and I get to choose how I run it.
I spent many years working in traditional salon environments, and I can tell you firsthand what happens when groomers feel pressured to take every dog, regardless of the dog’s behavior, the groomer’s experience or whether that dog is actually a good fit for that environment.
Groomers get hurt. Dogs get hurt. Grooming quality suffers. And everyone goes home stressed.
When I left the salon environment in 2019, I made a very intentional decision about how I wanted my business to operate. Since then, I have only accidentally cut a handful of dogs—and that isn’t because grooming is somehow magically safer in my trailer. It’s because I have built my business around preventing situations where those accidents are more likely to happen.
I don’t want to spend my day stressed, rushed or worried about whether I’m going to get bitten or whether a dog is going to hurt itself trying to get away.
I want to go home at the end of the day happy, pain-free and proud of the work I’m sending out of my trailer.
And I LOVE my job.
That is incredibly important to me.
The Sassy Poodle is intentionally structured so that I can provide quality grooming without destroying my body, putting dogs through unnecessary stress or taking on dogs that aren’t a good fit for the way I work.
And here’s the other part of this:
I am not responsible for your dog’s behavior.
That probably sounds a little bitchy—and let’s be honest, I’m called The Sassy Poodle for a reason 😂—but what I mean by that is this:
I can control my environment.
I can control my schedule.
I can control the grooming techniques I use.
I can control which dogs I accept as clients.
What I cannot control is whether a dog comes into my trailer prepared to be groomed, whether they tolerate handling, whether they are comfortable being restrained, or whether they have behaviors that make grooming unsafe.
That doesn’t make a dog “bad.” It simply means that not every dog is a good fit for every groomer.
And that’s okay.
There are groomers who are fantastic at working with difficult, fearful, reactive or highly challenging dogs. There are groomers who specialize in those cases. There are also groomers who are better suited for certain breeds, coats or grooming styles.
I know what I am good at. I know what environment allows me to do my best work. And I have no intention of compromising that just to say yes to every dog who calls.
My clients deserve a groomer who is happy to be there, physically capable of doing the job safely and confident in the work being done.
And your dog deserves that too. ❤️
So yes, I’m particular.
Not because I don’t love dogs.
Quite the opposite.
I’m particular because I care about the dogs in my trailer, I care about the quality of my work, and I care about making sure I get to keep doing the job I love for a very long time.
That’s the way I choose to run The Sassy Poodle—and I’m proud of it. 🐩🩷
