HereWeGoAgain
Grandpa
My daughter started working at a dog grooming shop, part time in July and full time starting Sept 1. She washes the dogs before the shop owner Julie clips them.
She really enjoys it! She likes Julie, Julie likes her, and the dogs like her. She never used to like animals much, she didn't mind them being around but showed no inclination to pet them or care for them and shied away from slobbery ones -- well, I guess most people try to avoid too much dog slobber but I mean like leave the room. Our dog Scooter never would curl up with her because she'd shoo him away or at best tolerate him but not pet him.
That seems to have all changed now. I drive her to her job most mornings, and Julie's three dogs, a Lab/Golden Retriever, a mostly-Yorkie, and a mostly-pug, (large, medium, and small!) are waiting at the front door, the Yorkie practically doing flips and the Golden Retriever looking all doe-eyed with his tail going ninety to nothing.
Somtimes she has to wash dogs that weigh more than twice as much as she does, and she is usually very tired at the end of the day, but she doesn't complain at all about the work or the clientele, which is quite a pleasant change from many of her past jobs where she developed feuds or quickly started slacking off. I guess it's the relative lack of stress -- she has to get the dogs washed in a timely manner, but it's straightforward work, not the kind of thing where you have a million tasks to get to and feel rushed and harassed. And there is the constant interaction with the animals which I firmly believe is very therapeutic. She really seems to be developing a rapport and empathy for the dogs, and it is spilling over into the house. She and Scooter have warmed up noticeably. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but I think I also sense a little less impatience with easy child 1. Time will tell.
She really enjoys it! She likes Julie, Julie likes her, and the dogs like her. She never used to like animals much, she didn't mind them being around but showed no inclination to pet them or care for them and shied away from slobbery ones -- well, I guess most people try to avoid too much dog slobber but I mean like leave the room. Our dog Scooter never would curl up with her because she'd shoo him away or at best tolerate him but not pet him.
That seems to have all changed now. I drive her to her job most mornings, and Julie's three dogs, a Lab/Golden Retriever, a mostly-Yorkie, and a mostly-pug, (large, medium, and small!) are waiting at the front door, the Yorkie practically doing flips and the Golden Retriever looking all doe-eyed with his tail going ninety to nothing.
Somtimes she has to wash dogs that weigh more than twice as much as she does, and she is usually very tired at the end of the day, but she doesn't complain at all about the work or the clientele, which is quite a pleasant change from many of her past jobs where she developed feuds or quickly started slacking off. I guess it's the relative lack of stress -- she has to get the dogs washed in a timely manner, but it's straightforward work, not the kind of thing where you have a million tasks to get to and feel rushed and harassed. And there is the constant interaction with the animals which I firmly believe is very therapeutic. She really seems to be developing a rapport and empathy for the dogs, and it is spilling over into the house. She and Scooter have warmed up noticeably. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part but I think I also sense a little less impatience with easy child 1. Time will tell.
