Lots of people like the idea of grooming dogs for a living. Some survey sought to identify the most popular jobs to which British workers would like to switch in the coming 12 months, and dog grooming came out top. I can see – or at least used to see – the attraction. Pooch parlours are the most delightful shop windows on any high street. There the dogs stand, big and small, being shorn, snipped, styled and blow-dried for all to see. It’s a charming sight, to be sure. How nice it must be to be the human working in that environment.
But I strongly suspect that these dreams people are harbouring of getting into dog grooming wouldn’t long survive contact with reality. Take a closer look in the window of your local canine coiffurist. What is that look in those dogs’ eyes? In some, to be fair, I see pure enjoyment as they luxuriate in all the attention, from their stylists as well as passersby. In others I observe nothing more positive than submission, as they roll with this necessary evil.
