Fiona, a large, 12 year old golden retriever mix, who lived a sedentary life due to both her and her owners chronic health issues, was hardly ever groomed. Car rides gave her anxiety, and due to her size and very limited mobility, it took 2 people minimum to get her anywhere. She belonged to a close family member who I lived with at the time, and I loved her so much. She was overgrown and impacted with long, matted undercoat, that hadn't been properly maintained in years, despite her owner wanting better for her.

 

In the beginning stages of my grooming career, I decided that she needed a change. With her owners permission, I did what I could. Fiona could not stand for long periods of time, so she laid down as I rolled her around the floor and shaved her short (This isn't typically recommended for her breed, but her health and well-being outweighed these grooming standards.) The groom itself wasn't perfect, unsurprisingly, but she was clean, and maintainable, and that was the goal. 

After her first groom this way, there was a vital change in her that I could actually see. Suddenly, she was full of life and had new energy that no one had seen in years. Fiona continued being groomed like this on a regular basis for over a year, before she passed away in November 2024, comfortable, happy, and surrounded by everyone who loved her most.

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I only knew Fiona for a short few years toward the end of her life, yet she is my biggest inspiration for Bec's Pampered Paws, as I know so many dogs share her story. Dogs with anxiety, health issues, limited mobility, or their owners having those very same issues, unable to make it into a typical salon for regular grooming and being left in an uncomfortable and unhealthy state in need of an alternative. I remember Fiona every day, and everything I do, I do in her memory.

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