Happy Howl-o-een

So here we are at the end of October and tomorrow night is St Hallow's Eve! Going to keep my Ted safe and sound in the house and there are bound to be a few fireworks going off and he so hates those. It's just that time of year you need to take extra care of our hounds to make sure they don't get upset by those nasty fireworks.

As for the parlour, all is well. I have groomed some lovely pooches this week. My favourite being a little Yorkshire terrier called Lucky who was soooo good during the process of grooming. I was very pleased with the end result and he could now see out from his eyes once his fringe had been cut! A real sweetie.

I have a busy week with Miranda in Romsey and in the parlour. Got two Westies to look forward to on Saturday. I am lucky to have such a good variety of dogs to groom and I am enjoying it so much. Long may it continue...!

See you all next week. Remember to keep our doggy friends in during the fireworks. Keep them safe!

Grand Opening of Posh Pooches

Hi everyone. So here it is!!! The final opening of Posh Pooches. Red ribbon and champagne at the ready. I have been lucky and have taken some bookings already which is excellent. Of course, I am open for more bookings, so feel free to book your dog in for a brush up and general spruce.

Over the weekend I visited a brilliant shop in Romsey that had a huge supply for dog apparel. I got myself a couple of brilliant gadgets for the parlour and Ted was very interested with the chickens and doves outside. Not for all the right reasons! We then moved on and had lunch at a country pub which was dog friendly and enjoyed some autumn sunshine. Back home then to enjoy the rest of the day.

I have a booking tomorrow with Ruby who looks to be a beautiful girl. We are going to enjoy a bath and pamper in the afternoon. She is a beautiful Rottweiler, a gorgeous girl if ever I saw one. Glad she has come to me and now I can look after her for a very short time at least. Will write more next week. Take care. K (0753 121 7032)

All Clear for More Alsatians!

Well here I am again. How quickly a week goes by! I am aware that I say that an awful lot. A busy week equals a short week in my book. 

I am now nearing the end of my course and I have enjoyed every bit of it. I am reconfirmed by love for all things 4 legged and go woof. I have had the privilege of grooming dogs large and small, matted and slinky cool. Young and old, wire haired and long toothed. However, I have been lucky and had a few appointments with my own customers as well. Tomorrow, I am grooming a Lakeland terrier, a bit like Ted, our Welsh terrier but different colour. Then back to the course towards the end of the week. I thrive on  being busy.

Also this week is the week I take delivery of my new grooming table. My old one is not up to taking any dog larger than Spaniel. My new table is a hydraulic table, big enough to take an Alsatian.  It's the bees knees in my book and hopefully it will be here by the end of the week. I have been looking for an alternative to my small table for a while. I am very excited - it's the small things that matter the most!

I will report more next week. Hope all goes well with the Lakeland. They are so  beautiful. I am so lucky.

Power Cut

Hi everyone. Been a hot week on the course with the weather making a turn for the better. Poor pooches locked in their fur coats but getting some light relief after being groomed.

The parlour had a power cut during the week so missed a day, but will make it up later. It just goes to show how much we rely on electricity to get by.

Everything is now done on my parlour in our garden. Taking bookings from mid October now and even one customer knocked on our door for an appointment so things are looking good. Starting to market the parlour too and made a few visits to the vets and good dog walking parks to try and drum up some business.

It's certainly an exciting time for me, with a little angst mixed into the pot certainly, but that is only natural, or at least that is my excuse! Its all about the dogs for me. I think it will always be that way.

4th Week at Purdey Pups

Week 4 of the course, and I am still getting so much out of it. All of the dogs I have groomed have been so good with me, I feel very privileged to have been with them. Today I groomed the most beautiful Schnauzer called Alfie. A real sweetie and a very good dog. His fur was all fluffy, he looked more like a bunny rabbit! I am reinstalling my confidence with all dogs. They can feel if you are tense or anxious. You are a good actor for them not to detect any feelings of angst. Miranda is an excellent teacher and very patient. She knows all the good tips and ways round any problems you come against

I gave Ted a spruce up last week as his back legs were looking abit too fluffy. After another bath, he let me clip his back legs again and now he looks all in proportion. Its very pleasing to get compliments that he is looking well groomed. I have made a rod for my own back as he is my walking advertisement for Posh Pooches. Ted will be a very well groomed dog for now on!!!

Other than grooming, the parlour is just about there now. My good mate Dave installed a telephone line in the parlour for the intercom system between the front door and the parlour. This is for customers contacting Posh Pooches from the front door. There are still a few hiccups with this service but hopefully they can be ironed out in the next couple of days. Also I have now a new mobile as I have changed from being an Orange customer to Vodaphone and the telephone number transferred. Just waiting for the sim to be reactivated and then the telephone number should work ok. Its been a bit of a testing time, waiting for all of these things to be done, but once we are there, hopefully it will all be worth the wait.

Grooming a Retriever tomorrow which I am looking forward to. Seeing all the different dogs is just brilliant. I just love it!!! Plain and simple, that's me.

Lakeside

Had a great day at the Lakeside Doggy Fun day on Saturday. How many dogs?! It was brilliant to see all of the different breeds - from Chihuahuas to Newfoundlands. We looked round all the stores and I was tempted to buy Ted a new collar - perhaps save it for Christmas time. Also I had a blitz on sticking my Posh Pooches leaflet on car windscreens!

Purdey Pups

Hi everyone
Looking forward to tomorrow though when I see Miranda at Purdey Pups for my refresher course. This has been a long time in waiting and now it is here, I cannot believe the time has finally come. All I need to provide is myself! And myself is going to be saturated with dog grooming. Sounds good to me.

I have just ordered myself a larger grooming table. The table I have is just about the perfect size for Ted, our welsh terrier. However I do need to cater for larger dogs and would really struggle if I had a newfoundland for one of my doggies to groom! I have to wait 4 weeks for delivery, so by the time that comes, it will nearly be time for the parlour to open officially!

Can't wait for tomorrow to come. Must now pack some sandwiches for tomorrow and take our Ted out for a walk. We got soaked this morning but its now cleared up a bit and even have some sunshine for company.

Have a good week and write next week all about the course and how that is going! Bye for now.

Kate

Paint, paint and more paint!

Blimey, I could bathe in the stuff just about! The extension is now up and looks brilliant. It's my doggie's waiting room and now has been painted in "light rain" with a cosy bed thrown into boot. I am tempted to curl up in a little ball and have a nap just because it looks so cosy.

My mate has done such a brilliant job. The Parlour/Salon really looks ready for business. I am champing at the bit to start my refresher course with Miranda next Monday. Just this week to go to prepare the final touches.

Just because I like paint so much, decided to paint the living room today too. It's the same colour as the parlour, I like the paint so much! It's going to need a second coat unfortunately. Leave that to the weekend I think!

Off now to have a relaxing cup of coffee at Brambridge. I think we deserve the welcome break and gives Ted an outing on top of his walk this morning.

Write more next week as always. Have a good week everyone.  Kate

New extension is now up!

Hi everyone. Had a busy week again. My very good friend Dave has now finished the extension to my parlour, in less than a week of work. I cannot believe how quickly and hard he worked - it seemed to go up in a flash. Now I am left with an antechamber to my parlour! Lots of painting to be done, both inside and out but that is fine. It feels like a real achievement - it improves the look of the parlour itself and it feels just brilliant!!! I am so excited.

Ted (our Welsh terrier) approves of the extension too and has added his mark in as much he now has a painted left ear now painted "light rain"!!! I am glad he approves. It means there is now a shelter for dogs to wait in comfort, either before or after being groomed.

Not long to go to with my course that starts in a couple of weeks with Miranda at Purdey Pups. Time will go really quickly as I have so much work to do on the parlour still. Still, I am hard at it and make plans every day. That is how I get through!

Write more next week.

Parlour Extension Nearly There!

Hi Everyone. It’s been a busy week preparing for the parlour extension to go up. All the wood, guttering and what nots came today via a truck from Wickes – so much wood! Dave kindly is coming over on Wednesday to make a start on the construction of the extension. Because it is a shelter rather than an added “room”, we do not need planning permission which is good news.

The extension will be an ideal place to keep my dogs when they are waiting for a cut or just in general have more space to meet and greet customers. Keeps the rain off too. Got to be realistic. It’s OK with this nice weather we have been having, but as I keep saying to Graeme – less than 4 months to go and then its Christmas! He looks at me as if he wants to kill me!

I will keep you informed of the progress of the extension. Maybe take some photos – before and after and post these on my website. It’s all good progress. Write more next week. x

Getting nearer….

Hi there. How quick a week has gone by! Got a brilliant gadget this morning – a dog ramp for the parlour! Simple idea and much needed for those bigger doggies. Can’t wait for a dog to try it out. I could try Ted but he is reluctant to have a bath at the best of times. Maybe give him a week or two.

Speaking of Ted, it was his 5^th birthday last week. He is now 35 in human years. That ackward age of would you call yourself young or are you middled aged! He is taking it well though. Lots of sleeping and time to relax so it seems. Just about to take him out for his morning walkies to our local rugby pitch. He meets a regular circle of doggy friends down there for a bit of a run around and the odd treat if he is lucky. It’s a beautiful morning so will enjoy going out for a walk.

Not really much news on the parlour front. A friend is coming over next week to put the final finishing touches to the parlour, just cosmetic work really. Also my friend is going to make an extension to the parlour, adding a further shelter to the outside so there is a place where doggies can go before and after they have been clipped to rest a wait for their owners to collect them. We went over some of the finer details yesterday. It’s going to look fantastic. Work starts next week on that development.

Got to find Ted now and take him out. Come Ted! More news next week…

So summer is here – hot dogs anyone?!

Hi everyone. So the hot weather as finally got here. Poor Ted had a haircut yesterday as he was wilting in the heat. A short back and sides was required and that is what indeed he ended up with! He has gone out with Michelle, our dog walker for a scoot around Bishopstoke woods where he will truffle around in the undergrowth to his heart’s content. He is so totally my baby, I miss him even though I know he will be back soon, covered in fluff balls from the woods!

August is the month I finally bring all the branches of Posh Pooches together into one big ball, then go for it. There is so much to think about when starting up a business. As Posh Pooches goes live on 18^th October, I have plenty of time but must be aware of using the time wisely. I am lucky in that I have a good team behind me all the way, throwing in suggestions etc. It may look as if I am in control, but it is very much a team effort.

Now I am off to do a little gardening as even the garden needs to look well kept for my customer’s to see. I actually like gardening and pottering around, not really knowing what to do of course, but it’s good to learn and see how plants grown. Of course Ted helps me in his own unique way. Pushing up flowers when I have just planted them! Thanks a lot Ted. Will write more later on in the week.

Catch you later, Kate

Last Full Day at Work

Last Full Day at Work
Posted by Posh-Pooches at 12:00 am, July 24th 2011.

Hi, only me again. Big day today (Friday) – this is my last day at full time paid work in Winchester! From tomorrow I will be one of the legions unemployed... but soon to be self–employed. I have worked in Winchester for most of my life and have been with the company I work for now for 15 years, bar 8 months. It’s been a huge decision to leave for Posh Pooches, but the right decision all the way!

It’s a day of mixed feelings – I will be sad as I will miss the good friends I have made there, but thankfully they own some gorgeous dogs so will still see them in my parlour. I will not miss getting up at the crack of dawn to go to work (I have a very strange time cycle) but will still get up early as I am just that sort of a person! As my parlour opens at 8.00 in the morning, I will be ready to take dogs from that time or even earlier on appointment. I think though  tonight I will have a glass of wine and put my feet up, end the day on a  positive note because its going to get busy (I hope!!!!!)