Dog Grooming Program Success Stories

Fashawn Burgess, ABCPG, always knew that she wanted to work with dogs and decided to become a dog groomer. She says “I didn't want to be a backyard groomer. I wanted to be trained in proper dog grooming.” She began looking for a groomer school that would teach her the necessary skills she needed to become a successful pet groomer. Fashawn comments, “When I found Animal Behavior College, I knew I had chosen the right program. It fit with my busy life and work schedule. I loved that I was able to work at home at my own pace. ABC was also very affordable compared to the other grooming schools.”

Fashawn’s love for animals began with her father. He raised Labrador Retrievers for hunting, and she enjoyed watching them work. She says, “We always had a dog and cat around the house to love and take care of.” Fashawn inherited her father’s passion for animals, and she started learning about dog training and grooming in 4-H. When she had mastered basic care and obedience, she moved on to showing dogs and eventually horses. Those early experiences with animals fostered what would become a lifelong passion.

In her early 20s, Fashawn’s life took another direction than she expected. She got married and started working as a bus driver for children with special needs. She also became an art instructor and taught her students how to paint. However, Fashawn’s love for dogs never left her and after 27 years of dedicated service, she finally felt it was time to follow her dreams and pursue a career in the animal industry.

For Fashawn, the most exciting part of the dog grooming program was the externship with a local pet groomer. She was able to put into practice the grooming techniques she had read about in the dog groomer course. “I learned so much during the hands-on portion of the program. I truly feel that ABC has prepared me to be a professional dog groomer” she comments. After only a few months of interning at Sue's Small Stuff Dog Grooming, Fashawn was hired and is currently working at the salon. Fashawn's future goal is to combine her love of art through painting pet portraits and to have her own grooming parlor within the next three years. She hopes to share her talents and love for dogs with others.

Some people are born knowing their career path while for others there is one moment that changes it all. Sonia Nathan, ABC Pet Groomer Program graduate, never thought she would work with animals, let alone become a professional groomer.

Before Sonia found her passion for grooming dogs, she was a restaurant bookkeeper and taught fitness classes on the side. Her life changed eight years ago when her children approached her wanting a family dog. When Sonia was a child, she was attacked by a pack of dogs and was hesitant to bring one into her home. She decided to overcome her fear and adopted a Standard Poodle. When Sonia met her new companion, she instantly felt a connection with the family’s new pet. She comments, “I fell in love with dogs, and here I am today – a groomer.”

Sonia began grooming her own dog and quickly moved onto working with a doggie day care as a bather. During this time, she also apprenticed at a local grooming shop and began her hands-on training as a dog groomer. Upon discovering her talents as a dog groomer, Sonia started researching grooming schools where she could hone her skills and learn new ones. Animal Behavior College was recommended by multiple salons in her area.

When Megan Powers, ABCPG, was a little girl, she wanted what most little girls want, a puppy, but her parents said no. As an adult, Megan has more than made up for it. She is the proud owner of three dogs, five cats and several more that she fosters. Megan is also a graduate of ABC’s Dog Groomer Program.

Megan enrolled in ABC’s pet grooming course for a rather unique reason. As Manager of the Lucky Stars Country Kennels in Hampstead, MD, for the past three years, Megan kept coming up against the problem of needing qualified pet groomers. She says, “We were having problems finding and keeping good groomers, I decided to go ahead and learn how to do it myself.”

Megan has put her dog groomer certificate to good use and has already been able to save the day at the kennels when one of the groomers didn’t show up. Megan is grateful to Animal Behavior College for adding a new dimension to her beloved career with animals and would recommend it to anyone saying, “ABC is a fantastic program for anyone who wants an animal career and cannot drop everything to go back to school.” She also says the personal service of her rogram Manager was valuable, “My Program Manager was always there for me, guiding me each step of the way. I always felt like a valued part of ABC and I thank my lucky stars for finding such a wonderful school. I am grateful to have had the experience and the chance to use my new skills to be of even more service to the animals I work with every day.”

Of course, with Megan’s hectic schedule at the kennel, she did not have the time to devote to a brick-and-mortar school and found the in-home learning aspect of ABC’s grooming program priceless. Megan says, “I never dreamed that I would be able to go back to school because of my busy schedule. ABC fit perfectly with my life and let me achieve my goal. For me ABC was a perfect fit.”

Megan also learned more than she thought through the Dog Groomer Program saying, “I feel I learned so much from ABC’s grooming program. I thought I knew a lot already because of my job. But I learned so much more. It is amazing to see the change that happens in a dog when you groom them; the pride and happiness you give them is amazing.”

Wanda Dorn’s life is far from slow-paced; she lives on a 300-acre farm and keeps busy raising her three-year-old son. Because of this, she needed a grooming school that would fit her unusual schedule. “We have a campus near where I live that offers a pet grooming program. However, their program runs full-time, seven days a week for four months,” Wanda said. “There was no way I would be able to take it and take care of my son at the same time.” Wanda was determined to find a professional groomer program that included both book study and hands-on training. She knew from previous experience that she would need both of these components in order to become a successful pet groomer.

Wanda fell in love with grooming dogs as a teenager when she spent the summer helping a family friend groom Poodles. After high school, Wanda put her dream on hold when she got a job at Briggs & Stratton, where she eventually became an electrician.

Wanda spent her entire working career as an electrician and now that she is retired, she finally has the spare time to pursue her first love, professional dog grooming. Even though she has prior grooming experience, Wanda wanted to find a dog groomer school where she could receive official grooming training and obtain a dog groomer certification. “I knew that if I could go back to school and get some knowledge and hands-on experience,” Wanda explains, “it would give people confidence in my ability to groom their dogs.”

When Wanda saw Animal Behavior College’s (ABC) Certified Groomer Program online, she knew she had found the perfect program for her.