ASTORIA — For nearly the past 30 years, Connie Fery has been clipping and cutting to the tune of a different groomer.Fery is the owner of Astoria Grooming, located at 3162 Mraine Drive.
“I never use grooming nooses,” said Fery in between scissor snips. “It’s a trust issue, I’m not going to rope them up.” Another reason Fery avoids nooses is because she often handles smaller breeds.
“Little dogs have very small tracheas and they shouldn’t have things around their neck,” Fery explained. “They don’t need to be roped up around their neck and yanked around.”
When it comes to grooming the styles are endless, but grooming overall falls into two basic groups.
“There’s the ‘Donald Trump comb-over, the mats groom’ and there’s a ‘get the comb through every inch groom,” Fery said. Grooming pets isn’t as straightforward as it is for people.
“Most grooming is a multi-step procedure because you want to make it fun and pleasant,” Fery said.
Fery’s approach to dog grooming is rooted in formal education and backed by 30 years in the business.
“In this state, and all others, there’s no education or schooling requirement for dog groomers as opposed to hairdressers who need a two year education,” Fery said.
“The problem is, anybody can call themselves a groomer.” Fery believes the lack of certification leads to injuries for the animals.
“It’s important to go to a nationally certified Master Groomer,” Fery said. “That means they’ve passed testing that assures you that they know about anatomy, behavior — other things besides a pretty haircut.”
Fery encounters misconceptions about grooming on a daily basis. Some pet owners mistakenly believe that grooming is merely cosmetic.
“A lot of people don’t realize that with certain breeds that the hair never stops growing,” Fery said. “So that dog’s going to have to have a haircut.” Nail clipping is another issue.
“Dogs nails should be done once a month because it will affect the way they walk,” Fery said. “They can develop arthritis in their joints from walking on the back of their feet because they can’t walk on their pads.” If you’re wondering if your dog has matted hair, Fery offers a simple test.
“If you can’t get a comb through it — it’s matted,” She said. Over the years, Fery has seen more and more dogs being brought in for grooming, particularly adopted dogs.
“There’s wonderful trends,” Fery said. “The trend of adopting pets has just been awesome.” For more information, visit www.astoriagroominginc.com