ENUMCLAW, Wash. — April Hurst always knew she would groom animals for a living.
"When I was about five I brought in a mouse out of the field and I was showing my mom and she told me get that filthy thing out of the house. So I took it in the bathroom and washed it and I brought it back in. 'Mommy. It's clean now, can I keep it?'" said Hurst.
For 45 years, she's taken dogs from shaggy to spiffy, most recently at April's Pet Salon in Enumclaw.
Now that it's time to retire, she's sharing her lifetime of experience.
"I will be doing classes where I teach individual people. It's just the people, the dog and myself. We have a total one-on-one,” said Hurst.
Today she’s teaching Shauna Wells how to groom her doodle Geordi. It takes more than just clippers.
"Patience, a lot of patience,” said Hurst.
Tools are provided - so is the dog whispering. Hurst uses encouraging words and a calm presence with her furry clients.
"You just have to be nice to them, and a lot of times they come around,” said Hurst on dealing with difficult dogs.
The class covers everything a professional groomer would do. And fur does fly.
Geordi is a model subject compared to some of the animals Hurst has groomed.
“The weirdest thing? A pot-bellied pig. Yeah, they squeal when they get soap on them,” said Hurst.
After a first haircut and nail trim, a shampoo and a rinse, and a blow-dry, there's a second cut to finish details. The whole process from toes to tail takes three hours. This detailed experience will make anyone appreciate the work a good groomer does.
And when class is dismissed, everybody is happy. Especially Geordi, who is now a "very groomed boy."
“It's fun to watch," Hurst said. “And they're very proud of themselves and they should be! You know you can do this!”
April's Pet Salon is located at 1917 Cole St A, Enumclaw, WA 98022. (360) 825 4044.
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