Debi Cummings walked across the room and rifled through a box of index cards.“I’m looking for Jack’s card,” she said. “I make notes of all my little ones about their likes and dislikes,” she said, holding a cute 8-year-old Shih-Tzu called Jack.
Cummings describes herself as a longtime animal lover, devoted to all species ‑ furry or not.
“After all, my household has more pets than humans,” she said.
Cummings has always known she wanted to do something with animals so when the time was right, she gave up her job in the emergency room at a local hospital to start her business.
“Grooming pets makes me very happy,” she said.
Cummings’ runs her pet grooming service from her small farm located off County Line Road. All her pet services are carried out in a small mobile home she customized specifically as a salon for pets.
Divided into three areas, the back room is devoted as a waiting room. A bathing room that is separate from the main part of the salon, mostly to keep the water and splashing contained; and a large room that serves both as a reception area and where all the grooming gets done. It’s fully equipped with dryers, clippers and grooming tables.
“A full grooming includes a thorough and professional cleaning, plus a style cut for your dog’s coat,” said Cummings. And we beautify those areas of a dog or cat that get heavily soiled like the head, paws, and the sanitary area,” she said.
Cummings whisks Jack away to be bathed. Each dog’s shampoo is chosen for them depending on their needs. Maybe they have dry or oily skin, or fleas perhaps.
She gently cleans Jack’s ears with a soft, moist wipe and sets to work pulling dead ear hairs, a task Jack does not appreciate.
A final rinse and Jack’s bath is complete. He’s wrapped in a warm towel before his grooming session really begins.
This is when Jack will get his finishing cut and where Cummings gets to put into action her grooming skills. Cummings is talented and wields her scissors just like a professional hairdresser.
“I like to smooth out the hair and do hand scissoring on the feet, tail and, of course, the face,” she said.
Cummings lifts Jack onto the grooming table and puts a loose leash around his head to hold him in place.
“This is also the time I get wet and covered in pet hair too,” she laughed turning on the velocity dryer.
She raises the table gently using a pedal near the floor and starts to gently clip Jack’s nails, trim the hair around his paw pads and then file his nails smooth.
Next she sprays his hair with a special spray to help get rid of any tangles or matting and sets to work with the scissors, shaver, and blender/thinner trimmer to give Jack his standard Shih-tzu cut.
This is the really noisy part of the grooming process but Jack seems unconcerned. Tail wagging enthusiastically, he patiently stands still as Cummings works her magic on him.
When she’s finished, Cummings steps back and pronounces Jack’s look as “perfection.”
Before Jack is taken to the calm room to wait for his owner, Cummings gives him a quick puff of essential oil, which nourishes his hair and makes him smell delicious.
She uses the dryer one more time to blow away some excess hair still on Jack and then sweeps away a pile of discarded hair on the floor where it will be swept up later and thrown away.
Throughout the course of the day, Cummings typically grooms five to six dogs on an average day. Each dog’s appointment runs between one and 2 hours, Cummings said.
“It can be tiring at times, being on your feet all day long,” she said, “but I enjoy every minute I spend with the dogs.”
Each appointment includes drying time, taking them out to go to the bathroom, and resting in a kennel in a darkened room with soft music playing once they’re all shiny, clean and prettied up with a bandana or bowtie.
About mid-morning, Dewy the MaltiPoo, arrives for his appointment. A MaltiPoo is popular cross of the Maltese and Poodle known for their fun-loving and affectionate nature.
The handsome, little white dog, tail wagging energetically, greets Cummings like an old friend After giving 6-year-old Dewy a cuddle, she sits him in the washtub and starts brushing out his fur.
“I also offer a few specialty services for your pets that carry a small additional charge. These include tooth brushing, nail dremelling and nail polishing,” she said, lathering up Dewy with a sweet-smelling shampoo.
Cummings recommends that owners should brush their pet’s coat regularly to keep it healthy and lush. It also stimulates circulation, gets rid of loose hair and keeps mats at bay.
“Grooming has many benefits other than having an odor-free companion, it prevents ear infections, flea infestations, dental decay, and other health issues,” she said.
Cummings smallholding is secluded and full of her “other” animals.
“I have chickens, bunnies, goats and horses,” she said. “This is my hideaway from the world.”
The thing Cummings likes most is waking up to the sound of animals each morning.
“The goats are the most mischievous,” she said. “I could watch them play all day. They give me so much enjoyment.”
“And I get fresh eggs from the chickens every day,” she said.
The best moment in the grooming process Cummings says is when she takes each pet to rest quietly in a kennel in the darkened waiting room for their owners arrive.
“I have soft music playing, and they’re all so clean and handsome wearing their new bandanas,” she said.
“Yes, grooming these dogs gives me a lot of joy,” said Cummings as she returns to the grooming area and starts sweeping up all the hair that has accumulated on the floor throughout a busy day.
After the floor is swept clean and her grooming tools placed neatly, she updates her index cards for the pets she groomed that day ready for their next visit.
“I’m telling you I love every day I have with my animals whether it’s the pets I groom or my horses, bunnies and goats at the farm,” Cummings said. “It’s a beautiful day every day.”
IF YOU GO:
Debi Cummings Pet Grooming is located on Alexson St in Spring Hill. Call (727) 457-8617* to make an appointment.
*corrected phone number 10/30/16
Have a Business Spotlight idea? Hernando Sun correspondent Sue Quigley can be reached at suequigley@hernandosun.com or call her at 727.808.9587.
