Groom at the Top: Hui Hui, Dog Groomer

Hui Hui became a dog groomer at Ruowen Pet Spa because she enjoys spending time with them. She is also apparently not averse to clipping and dyeing them to look like pandas. Hui Hui’s own dog (not the one pictured above) clearly is very protective of her. He was barking fiercely at the stranger who wouldn’t stop asking her questions.

Who was the most difficult customer you’ve encountered?
A neat freak who only allowed her dog to be washed by its own groomer; no one else was allowed to touch it. After its bath, I was not allowed to place the dog on the floor – only on the table, from which the owner would put the dog directly into its bag.

Can you remember the toughest dog you’ve dealt with?
A Shiba Inu. It was very against showering and wouldn’t stop moving. It also tried to bite me. Luckily, I was not hurt. So far I’ve managed to bathe every dog that was brought in for the service. The bathing process itself is not tricky, but first I need to calm the animal down.

Because animals can’t give feedback, is it easier to groom humans?
Maybe. Dog groomers have to be incredibly patient. The longest time I’ve spent grooming a single dog was five hours – it was a small dog that was very restless.

Have you gotten any extreme reactions from customers?
Yeah, one owner got really excited when we finished grooming her dog. She’d wanted to have that haircut on the dog for so long but it had never come out right. But when we managed it, she was so happy that she cried, “My baby, so cute!” It was the haircut that’s most fashionable for dogs this year: big head, small body.

Is long hair always easier to style?
Yes. If the hair is too short, it’s hard to use scissors on them. One of my customers wanted a cut for a dog who was already wearing a very short haircut. The owner was worried that the dog was too warm, but the hair length really doesn’t matter in terms of their body temperature.

Is dying and bleaching harmful to the pets?
Pets are happier if people compliment them on how good they look. Phrases such as “you are so pretty” and “you are so cute” – they can understand. If people hug them more or take photos, they are happy because they are getting a lot of positive attention. Physically, the dyeing process does no harm to the pets; in fact, we use food-grade dye – it’s so safe, it’s edible.

One of my colleagues dyed her cat pink.
That cat doesn’t care. They are colorblind. They can’t tell other than the levels of saturation. As long as their owners are happy, pets are quite happy about being groomed.

Which breed of dog is your favorite?
The teddy-bear dogs.

This article originally appeared on page 11 of the December issue of the Beijinger.

Click here to see the December issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Hui Hui