Ellen Ehrlich is the author of Go Mobile And Succeed, 49 Essays On Pet Grooming and the creator of Go Mobile And Succeed – The Seminar DVD. She has appeared on Animal Planet as a guest mobile groomer, writes a popular blog on PetGroomer.com called Go Mobile And Succeed and is a Certified Feline Master Groomer. Ellen is also certified in CPR and Canine/Feline First Aid through Pet Tech. She is a freelance writer, the winner of the essay contest Driven To Groom, an industry speaker, and was on the Honor Roll for a Cardinal Crystal Award for Journalist of the Year. Ellen has been nominated for two Barkleigh Awards – Up And Coming Speaker and Blogger Of The Year. She has been nominated twice for a Crystal Award for Mobile Groomer Of The Year. Ellen created and moderates the facebook page Go Mobile And Groom. She is a member of Pawsitive Instructional Training, giving online webinars live and on demand. Ellen is also a consultant for Hanvey Engineering. Ellen’s endless amount of passion and enthusiasm motivates her to explore and take advantage of new opportunities in the grooming industry.
On Wednesday, February 23rd a fundraiser for the Mayor’s Alliance For NYC’s Animals was held at The Mark Garrison Salon in New York City. All the Doggie Mom’s from the new reality show (Wednesdays at 9:30 pm. Check nyc.gov for local cable and satellite listings.) were there with their furry friends in tow. Mark Garrison, stylist to the stars, was gracious enough to open his salon and host this wonderful event.
Hair stylists and pet stylists alike donated their time to coif both the human and canine species to raise money for a great cause – helping every homeless critter in NYC find a forever home. There was a buzz in the air when everyone started arriving for the event. The Mayor’s Alliance spokesperson, Stephanie A. Mattera was there too!
Attendees were dressed to the hilt, including their four legged friends. I’ve never seen such well-dressed pets! Some of the customers went upstairs for their makeover, while our furry friends headed towards us, the creative groomers who were raring to go with our blow pens, nail polish, glitter, stencils, and rhinestones! It was so much fun! Everyone was a great sport as we tipped ears with jewels, painted polka dots on toenails, turned tails orange, and created mohawks with gel. My favorite was the skull we glittered on a furry rump!
Thank you Olga Zabelinskaya for inviting me to participate in this wonderful, worthwhile cause and Sami Stanley for bringing her “bag of tricks!” Sami had everything under the sun you could possible need for creative grooming. The three of us made a great team!
It was a heartwarming feeling getting together with others to help raise money for The Mayor’s Alliance For NYC’s Animals. We can only hope and pray they can reach their goal – making NYC a no-kill community by 2015. If we all pitch in and do our share, we can make it happen.
When I showed up at Rancho El Charro for “The Wild Ride” on our mother/daughter vacation, I managed to scare even myself. Here I was about to ride off into the forest alone on a strange horse for five hours with a man who couldn’t speak a word of English. What had I gotten myself into now? I have never been satisfied riding a horse nose to tail. I’m going all out. That’s how I’ve always been. I like a challenge.
This is a theme that has managed to play out in my life over and over again the last few years. With less then two weeks away, I’m gearing up for my next wild ride – presenting two Go Mobile And Succeed seminars at Atlanta Pet Fair. Six years ago I attended this show as a civilian because, at the time I didn’t know what pet grooming was. I had never even heard of mobile grooming. I got on a plane, flew off into the sunset, not knowing a soul, trying to answer the question – What is pet grooming and was it right for me?
Well, we all know the ending to this story. To this day and even to this moment, everything I do in my life, relates back to my passion for grooming, my fellow groomers, and the grooming industry. I love to think about it. I love to write about it. I love to connect the dots with words.
The hardest part of this trip was spending a week offline. No Internet, no Facebook, no grooming forums, no instant messaging, no text messaging, no chat rooms, no google, no phone and I survived! Instead, guess what I did? I read a book - something I haven’t done in a very long time but I know me. As soon as I get home I’ll be jumping back online to catch up on the grooming forums and with all my buddies to find out if I missed anything while I’ve been away.
The best part and reason for this vacation was spending time reconnecting with two of my favorite people, Blake and Hannah, whom I hadn’t seen in five months because they live in California and I live in New Jersey. We had a wonderful time together!
Now Atlanta Pet Fair is right around the corner. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks, even months. It’s always been my favorite convention for so many reasons. It was the first grooming show I ever attended and two years ago my first book debuted there. This is also the show that has the most parties and is attended by many of my Internet grooming friends from all over the country. The excitement builds as we count down the days until we all meet again for three days of laughing, learning, shopping, and fun. To me, it’s also a signal that spring is right around the corner. That always brings a smile to my face!
To anyone who is attending the show this year, I’m hoping you’ll come out and attend my seminar. I’ve already fine-tuned my power point presentation as well as including brand new information I want to share. I’m looking forward to it and meeting each and every one of you. Please look for me at the show and don’t hesitate to come up and say hello. You can’t miss me! The back of my shirt says “Go Mobile And Succeed.” The front of my shirt says, “Royal Canine Mobile Grooming.” If you have any questions about mobile grooming, ask away!
Let’s not forget about Intergroom in April, my hometown show. This is the convention where I picked up my brand new grooming van in 2006 and drove off into the wild blue yonder, starting my new life and new career in the grooming industry. Happy Fifth Anniversary RCMG! I'm excited to say I will be presenting my seminar at the show on Monday, April 18th. I’ll also be spending lots of time at the Groomers Mall doing a book signing. Please stop by and visit. In addition to my first book, Go Mobile And Succeed, I would love to show you my new book, 49 Essays on Pet Grooming and my new DVD, Go Mobile And Succeed – The Seminar.
As I rode my horse up and down the rocky cliffs and loped through the forest on Wednesday, I knew I was going to be just fine. I was in good hands with my trusty horse and guide. When we got to the top of the mountain, I looked out at the harbor, the city, the vast ocean and the horizon line. Taking a risk is so worth it. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing. It’s the only way to have the opportunity to reach out and grab the brass ring.
What is it exactly about our pets? Why do we love them so much? I know how I feel about my poodle Jesse. He’s my man. Nothing makes me feel better than to snuggle him as we sit together at the top of the stairs. Jesse lets me drag his large poodley body into my lap and he’ll lie there all day if I do.
Animals are so amazing. All they ask for is love. Besides the necessities of what it takes to survive like food, water, and shelter all they want is a good scratch and a little attention. My poodle is so funny! He loves to take advantage of my Mom whom he stays with when I am grooming. Jesse barks when she talks on the phone. He tries to lick my Mothers plate when she’s eating!
I confess - I love to kiss my poodle between the eyes. As long as I keep kissing, he will stand there like a statue. Every morning he does the down dog yoga position while I scratch the top of his tail. Jesse is a great dog to groom and I enjoy grooming him very much. Nothing feels better then a clean and fluffy standard poodle with a velvet snout!
Our pets become so familiar with our personalities and routines. It’s amazing how our animals are tuned into us. You don’t have to say a word to them about how you’re feeling or what is going to happen next, they just get it. Even Lassie could sense how Timmy was feeling, always offering a comforting nudge when Timmy was sad. I know how it feels when I touch my poodle. I can feel my blood pressure go down. Therapy dogs are used in this capacity as they have the ability to provide affection as they comfort the sick and elderly.
Some owners say they feel their pets have a sixth sense about many things and can even sense bad news to bad weather or even earthquakes and thunderstorms. Dogs and cats can exhibit all kinds of behaviors from running around, sniffing, having an unusual look, whining, and even barking and meowing. Some dogs anticipate seizures and low blood sugar. Some have been known to anticipate panic attacks and even impending death. Nothing has been proven but we trust our dogs and cats because we believe in them and they believe in us. They manage to prove it by the way they act and behave everyday.
I look at it this way. In my eyes my poodle is like a magnet. All I have to do is look at him.... you know what I’m talking about. He’s hard to resist. We are groomers who live in a world surrounded by our family pets and our customer’s pets. We are so lucky. Isn’t it a great place to be? I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.
It is much easier to write a book and produce a DVD when you have the support of a great family behind you. There were so many tasks that had to be done - organize and proofread the new book, design the cover, shoot and produce the DVD, design the wrap and label and write all the copy. I also needed a brand new website that included an ecommerce site. There was an endless amount of details in between. We all worked like maniacs!
I would like to say thank you to my son Tyler who used a majority of his college winter break to work side by side with me going over each project everyday. It was a great excuse to be able to spend good quality time together with my son. He had the patience of a saint! I know I was frustrating at times. Putting up with Mom!
Many thanks to my DH Doug for shooting the video and lending an ear when I needed to fill in the blanks. Doug’s business partner Peter Smallman played an important part as well, doing the transfer and edit of the DVD. The encouragement and advice I received from my mom Ruth and my daughters Blake and Hannah meant so much to me. We all made a great team supporting each other as we set new goals.
I really enjoyed doing the DVD it in spite of a blooper or two. It was fun! Talking about pet grooming for two hours was easier then I thought. I hope that the information that I share with you will help you in some way and make you laugh. As I’ve always said, work hard and follow your dreams. Go Mobile And Succeed.
