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Community Corner

Face Time at Sam's Green Paw

On a recent visit to Sam's Green Paw grooming and day care, Heidi tried a blueberry facial—a must for the Pampered Pretty Pooch.

Heidi is my first dog, so the professional grooming phenomenon has been something of a revelation to me.  Except for show dogs and those little silky creatures apparently born with bows in their hair, I used to imagine that doggie hygiene would be limited  hosing the canine off once in awhile while watering the plants. Or better still, just waiting for the dog to get caught in a heavy rain.

After all, our previous pet, Chrysler the 16-lb. gray tabby cat, was entirely self-cleaning— the only maintenance required was to clip his claws, a harrowing process during which my husband donned protective oven mitts to immobilize the squirming, growling Tasmanian devil while I dodged his desperate kicks and slashes to get in there my clippers to nip off the lethal tips.  Good kitty!

Unlike the late Chrysler—a tough customer rescued from the mean streets of Detroit—Heidi loves to be brushed, to take her pills, to be dried off with a towel after a walk in the rain. She is obedient, trusting and sweet.  Still, I’ve gotten used to the fact that it’s much easier to let the pros wash a 72-pound German shepherd than it is to do it at home (consider the “shake” factor). So, when we reach that crucial “does the dog smell funny to you” phase, we turn her over to the clean team at Sam’s Green Paw, where she also goes for day care and boarding.  

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Because this is ,  I should mention that Sam’s Green Paw is perhaps the first doggie day care certified “green” by Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.  The organization recognizes Sam’s for its environmentally friendly A/C and lighting systems as well as for its green building materials and supplies.

 But on a recent day at Sam’s, I wasn’t thinking green, I was thinking blue: At the same point the dog was clearly approaching bath-ready ripeness, I also noticed a placard outside the facility with an enticing spa menu of grooming options, including a “blueberry facial” for $10.

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A facial for dogs? A blueberry facial for dogs? Is this grooming, or lunch? What, are the “girls” going to sit around together afterward in terry robes with cucumber slices on their eyes, comparing low-fat yogurt products in a state of divine bliss? Plus she doesn’t have a complexion—she has fur. It was crazy, over-the-top, ridiculous!  No way!  And in the middle of a recession, no less. There was no choice at all here, really.

Heidi had to have one.

So, earlier this week, under the skilled hands of Sam’s grooming manager Luis Gudino, Heidi’s snout, eyes, and forehead  became a cloud of blue lather.  The treatment, which Sam’s has offered for about six months, has actually been extremely popular with the clientele, Gudino explained as curious Heidi sampled the fragrant suds with her tongue (some dogs like apples and carrots; she happens to like blueberries, particularly frozen ones).  The blueberry facial shampoo, produced by South Bark, doesn’t sting the eyes, allowing for a good facial scrub without worry.

And, while it probably didn’t matter so much for Heidi’s face and its fetching medley of black and tan fur, Luis explained that the gentle blueberry cleansing agent is perfect for all those small white dogs who have perfect coifs but always seem to have black or brown stains under their eyes like melted mascara on so many tiny Snookis.

Will Heidi ever have another blueberry facial?  Well, much she enjoyed Gudino’s expert pampering, she doesn’t have a white face or goopy eyes, so she’ll probably go back to her usual all-over bath— regular shampoo, and only when we can’t stand her anymore. 

 Unless, of course, the product comes out soon in strawberry-mango….

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