by brad hart
THE URBAN WHISKERS PET GROOMING
FAMILY KEEPING OUR POOCHES MERRY AND BRIGHT!
WHEN IT comes to the holidays, decking the halls and donning festive attire can help put you in the spirit; especially when you remember to “paws” and think about Fido when you’re prepping. The gift of grooming is a great way to get your four-legged friends “decked out” for the holidays, ensuring that they will be completely neat, clean and trim for your holiday visitors, special events or family portraits. We talked about fur-fabulousness with James Daniel Melendez Sanchez, the owner of Urban Whiskers Pet Grooming in North Park and the official “beautifier” of Ruby, our Maltese andRage Monthly mascot.
How did you get your start in pet grooming? I have always loved animals and quite honestly I fell into grooming by accident.
I noticed a “Help Wanted” sign in a Hillcrest pet grooming salon back in 2001, I ap- plied for the job and fell in love with creating beautiful hairstyles on adorable pets. Tell us all about Urban Whiskers. Urban Whiskers Pet Grooming is a family-owned and operated business. My life
and business partner Michael Paul Huesca and I started it in December of 2009, after I expressed my desire to venture out on my own in the industry. I was the only groomer when we first opened. Now four years later, I have our
18-year-old son Joshua, who is a college student, working with us as an assistant groomer. Our 20-year-old niece Izzy, also a college student, is a groomer here as well. They help bathe, blow-dry and brush pets to prepare them for their haircuts. I am also training Izzy in my particular “style” of pet grooming so that we can ex- pand the business and eventually open a second boutique or possibly a self-wash. Michael’s parents John and Gloria Huesca are active in the business as well. Having our family involved is very important to us. What services are offered at Urban Whiskers? We offer hands-on, full-service grooming. We shampoo, condition, blow dry,
brush-out and offer ear cleaning, nail trimming and haircuts by appointment— with expertise in show-dog styles—all at affordable prices. Walk-ins are welcome when there are openings available. Pets arrive for their scheduled appointment
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time, not beforehand and owners are called 15 minutes prior to finishing. That way there is no wait time and your pet isn’t sitting in a kennel all day long. Do you have pets of your own? Yes, I have many pets of my own. I have six dogs, three of them are Long-Coat Chihuahuas and I used to actively show them. I also have a pit bull, a Formosan Mountain Dog from Taiwan and a Toy Poodle, all rescue dogs. I have seven large parrots, canaries, chickens and a pond filled with beautiful
fancy goldfish. Our home is very much an animal home! Any advice for pet owners on at-home pet care and upkeep? I cannot stress enough the importance of at-home pet grooming. Pets should
be eased into the grooming process from a young age. Owners should take the time to brush long-coated and fluffy breeds at least once a day to maintain the coats and to keep them from getting tangles. Regularly massaging your pet’s paws helps to get them used to being handled
by your groomer when nail trimming and scissoring around their paws. Also, mas- saging ears and lightly swabbing them at home, with a good ear cleaner, helps prep the pet before heading to a grooming shop for the first time. All of these things help ease a pet’s stress at a grooming salon and makes the experience that much more pleasant. As a general rule of thumb, fluffy-coated breeds should be groomed every four
to six weeks. Owners who don’t brush at home and want to maintain a fluffy look should come in every two weeks. Shorter-coated breeds can go every six to eight weeks. But even those with smooth coats need regular shampooing and condi- tioning. General grooming is essential to your pet’s overall happiness and health. Any special offers or promotions you would like to let our readers know about? Urban Whiskers Pet Grooming would like to offer $5 off your first pet grooming service to new customers and toThe Rage Monthly readers.
Urban Whiskers Pet Grooming is located in the heart of North Park at 3942 Illinois Street. To make an appointment, or for more information call 619.295.5809.
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