SYLVIA PARK GROOMERS HERE WE COME AND HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY KEERA!

Coco needs grooming RIGHT NOW... I cannot wait until next week when she has an appointment at Takanini.  I've rung around and Sylvia Park Animates have heaps of vacancies so she's off to be groomed at 10 am this morning.

I'm so relieved ... her coat matts up so quickly when it's really long.  And the wet weather isn't helping at all.  Water just sets a knot and makes it pull on her skin.  So, let's see how Nico at Sylvia Park goes with her.

MISS MUPPET ... OUR KEERA is ONE YEAR OLD TODAY.  I can't believe a whole year has gone by since she arrived.
She is a darling wee bubba and we all adore her so much.
Lacy is doing a FANTASTIC  job raising her... you can just see the love between Mother and Daughter... it is so wonderful to see.

What else?  Well... yesterday Bex finally achieved something she's been trying to do for over a month:

I think Bex wanted to know if she needed to leave him he WOULD take formula.  Though I see no reason why she would need to really.  Then again, it's not me feeding him and being used as a teething toy!  'OUCH'!

Right... time to get a move on... We have to be on the road by 9.15 to make it to the groomers appointment on time.  You never know till you are on the motorway how long it will take.

On a good day, here to Sylvia Park takes about 20 minutes... on a bad day it can take an hour or more.  Fingers crossed we get there on time.
I hate being late for any appointment.

ONWARD...

Well it's been a wonderful morning, and a awful morning too.

Wonderful:  got a few presents for Keera's birthday.  Spent some girly time with Lacy and Keera at the mall.
That was the lovely part.

I dropped Coco off at Animates, Apex Centre (opposite Sylvia Park) at 9.30.  We were early.
We went back at about 12.35 to see if she was ready.  Nico was still grooming her, so we waited.
Then he gave her back to us, and I coughed up $72.00 for her groom.

On our way home we started noticing her 'groom' was a bit of a shocker... so instead of going home, I drove down to Animates in Takanini where I usually get her groomed, to get Rhonda's opinion on the groom.

Rhonda said it was really bad.  So on her advice I got Lacy to ring the groomer to say how disappointed we were in his groom.  I didn't ring as I didn't trust myself to be polite.

He said we could bring her back for a free groom, but I said "Hell no!".  WHY would I take her back to be groomed by him again, when clearly he did a shocking job? 

I have booked her in to be tidied up by Rhonda at Animates, Takanini in 4 weeks.  Rhonda does an AMAZING job... and will fix our Coco up.

Just so you can see why I'm cross, I've taken photos:

Butchered.  I could have done better myself. Really upset.

WOW.  I just got a phone call from the OWNER of DAPPER DOGS.  She would like to see me and Coco at the Mt Wellington Branch at 4.30 ish today!
NOT A PROBLEM.  

I was nervous about the meeting so took along me BIG GUNS for support.  STEW.
He met me there and we went in to see Kim and her husband (forgot his name).

And what LOVELY PEOPLE who own Dappa Dogs, the grooming business within Animates!
They met with us, we all looked at Coco and agreed it was an awful job, and then they asked us if they could have a go at making her look a bit better?
We said yes, and went off and had a hot chocolate while Kim did her thing.
Kim came 2nd in the National Competition for Dog Grooming recently, and yep, she did an amazing job tidying up our Coco.

There are a couple of places that will have to grow out before she looks really good again, but that's OK.

They said they will show Nico (from the Sylvia Park shop) the photos they have taken of Coco, and offer him some re-training if necessary. I'm relieved as it's not good for the shop's reputation. 

End of Day:  a lovely quiet evening, spent curled up in me blankie watching mindless telly.  First time in YEARS???  Both dogs chose to lie on my lap all night!  Unheard of... they are always on Stew's lap!   Maybe, just maybe, it was my cuddly electric blankie that kept them there?  I'm thinking ... nah.  They just love me sometimes. lol
nite nite