“What a roller coaster of a time I’ve had, it’s been filled with amazing highs and stunning lows,

High – I had a lovely female boxer dog come in, she was very shy, and just came from a rehoming centre.

She was hand shy, but instead of getting straight to the groom, I sat on the floor with her and made a connection, it was an absolute honour to see her confidence grow with me and her trust too. She needed a wash after some time she allowed me to stroke her, with the owner with me, we moved her to the bath, where I carried on just stroking, she was still happy, at first water was a no go, but she eventually allowed me to place small amounts of water over her, and even wash her!

I was amazed that she was so lovely, she had been through so much, but was still willing to trust again.

Low – A cocker-poo came in, extremely matted, Initially I couldn’t see the matts as they were all in the undercoat and the fur was long, the owners pointed a few matts out, I explained I would do my best to remove but if it took me longer then 30mins I would need to shave, the owners were against that, even though I told them that it was more about welfare over ascetics. They were still happy to leave the dog with me.

I started the groom and it became very clear this dog was in a straight jacket, I had no choice but to shave but did inform them before doing so.

When they picked the dog up they seemed very unhappy, saying they would never use me again.

I was both saddened by this but also felt happy as I knew I’d made that dog more comfortable, but I was also worried about what those owners would say about me! This particular low taught me a lot about protecting myself, and have now implemented new forms to cover this.

I’m just thankful for your tutoring as I couldn’t have these experiences without it, I love what I do now.”

– Liarna Benwell

← Back to learners’ photos