A Grooming Superstar Begins A Shining Career
Amelia Anastasi of the Loyal Companion Pet Store in Kennebunkport, Maine has truly shown her passion for pet grooming and care! She demonstrated her mastery of Paragon’s DLP Level 1 program with near-perfect grades, and we couldn’t be more impressed. Congratulations, Amelia!
From Mentor Jen McCarthy:
Amelia started out with a bang in our program. She has been working very quickly through it all, yet she has almost all 100% scores on her coursework (only 2 were not and they were 95%) and she has gotten 100% on her Ears/Nails, Heavy Coat, and Curly/Wavy Coat photo submission tests so far. She asks questions to make sure she is understanding correctly. Her work has been amazing so far!
From Amelia:
Why did you choose dog grooming as a career?
Dog grooming is a perfect blend of the things I adore most. I’ve spent most of my life working with dogs in various ways, and one of the most rewarding and fun examples is helping fearful dogs find confidence and stability through sports.
Feeling the joy of watching dogs and their people feel better and better about life had me knowing I was on the right track. Dog grooming fulfills my desires for expression through art, for bettering the lives of dogs, and for sharing my knowledge of training, nutrition and care with their loving parents. It covers it all!
I’m also an extremely active person and crave movement, and dog grooming sure delivers! Even when tired I come to the salon every day excited for the chance to help dogs return home feeling clean, cared for, and relieved.
What did you enjoy most during your coursework?
It’s hard to pick one thing over another as every section was fun. I enjoyed learning about appropriate brushing techniques. Not only did it help in the rewarding process of de-shedding heavy-coated dogs, but I was also able to share this with customers and help them learn how to give their dogs a more comfortable and successful brushing experience.
My favorite challenge was learning how to groom a Natural Foot. It was a wonderful intro to clipper and scissor use, and it felt great to give dogs with hairy feet more stability and grip.
Are you currently employed, or still looking?
I am currently employed at the Loyal Companion pet store in Saco, ME.
What are your future goals?
First and foremost, to complete Level 2 of the Distance Learning Program and be capable of providing all services to clients’ pets. I am very eager to begin learning hair cutting. Once I do, I am also excited to create some fun ‘meet the groomer’ events to better reach out to my community.