Pup Relief Tour Heads to Nigeria for Intensive Dog Grooming Workshop Feb 8 – 15th powered by Paragon Curriculum
Four trainers. Twenty-five students. Eight days. Two job offers. And a lot of dogs! The inspired mind behind the national sensation of the Pup Relief Tour is going global with his quest to promote the grooming profession in an intensive skill development workshop in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.
Paragon School of Pet Grooming is delighted to lend professional curriculum support to Brian Taylor, aka the “Dogfather of Harlem,” and his team of volunteers as they prep to train 25 self-taught groomers who will vie for employment at a popular daycare, boarding and grooming operation. The tour kicks off February 8th, with Paragon providing the training curriculum, process and procedures.
Critters Veterinary Centre in Lekki, which also serves as a boarding and grooming facility, is hosting the workshop and supplying the dogs. In addition, Critters will offer employment to 2-3 groomers exhibiting impressive skills and potential which will significantly improve the groomers’ annual income.
“Paragon’s mission is to elevate the grooming profession, in North America, and around the world, through excellence in skill development. We’re thrilled to help Brian and his team bring the highest level of groomer training to this outreach project,” said Joe Zuccarello, President of the Paragon School of Pet Grooming.
In preparation of their departure, the volunteer trainer team brushed up their coaching skills using Paragon’s online training platform, and were supplied with additional textbooks and materials to make the most of the intensive workshop.
Taylor cited Paragon’s curriculum, textbooks, beautiful illustrations, and instructional videos as key advantages of the Paragon partnership.
“The school’s curriculum is rooted in the unmatched experience and teachings of industry icon Melissa Verplank, Certified Master Groomer, and their team is hand-picked from the best of industry experts. This is an incredible opportunity for groomers in Nigeria to access this kind of content not readily available in their country,” Taylor said.
Taylor is passionate about opening avenues to the grooming profession at home and abroad. The banker-turned-successful grooming business owner became a social media sensation during the height of the pandemic when he spearheaded the non-profit Pup Relief Tour in 15 cities across the United States. The team groomed 1918 pups whose pet parents faced financial hardships and raised awareness of pup health and well-being through grooming.
For the Nigeria venture, Taylor is joined by Pup Relief Tour Ambassadors, Labree Blaxon, Owner, Fluffy By Nature, (California), Latonya Smith, LC’s Detroit Salon, (Michigan) and Gianna Richardson, Gia Styles Grooming (Virginia). All have successful pet grooming businesses here in the U.S. and are primarily Black-owned.
Together, Paragon and The Pup Relief Tour are committed to raising awareness of the shortage of dog groomers and to help pet lovers discover the lucrative opportunity of a career in pet grooming.