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Learn how to improve your skill set or discover the latest news in the grooming industry.
Check out our latest blog posts!
Learn how to improve your skill set or discover the latest news in the grooming industry.
If your local TV station or a popular Vlogger were to drop by, un-announced, to do a feature story about you and your business — would you be proud? Would you be delighted of the impression you will make on the community? What about being seen by thousands watching the local news or visiting popular online channel?
If the answer is no, take the steps necessary to create that positive, professional image that will make a lasting impression on all of your clients, every day.
For new clients walking through your door, they’re going to make a lasting impression in their minds about you in less than 30 seconds. In those 30 seconds you have the opportunity to make a positive impression with three of the five human senses; smell, hearing and sight.
In over 30 years of business, trust me – this scenario has played out many times with my multiple business. If there is a slow news day, nothing can fill the space better than pets! Luckily for me, I have lived by this credo for years. We are always ready to be front page news. In all my companies, cleanliness and professional appearance have always been a top priority.
Daily maintenance is critical on an ongoing basis. Any day that your appointment book is light, that he phone is not ringing and you’re wondering what you can do with yourself, I’ve got the answer for you! Push up your sleeves and get ready to apply the elbow grease.
This is the perfect time to do all those pesky little tasks you’ve been procrastinating on. It doesn’t matter whether you are a stationary salon or a mobile grooming unit — most of these items apply to both.
Many of the above tasks would create an immediate positive impression to your clients. Even if the client doesn’t immediately sense the impact of one of the listed items, it doesn’t mean it won’t affect them. It will affect you in a positive way. That positive energy will transfer to your customers. You’ll also be more likely to take photos to share on social channels and your local Google business page.
The next time your local news company calls for an interview, you’re going to have the confidence to greet them at the door even if you only have a few moments notice before they arrive. When your photos or video is splashed across the screen, you’re going to be proud of what you see — and your clients and prospective clients will be impressed.
There is no amount of marketing dollars that can buy free publicity. Are you ready to be promoted?
Happy Trimming!
~Melissa
If you want to be treated as a true professional, you need to walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk.
Years ago when I was still at my grooming table every day, I was out to upgrade the image of a pet groomer. My clients were amazed when I greeted them in a skirt. My hair was done. My make-up was in place. (OK – by the end of the day it wasn’t quite as fresh as when I started out) My nails were always done professionally. (…and it hid the problems that come along with trimming toenails a tad too short!) I found lipstick that was a stain, giving my lips a hint of color instead of magnet that attracted dog hair. When I met a client for the first time – my introduction was a warm greeting, a big smile and a handshake.
I constantly looked at ways to be a more knowledgeable groomer. With a bit of effort, it didn’t take long before I honestly turned the corner from a basic groomer to a pet stylist. I made a very positive impression on my clients. I sweated the details – and it paid off ten-fold.
Sweating the details translates into all areas of your salon or mobile unit too. It will be influenced by; what your client sees, what your client hears and what your client smells.
In most professional services, you are not really selling expertise, your expertise is assumed. Generally, your prospect cannot intelligently evaluate your expertise anyway. Instead you are selling a relationship – a professional relationship. Your perspective may not know at first if you are competent at your craft.
But they do know if their phone calls are answered promptly and politely. They can sense instantly how a salon looks. Does it look crisp and clean? Does it smell bright and fresh? They know if their pet is treated with compassion. And they certainly know if they are being treated respectfully.
Give yourself the edge. Sweat the details. Take the time, and effort, to present yourself as a true professional. Make sure your personal presentation is well pulled together. Gain the skills you need to communicate effectively with your clients. Enhance your grooming techniques so you can give them the best job possible in the least amount of time. Always remember to keep the safety of both you and the pet foremost in your mind.
Happy Trimming, Melissa
“If you don’t know what to measure in your business, it’s sort of like driving down a freeway without your headlights on at night, right? There’s a good chance you’re eventually going to run in either off the road or hit something really hard that’s going to cause you a lot of pain.”
This is how important tracking pet grooming business KPIs is to Joe Zuccarello, President of Paragon School of Pet Grooming, who’s been working in the pet industry for over 40 years. Yet, shockingly, most pet grooming businesses operate this way, and they are missing out on thousands in hidden revenue and burning out teams with guesswork.
In our recent joint MoeGo x Paragon webinar, we cracked open the key performance indicators (KPIs) that separate thriving salons from those stuck in the “hamster wheel” cycle. Below, we break down the exact metrics to track, how to calculate them, and why one tweak could double your profit margins.
At its core, KPIs are your business’s vital signs. They reveal:
Joe highlighted several key benchmarks that healthy grooming businesses typically achieve:
While the above are key end-result KPIs, Joe also discussed the crucial data points you need to track to ensure you’re on the right path:
When setting goals, avoid simply “plucking a number from the air” based on historical data. Instead, consider a capacity-based approach. Factor in:
For example, based on the capacity-based formula, you can:
To measure your team’s productivity, you need four key pieces of data:
You can then calculate their efficiency, or simply check the KPI dashboard for real-time metrics with ticket-level details.
Joe also recommended brief, monthly one-on-one meetings (around 10 minutes) with each team member to discuss these metrics. Focus on identifying areas for improvement and collaboratively addressing any obstacles.
In addition, while commission-based pay naturally rewards productivity, you can also create incentives for employees across team.
Want more information? Connect with MoeGo today!
In case you missed it, check out this Free Webinar hosted by our friends at The Daily Groomer.
Paragon President Joe Zuccarello shares real, actionable strategies to boost revenue in ways that don’t burn out your team or frustrate your clients.
“Add-Ons” That Work: The most profitable (and simple!) upgrades you can offer—think nail trims, specialty shampoos, or custom packages.
Upselling That Feels Good: Learn how to give clients more choices without feeling pushy or sales-y.
A Mindset Shift: Move beyond the usual advice and discover creative ways to grow income.
Success Stories: Real-world examples from salons just like yours who are already crushing it.
Want help building your Groom Tech team? Book some time to discuss your needs or Get Started by setting up your Employer Account today!
In our salons, one of the most popular head styles is round. Especially when it comes to Doodles, mixed breeds of all sorts, lots of drop-coated breeds plus a few others.
Did you know there is an easy way to make any dog look younger? More perky?
And the best part – it’s SIMPLE!
Shorten the ears and the muzzle.
Long ears and muzzles drag a dog down, making them look older. It also detracts from a bright expression.
Plus, all the excessive coat is a dirt magnet. It’s constantly getting dragged through their food and water dishes. Longer fur drags on the ground as they pick up all their ‘doggie messages.’ (that’s gross!) Unless it’s being washed almost daily, it gets dirty, stinky and oily. And the potential for mats and tangles is increased the longer the coat.
How short do you go? That’s up to you and the owner.
Whatever the look, it should complement the trim and the dog. It needs to balance with the overall haircut.
Time is money in our business. Sure, we love pets. I don’t know anyone who gets involved in this career who isn’t passionate about animals. Still – time is money. And in this fast paced world, it never seems any of us have enough of either!
My goal is always to turn a small to medium-sized pet in an hour or less; bathe, dry, haircut, and/or finish-work on a bath and brush style pet.
If you are not turning at least a dog an hour, you have an issue somewhere in your routine.
Here are some ideas/methods that allow seasoned pet professionals to hit that goal. Take a read and see if you can identify ideas you can try to help increase your speed in the grooming department. The times given are for small to medium-sized pets.
Just like pennies add up to dollars, seconds add up to minutes and hours. Anywhere you can save time without making a major sacrifice in safety or quality, it’s a skill or technique worth learning.
The most indispensable thing any of us can have it time; when it’s gone, it’s gone – never to be retrieved.
Print off a copy and keep one by your work station to help keep you on track. Click here to download the PDF: Time Frames for Procedures.
Happy trimming,
~Melissa
Everyone loves do a good job. We like the way it feels to excel and to please other people. For some, doing well is a starting point – they yearn for more. Do you know the steps and work it takes to go from good to great?
What are your goals? Do you admire today’s top competitive pet stylists? Maybe you have your sights on certification. Do you have a dream of someday becoming a certified master groomer or pet stylist? Maybe you hope to become a member of GroomTeam USA or represent your country in world team competition?
Maybe your aspirations have nothing to do with competitive styling. Maybe your goal is winning the trust and respect of pet owners, turning them into regular clients.
They’re all worthy goals – and guess what? It’s not as hard as you think. There is no complicated recipe. But there is a secret.
Focus on the fundamentals.
Success is all about the fundamentals. The fundamentals are the little things. The ordinary things. And often, they are the tedious things. But to be the best you must master them. You must become a master of those ordinary, everyday tasks. With every act of greatness, whether in sports, business, the arts, or in pet grooming, the best of the best achieve extraordinary feats by doing ordinary things with amazing consistency, commitment, and focus.
What are the fundamentals in dog grooming?
It means perfecting the core skills: bathing, drying, brushing, fluffing, and dematting. It’s also clipping, scissoring, as well as understanding basic structure and anatomy. It means having solid and safe handling skills.
As a professional pet groomer and stylist, we get to practice these skills all the time. In fact, many of us practice them every single day. World-class pet stylists don’t master their craft by working every day on perfect dogs with fabulous coats in perfect condition. For many of them, the only time they work on a “perfect dog” is in the ring – and under the pressure of competition. Even then, there is no such thing as a perfect dog. Every dog has its flaws – even the perfect ones.
Top stylists know it takes years of practice with everyday pets to master the fundamentals. Winning doesn’t just happen on the day of the competition. Winning is a result of dedication and hard work. The trophy is a product of training, study, and sacrifice. You cannot earn a high grade in certification testing on testing day, alone. Winning or earning high grades on your practical skills tests starts in every bathtub and on every grooming table, every day. There is no such thing as an overnight success. Typically, it takes years of uncountable numbers of hours of dedication to the craft.
Practice, in itself, is not enough. In order to truly succeed you need to follow this rule: Perfect Practice Makes Perfect. If you are not practicing the fundamentals correctly, you’re wasting your time. Clients will not return if your work is sub-par. Awards will not be given. High test scores will be out of reach.
With so many variables with pet grooming, where do you start? What coaching or training technique should you trust? How do you learn the RIGHT skills?
Start at the ground floor and learn from the masters. The information is out there. You will find it in:
Research online. Talk to vendors and manufacturers. Work with a mentor, a coach, a consultant. Look. Listen. Learn. But don’t blindly trust everything you find – check references whenever possible. Today, there is a lot of information out there – unfortunately not all of it is good information! Talk to the experts to make sure the material you are learning is correct and safe.
As you learn, take it one small step at a time. Dissect every step. Break it down. For every technique there are micro steps to learn to perfect any skill. Study those micro steps.
Start at the very beginning just like with a long flight of stairs. You start at the bottom, taking one step at a time. Mastering the fundamentals is a lot like a staircase. Jumping ahead or skipping steps will not get you ahead any faster. In fact, missing steps is way more detrimental to a career than staying on course dealing with each step moving up the flight of stairs.
With every step along the way, you are creating a knowledge base. It will continue to grow with your career. It is paramount for any pet professional to have fabulous pet handling skills to build trust with our furry clients while keeping them safe. Another area that is critical to any successful pet groomer or stylist is learning the finer details of structure and anatomy.
The key is to focus on improving each day, taking the necessary steps. If you incrementally improve each day, each week, each month, each quarter – by the end of the year you will see remarkable results and growth. Over time, by committing to this process, the best develop their skills and enhance their performance as they strive for excellence and achieving perfect execution.
If you want to be at the very top of your game, to become one of the best professional pet groomers/stylists in your town, in your state, in your country, you need to practice perfect fundamentals. Every. Single. Day. You don’t need to have perfect pets to make this happen. Grooming everyday pets offers an abundant opportunity to practice the fundamentals.
Your success doesn’t necessarily mean winning the award or scoring a high grade. Sometimes success means having a full appointment book with happy customers. That’s what truly makes a successful grooming business.
Happy trimming!
~ Melissa
By Melissa Verplank, CMG, Founder of ParagonPetSchool.com
The path of every successful bather, groomer or pet stylist is slightly different. However, there is a set of common threads that tie the most successful pet professionals together.
Here are seven common qualities that set top performers apart.
A positive attitude helps you deal more easily with the daily affairs. It brings brightness into your life, making it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. When you’re positive, you have a clear, calm mind that is open to possibilities and see opportunities where others see nothing.
And as a bonus, if your attitude is strong enough, it becomes contagious. Contagious to clients. To co-workers. To Pets. Everyone. It’s as if you radiate positive energy around you.
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
~ Henry Ford
Wikipedia defines Lifelong learning as, “the ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.”
It is the nonstop development of skills and knowledge of a pet professional, at any level. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime. These experiences could be formal (training, tutoring, mentorship, apprenticeship, etc.) or informal (experiences, situations, etc.)
Learning is the key to achieving a person’s full potential. Learn does not stop once you get out of school. Folks who continue to learn are able to transform their lives. They become more successful at home, more successful with their families, more successful at work and more successful within their salons and work environments.
“Life is like riding a bicycle to keep your balance you must keep moving.”
-Albert Einstein
Successful pet professionals are achievers. You aren’t going to see successful pet grooming teams dragging around the shop. Nope. They are buzzing with activity. They are constantly on task, on schedule and looking for a way to shave moments off any task without sacrificing quality. Their hands and feet are never still.
They are constantly in motion. When I hear the term “occupational athletes,” highly successful team members in any grooming department typically fit that description well.
“Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect.”
~ Samuel Johnson
Curiosity might have killed the cat, but a new study by psychologists suggests that curiosity is very good for people. Do you want a rewarding career? Then be curious.
To have curiosity in your job can be a powerful tool. It does not matter which department you are in or if you wear all the hats in your business. If you can find different ways to stay hungry for knowledge and continue to be a lifelong learner, you will find your career to be much more rewarding.
The more curious you are, the more possibilities you will open throughout your lifetime. Open your eyes and look around.
“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”
-Unknown
Being persistent after it seems like everything has failed is one of the hardest things to do. You just want to give up. Give up on the dog. Give up technique. Give up on yourself.
When trying to be persistent, it is important that you have a goal in mind. Whether it’s getting that dog squeaky clean, the clipper work baby butt smooth, a velvet finish on a hand scissor dog or just trying to add an extra dog to your roster on a consistent basis, don’t’ give up. Even though you don’t see results immediately, keep trying. Keep pushing yourself. Having an end result in mind will keep you motivated, which builds persistence.
To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.
~Sister Mary Lauretta
If you want to be successful at your job and move up, you need to be passionate about your work. You need to be motivated and driven to be the best you can be regardless of your work. Passionate people love their work.
Passion, motivation, drive. Call it what you want it. Bottom line, it’s that self-driven attitude towards your job and your work that can help lead you down the path to success.
Passion is an emotion that comes from within you. It’s your enthusiasm. Your motivation. Your drive.
I promise you, others will be positively impacted by your personal passion towards pets. Passion does not go unnoticed. People will see how well you do your job and your attitude towards it. They will see even if a task is hard you don’t give in, you apply yourself even more to overcome it. They will notice your drive and your motivation and consider how you would do in another position.
Becoming stagnated in a career is boring. The work gets sloppy. Customer service goes down. The wonderful part of being involved with the pet industry, there is no limit as to your personal growth. I love being surrounded by people that have these six qualities firmly developed in their lives. They are energizing and refreshing to be around. Their energy is contagious!
How many of these six traits to you have? How many do you feel you could improve on?
Paragon Cares is proud to shine a spotlight on LC’s Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to making a lasting impact on the well-being of pets and the people who care for them. Its mission is to strengthen the bond between pets and their owners through education, professional grooming, and specialized training, both in local communities and internationally.
Paragon Professional Grooming Mentor, LaTonya Smith, was inspired to create the foundation to continue earlier work in Africa with other non-profit initiatives.
“I saw firsthand the lack of pet care resources in these regions and the potential. There was a clear need for education, professional grooming, and better pet care services, and I knew I wanted to make a difference—not just in Africa, but also here in the United States,” LaTonya said.
1. Expand Educational Programs: Develop courses that empower pet owners and professionals with the knowledge they need to provide top-notch care for their pets. These programs will be offered both online and in-person, locally and internationally.
2. Offer Grooming Services to Pets in Need: Provide free or low-cost grooming to pets in underserved areas, ensuring they receive the essential care they need to stay healthy and happy.
3. Establish Global Partnerships: Collaborate with local organizations in Ghana and Nigeria to train pet care professionals, provide grooming services, and raise the standard of pet care.
4. Build a Global Network of Pet Care Professionals: By training groomers and pet care providers, both in the U.S. and abroad, we aim to create a network of experts committed to improving the well-being of pets worldwide.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, LC’S Foundation accepts tax-deductible donations that directly support its mission. These contributions allow the foundation to offer educational programs, provide grooming services to pets in need, and expand its reach to underserved communities, both locally and abroad. We hope you’ll consider visiting LC’s GoFundMe page and make a donation!
Look in the mirror and say “I am my most valuable asset.” Tell yourself this every day! You are the most important thing about your life and your business. Despite the fact that you may think it is your car, or your favorite thinners, or even your bank account, it is YOU that is the most important part of the success equation. Without you driving the car, or using the thinners or using the money, those things are worthless.
And the part that makes you unique is your mind. Your ability to think and reason before taking action is a precious gift. And throughout life, we need to improve our thinking. The ability to improve our quality of thinking makes it easier to solve problems. Our ability to think positively lets us see opportunity around us. Negative thinking shuts doors to success.
There is increasing concern about the effects of our dependency on search engines, GPS – maybe even AI – on our recall memory – and that this dependency may make us dumber. WOW! In the ‘good old days’ you used a map and directions you wrote down to get from Point A to Point B. You may have stopped when you were lost to ask for directions. Then you had to remember those directions. But now you just program a device that tells you to turn left or right. You actually lose problem solving skills as a result.
Just think of how many people struggle to figure out math problems when they don’t have a calculator.
People used to memorize phones numbers, addresses, and birthdays. Now they are stored away as reminders in our cell phones. Sure it makes things easier, but it turns our mind to mush in the process. I have read that the brain has an unlimited ability to memorize facts. So why turn that ability off?
You need to invest regularly in self-improvement and professional development. You can open your mind to knowledge by attending a seminar at a tradeshow. Or you can exchange information in online forums and places like Facebook. You can open up a copy of the AKC Complete Dog Book and memorize facts about your favorite breed. You have to exercise your brain the same as any other part of your body.
Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning. Why stop now? I continue to learn from the top professionals around me. There are always new products and new standards to talk about. Many groomers are inventing their own products. And almost all of them are happy to share their knowledge with you.
With positive thinking and lifelong learning, you can continue to find new ways to be a value to your customers. You can jump years ahead of your competition by developing new skills that are in demand. By valuing yourself as your biggest asset, you can catapult your career and life to higher levels.
To stay on top of the grooming game, professionals need to keep learning. That’s been my motto for years. It’s always worked for me. Educational opportunities were limited 20-30 years ago. Fortunately, opportunities abound today for motivated groomers.
Books: More and more grooming titles are available every day. They are being written by a wide range of authors. There are grooming guides available as well and business operation manuals.
Many include stunning images to help the reader comprehend the subject matter. Some are even available via a tablet or Kindle.
Schools: What is the primary function of a school? To give their students a head start in their careers. Most schools can take months or even years off the learning process. Professional grooming schools are cropping up everywhere.
One of the best ways to learn grooming is with hands-on training. Some training centers even offer home-study options too. Either way, schools offer a structured learning environment. Programs range widely in cost, quality, course length and grooming styles.
Videos: With methods in place to honor and identify top groomers, we are seeing many of these respected stylists share their knowledge through training videos. Top professionals are creating video lessons aimed at the beginners to advanced stylists. Many lessons are on DVDs, on-line through websites or in streaming video libraries.
Internet Searches: The internet has become an indispensable tool for the groomer looking to get ahead in their career. Never seen a Portuguese Podengo? Most professional groomers haven’t – including me! A quick search via an Internet search engine will lead you down a path of enlightenment.
The Learn2GroomDogs.com Facebook page is a great resource for photos.
You can find breed clubs, breeders, breed history, breed standards and fabulous photos of even the most obscure breed of dog or cat. Even if you’ve never seen – or groomed a particular breed before, you can rapidly educate yourself. You’ll have the confidence – and knowledge – to talk with any owner about ‘their breed.’
Need a refresher on what a breed looks like? Jump onto the computer and do a search of Google Images. You’ll be amazed at what you can pull up. If you are looking for high quality pets, add a show title such as; ‘AKC Champion ‘ By doing this, you can filter through many of the images.
As with any internet search, you are going to find good with the bad. The more general knowledge you have about pets and grooming, the better you will be able to sort through the wealth (and garbage) typically found out on the internet.
Webinars: We are starting to see this form of learning pop up in our industry. Webinars have been around for years yet the grooming industry has been slow to embrace their power. Many technically savvy groomers are starting to share their knowledge in webinars. Some webinars are free; others charge a nominal fee to participate.
Facebook, Blogs & Online Forums: With the use of social media outlets, anyone can chat with anyone from anywhere; across the nation or around the globe. No one is worried anymore about ‘the competition.’ If you have a question, post it. If you have a fun story to share, post it.
If you need to vent (professionally please!), post it. Never before has it ever been so easy, and economical to share ideas, grooming tips and knowledge. No one should feel isolated or alone anymore. The outlets to reach out to fellow professionals are simply remarkable via the World Wide Web.
Seminars: You’ll find seminars every grooming trade show around the country. You will also find privately held seminars too. You’ll find these private seminars hosted by; distributors, product manufactures, grooming schools, grooming salons or even the professional themselves. These seminars area a great place to get your questions answered about any aspect of the grooming
profession.
Private Coaching & Clinics: Need a tutor? Need a coach? One of the best ways to perfect a skill or a trim style is with personal, hands-on assistance. Many of the top stylists are available to help you privately or in a smaller group setting. Many are well rounded in many aspects of the grooming industry. Others will specialize in trim styles, grooming techniques, sales and marketing or business operations. Many will travel great distances to set up coaching sessions.
Find a business professional you admire. Contact them and ask if they offer private lessons. Many do or they host small clinics where you can all share the cost of the session.
Trade Shows: Going to a grooming show is still one of the most refreshing ways to learn. Most trade shows have a wide variety of vendors there too so you can speak directly to the sales representative about a product or service they offer. Sit ringside at a grooming competition.
You’ll be blown away at the style and trim quality being found with high level pet stylist. Trade show promoters are always seeking out a wide variety of speakers and topics to present at their shows. Can’t get to a show? Some of the larger shows and grooming competitions are now available via streaming video on the internet.
I remember being in Croatia on a sailboat a few years back. I was able to watch the World Team Grooming Competition right from my laptop as the competition took place in Belgium. Very exciting!
Certification Programs: We are seeing more and more certification program become available whether it is for dog grooming, cat grooming, pet first aid or business management. At this point, most programs are voluntary but all are worth their weight in gold. Some of the programs can be completed in a day or a weekend. Others will take months, or even years of study and testing before successfully completing the full program. A few of the programs even have Apps set up for your technical device.
Education, skill enhancement and effective communication are the keys to a successful career. Never underestimate their importance. One of the greatest inspirations in any career is continued growth. Learning is the key to everlasting success. With learning trends today, it’s never been easier! Never stop learning.
When looking at learning opportunities, I always encourage you to research the quality of the material, the program or the lesson. You will only increase your knowledge if the information being shared or taught is from a true professional. A professional that has years of expertise and a resume to back it up!
National K9 Veterans Day is celebrated on March 13th on the official birthday of the US Army K9 Corps, which was formed in 1942. Joseph White, a retired military working dog trainer, originated the idea for the day.
It’s a perfect day to help out a cause with paws that’s close to the hearts of the Paragon Cares Team – Project K9 Hero. PK9H aims to ensure the best quality of life for our nation’s retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs by providing assistance with medical costs, prescription food, rehabilitation, rehoming, and end-of-duty services. The team operates a safe haven at its 177-acre Rehabilitation & Rehoming Facility. Paragon has helped the team creating a grooming space onsite!
Please support Project K9 Hero by MAKING A DONATION today!
Derek Copeland has joined PK9H to put his 20 years experience in the working dog field, as a Handler, Trainer, Kennel Master, and Program Manager within the United States Air Force and the United States Space Force to the service of retired K9s.
Derek has had advanced training and education with Canine Psychology/Cognition, which he will be applying in his daily duties at the Project K-9 Hero Rehabilitation and Rehoming Facility in Tennessee. This addition to the organization will allow the team to work with each Hero in our care, and manage the triggers that led them to the Project in a positive manner, to accelerate the rate in which we can find their forever home. This will allow PK9H to take in more deserving Heroes annually, who may not have a safe place to retire in, or be facing euthanasia.
Example: Military Working Dog “Johny” (Y065), was medically retired from the U.S. Army MWD Program in December of 2023. At that time, Johny was facing euthanasia, due to a history of aggression and unwarranted bites on his handlers. After rehabilitation at the PK9H facility in Tennessee, Johny was re-homed to a couple who are active Police K-9 handlers in Lansing Michigan.
“Paige and Luke have done an absolutely AMAZING job with Johny getting him acclimated to their home, and both of their Police K-9s.”
PK9H will continue to pay for his medical care, prescriptions, office visits, and any surgeries he may need for the remainder of his life.
High School students may apply to the Jodi Johnson Memorial Scholarship, which was created to remember the life of founder Jason Johnson’s sister. Jodi was a smart and outgoing woman who excelled in athletics, academics, music and community involvement. Jodi was also a lifelong animal lover who was an outspoken supporter for our work at Project K-9 Hero.
The Veterinary Medicine Scholarship was created to support graduate students who are in their second year or beyond at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine and who support the mission of helping retired Police K-9s and Military Working Dogs.
Applications may be submitted until June 15th, 2025.