Rising Star and Pet Groomer Grad: Grooming Was A Detour That Ended Up Changing Her Whole Perspective
Meet Rising Star and Paragon Certified Pet Groomer Jodi Mitsuyama-Brandenberger of Pet Supplies Plus in Blasdell, New York! Jodi came to grooming through the veterinary field, and her desire to help animals underpins her entire approach. She does excellent work and uses her background knowledge to supplement her grooming skills!
Her mentor, Liz Thompson, shares, “Jodi Mitsuyama Bradenberger has been an absolute joy to watch grow in Level 2! Their dedication to the program shines through in every groom, always approaching each challenge with a positive attitude and a genuine willingness to improve. Jodi’s polite and professional demeanor, combined with their eagerness to apply feedback, has made their progress truly stand out. It’s been so rewarding to see their skills evolve, and we can’t wait to see them continue to thrive in this career. Keep up the amazing work, Jodi—your hard work and determination are inspiring! 
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Why did you choose dog grooming as a career?
I was originally a vet tech who just graduated from college during the pandemic. At the time, I was working mostly in feline medicine for over 2 years. Later, I decided to leave the industry due to stress. By chance, I happened to see an ad where Pet Supplies Plus was looking for groomers and was willing to pay for training. I was eager because I missed working with dogs, but I also didn’t want to jump back into medicine. I sent in my résumé, and that’s how I ended up here.
What did you enjoy most during your coursework?
Mostly seeing the transformation. I always had to take pictures of the dogs I groomed for their baths, haircuts, etc. And the transformation was like night and day. From looking like some scraggly mess with hair sticking out all over, to having a nice, smooth coat with no stray hairs, no loose undercoat, and no mats.
Where can we see your work?
Currently, you can see some of my works posted on the Pet Supplies Plus Facebook page for the Blasdell location. I don’t have a personal social media account for grooming yet. But I think I will open a secondary account dedicated to grooming on Instagram.
Any advice for aspiring groomers?
I would say don’t worry about repetition. Sometimes you’ll have to resubmit your photos, and it can be frustrating to do a bath, re-dry, or shave the dog all over again because the dog was still curly after drying it, there was a high spot on the dog’s legs, or the sanitary shave wasn’t wide enough. As upsetting as it can be, repetition does help a lot. It certainly helped me on the last phase of my training. Just like with before and after photos, you will notice a big difference in the variety of after photos you take as you go through the program.