Animal Science Student Fell In Love With Grooming
Meet Paige Schmidt from Ames Pet Resort in Ames, Iowa, who turned her love for animal science into a passion for dog grooming during COVID. Paige graduated from Level 3 Pet Stylist with highest honors.
Mentor Jilly Mucciarone: “Paige worked very hard throughout the level and her work was amazing! Very talented!”
Why did you choose dog grooming as a career?
The grooming profession chose me. I started out as a bather during covid. I was pursuing my animal science degree, and figured it would supplement my learning as well as help out the salon I was a receptionist for at the time. I quickly fell in love with the profession.
There was a routine that I loved about bathing, drying, and grooming each dog. But each dog provided a uniqueness that made each day exciting and new. I was able to put my college degrees to good use. My animal science background helped by providing a strong background in understanding the behavior and anatomy and health of each dog. And I was able to use my communication background to connect with and provide for my human clients in a professional and caring manner.
What did you enjoy most during your coursework?
I really enjoyed the high quality of both the mentors and the dogs they worked on. The mentors were both highly skilled at grooming and at communicating the information they wanted shared with students while working on each dog. The video lessons in and of themselves were instrumental in my learning.
Where will we find you at work?
Paige works in the grooming department at Ames Pet Resort
What are your future goals?
I would really like to expand my client list to include more owners who enjoy more creative or breed standard grooms, instead of “lowest maintenance” types of grooms. I really enjoy Bichon and Poodle grooms specifically, and would love to focus my grooming more towards those types of breeds.
Any advice for aspiring groomers?
Never stop trying to become better, both for yourself and for your clients.
(Taking pictures helps with that! Even if you are not the type to post pictures of your grooms, it is so helpful to look back on your grooms to see where you have improved or what you should focus on moving forward.)