Rising Star and Pet Stylist Grad: A Lifelong Learner with a Bright Future
Meet Rising Star and Pet Stylist Grad Riley Shipman of Hank’s Pet Lodge in Williamsburg, Indiana! Riley is a hall-of-famer Paragon student and we’re so proud of what she’s accomplished! Her drive to leverage every resource available and learn as much as she could all but guarantees success in the grooming world, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her!
Just ask her mentor Suesan Watson, who tells us, “Riley just completed Level 3, the Pet Stylist Program, which she wasn’t even scheduled to complete until March. She is very self-motivated and puts what she learned in Level 1 to her advantage. I know she will continue to learn and build a clientele that will be very pleased with her work. She pays attention to every detail and seems to be building a good relationship with the pets she has worked on. So proud of Riley!”
Why did you choose dog grooming as a career?
The grooming career chose me! After high school, I planned to attend a community college to pursue a degree in business. I was going to use this degree to pursue photography full-time. I applied for a full-time kennel tech position in my town to help offset tuition. When I started, I would watch the groomers in my free time and talk to them about the grooming industry. I quickly became interested in making grooming my career. After about a year of working in the kennels, I was signed up for Paragon and have never looked back. I am still a photographer part time but I am so glad to be exploring grooming as well. It was scary to make a decision like that, but I couldn’t be happier!
What did you enjoy most during your coursework?
I enjoyed learning about the breeds and breed cuts in level 3. The bookwork was pretty intense but I loved every minute of it. I live in a small town and we see an abundance of doodles and other mixed breeds. Reading the AKC breed material opened up an entirely new world for me. I really enjoyed watching the breed cut videos as well, it was the cherry on top of it all. In a way, it pulled all the material together. I am a visual person and seeing master groomers work their magic really helped solidify where I need to critique my work and what I’ve been doing well on. I’ve never stopped learning through this program!
Where can we see your work?
My work is up on my personal Facebook page! I post all the dogs I have done at the end of the month. Some of my daily work can also be seen on Hank’s Pet Lodge Facebook page as well, I am 1 of 4 certified Pet Stylists who work here. All 4 of our groomers have graduated from Paragon!
What are your future goals?
Within the next few years, I hope to own a standard Poodle and attend some grooming shows.
Any advice for aspiring groomers?
Take it day by day. I was very overwhelmed at the beginning of my grooming journey. I had no grooming experience when I started and very little confidence. Luckily I had a great boss and colleagues cheer me on along the way. Mistakes happen, and clients come and go, but we learn from what we’ve done right and wrong. Take those rights and wrongs and improve them in any way that you can. Reach out and ask for help. This industry is always evolving, and aspiring groomers like us are what keeps it going. Day by day!