Little Mutt Grooming School Graduates a Pair of Students

On Friday, October 21, two Phillips County women became official American Kennel Club (AKC) groomers, thanks to the effort and expertise of Laura Pankratz, owner of Little Mutt Groomin' Hut in Malta.

The new groomers are Cassie Bullard of Malta and Kaiu Korman of Saco. Bullard will groom in Malta, while Korman will be grooming in Hinsdale.

"A lot of place don't teach you the ins and outs of the actual business," Korman said. "They just give you the skillset to do the basic things. Laura really made sure that we understood the business side of it as well."

In order to earn their AKC Certification Bullard and Korman had to train with Pankratz in a program that took three months and included 160 hours of grooming and hands-on learning.

"I was telling my husband, who is in Pilot's School about (the 160 hours),"Bullard said. "The hours that he is required to get for his pilot's license is 40 to 60 hours, so I think that we are going to be well-covered," Bullard said.

Little Mutt Grooming School's program itinerary also required the duo to study and learn over 140 different dog breeds including their AKC group classifications. These classifications included Terrier, Sporting, Working, Hounds, Non-Sporting, Herding, and Toy.

Since starting their training at Little Mutt Groomin' Hut, both Bullard and Korman said that they have groomed 30 of the 140 breeds that they had learned about.

According to Pankratz, the most common dog that the duo groomed during training hours is Malta's most common dog; the Shih Tzu.

"We have at least one to three a day," Pankratz said.

Bullard and Korman were asked which breed has been their favorite to groom.

"I enjoy all of them but the larger breeds are kind of fun," Bullard said. "The Cocker Spaniels, Bernedoodles, and Golden Retrievers."

Korman was more specific with her response.

"The doodles have been lots of fun," Korman said.

They carefully studied the anatomy of dogs. The criteria included Body Type, Eye Type, Ear Type, Teeth Type, and Tail Type.

They studied grooming terminology and dog movements.

Both were required to learn proper grooming techniques and how to properly maintain grooming equipment. The training included health and first aid, shampoo and conditioners, poodle cuts, salon setup and strategy.

According to Pankratz, pet groomers often find issues with dogs prior to their owners, this includes hernias, fleas, ticks, and other issues.

"Usually the groomers are the first to notice and then they tell the client that they should take their dog to the vet," Pankratz said.

Though Bullard and Pankratz haven't found many major issues in behavior with dogs around town, they have worked with dogs that may need a little more TLC. The day of their interview, they had just groomed a dog with a little anxiety.

"It takes a lot of patience, kindness and understanding," Bullard said.

During her time grooming at Little Mutt, Korman did find a dog with a hidden wound that she found while trimming it's coat.

"Underneath some of his hair, we found a big open wound and it was infected and causing him quite a bit of pain," Korman said. "So, in the best interest of the dog, we decided to send him home and get him looked at by the vet, just to keep us safe and make him feel better."

Both were asked what the most important lesson that they learned.

"Having confidence and just going for it," Bullard said.

Korman agreed.

"Being confident in your decision to make the call," Korman said. "In saying that this is what your dog needs."

The new groomers were asked what it was like learning from Pankratz.

"She has just been the most amazing teacher," Korman said. "She is really, really, great at explaining things and she is really great at letting us figure it out on our own."

When asked why they wanted to start grooming, both said that they wanted the ability to work close to, or at home, alongside their kids schedules. They both have two children in their families.

Korman has had previous experience given that her family had a dog kennel during her childhood years.

"We had lots of different breeds and (animals) to practice on," Korman said. "I am glad that I can circle back to it and learn how to do a really good job."

Bullard also had dogs to practice on prior to her training.

"On my own dogs or my mom's dogs," Bullard said.

After grooming those dogs, Bullard found that grooming was something that she wanted to do.

"Before I brought them in as students, they had to write to me," Pankratz said. "They had to say why they wanted to become a groomer and what kind of breeds they like. To see if it was a good fit for me to teach the course to them."

Pankratz attended grooming school in Havre in 2007 and then opened up Little Mutt that same year and has been running ever since and is generally booked for months.

"I was really full," Pankratz said. "Three months deep. So now I have two groomers in the area that I can say are really good and I recommend them."

Pankratz was asked what customers have been saying about the work of Bullard and Korman during their training.

"I think that we have had really good (feedback)," Pankratz said.

She said that customers have texted her back saying that the haircuts look really good.

"They are glad to see me have help because they knew that I was getting so overwhelmed with dogs," Pankratz said.

Until Bullard gets her shop opened in Malta, she will be grooming at Little Mutt Groomin' Hut. Korman will open her shop soon in Hinsdale.

Korman's shop name will be "The Pampered Pooch," and her mission statement is; Dogs are like potato chips, you can't have just one!

Bullard's shop name will be Blue Collar Grooming, and she is working on her mission statement.