Angela Kumpe
Welcome to the the world of "creative grooming" competitions, in which professional dog groomers transform mundane-looking canines into fantastical creatures. It's an art form that has its detractors, but with the New York Times interested, and a reality television show in the works, creative dog grooming appears to be gaining in popularity.
We know it strikes a chord with Paw Nation readers because after first running the photo gallery in August 2009, and then running more recent photos last week, you demanded to know even more about this very special kind of dog competition.
The trend began with professional groomer Jerry Schinberg of Des Plaines, Ill. Schinberg held the first-ever "regular" dog grooming competition in 1973, and is credited with introducing the notion of creative grooming in 1980. "I got the idea from going to beauty shows for hairstyling for women," Schinberg tells Paw Nation.
Today, there are more than a dozen different creative grooming contests that are held each year across the country, usually as part of a larger, regular grooming competition. While the prize money for winning a regular grooming contest can be in the tens of thousands, the amount awarded for creative grooming is far less, usually about $1,500. So why do it? "It's fun, and an artistic outlet, and a way of bonding with my dog," groomer Sandra Hartness tells Paw Nation.
"It adds to the excitement and fun at the grooming show," adds Christine DeFilippo, who runs Intergroom, an international grooming competition that takes place in New Jersey. "This was the first year the New York Times called me to say they'd like to cover it," she says.
The cable network TLC is currently working on a reality television program centered around Groom Expo, considered the most prestigious creative grooming competition. "We offer the largest prize money [$5,000 for first place] in the industry," says Sally Liddick of Groom Expo. "The winner of the People's Choice Award -- determined by applause from the audience -- gets to be on the cover of "Groomer to Groomer" magazine." It's akin to making the cover of Rolling Stone, says Liddick.
Some creative grooming competitions are "pre-groomed" contests, in which groomers arrive with their dogs completely finished, thereby allowing the groomers to spend as much time beforehand working on their pooches. Others allow contestants to bring their dogs prepped with color, but allot two hours to shape and trim the dog into a finished design. "It's totally shocking to see how they get transformed," says photographer Ren Netherland, who clicks pictures of dogs during the shows.
Groomers can spend months letting their dogs' hair grow long in preparation of a competition. "To make my poodle Cindy into a camel, I grew her hair for nine months, then I mixed a few different brown colors to dye her and I sculpted her with nice, flowy lines," says Hartness, who prefers to compete in two-hour competitions. "I work better under pressure," she says.
Angela Kumpe, who holds 43 titles in creative grooming -- more than anyone else in the world -- has been dubbed "the groomer to beat" by the New York Times. Kumpe has transformed a poodle into a buffalo, peacock and pony. "A full creative groom can take 40 to 60 hours over several weeks' time," says Kumpe, who adds that to create the buffalo required her poodle to grow its hair for 18 months. "You do a little bit at a time, carving and coloring," says Kumpe. "You don't want to leave the dog on the grooming table for too long."
Creative dog grooming has its detractors. Some decry the decoration as unsafe for the dogs. "I think this is cruelty to animals," wrote one commenter in response to a photo gallery Paw Nation ran last year. "Animals were not meant to have there [sic] hair dyed. Anyone who does this to there [sic] dog needs to be hog tied and beat."
"I've received three death threats and get hate e-mails from around the world," Hartness tells Paw Nation. Hartness and her white standard poodle, Cindy, have been competing in creative grooming contests for the past 10 years. Photos of her dog dyed and groomed as a camel, peacock and snail have been widely published in magazines and newspapers. "A lot of people don't understand what we do and have no concept of what's going on in creative grooming," says Hartness. "They think we use paint."
To dye her dog, Hartness uses semi-permanent hair color that is vegetable-based, or child-friendly products, such as colored chalk. There are also color products made specifically for dogs. "Anything that is safe for a two or three-year-old child, I can use on my dog," Hartness says. To glue feathers, glitter or plastic flowers onto her dog, she uses Elmer's glue, which is water-based and washes right out, she says.
Other critics claim that the practice of creative dog grooming is simply tacky, and degrades the basic canine dignity of the dogs. But Schinberg dismisses these claims. "People who say that it's demeaning and embarrassing to dogs don't really know about dogs!" Schinberg says. "They prance and carry on after they've been groomed. They love the applause and people exclaiming over them."
Hartness agrees. "Some people try to put their feelings on my dog and say she's humiliated," says Hartness. "But when she sees me get my suitcase, my dog runs to the car and sits down. She's excited and when she sees cameras, she'll pose on her own." Hartness also has her dog's blood checked every six months. "It's just a precaution, but I just wanted to make sure that dying her different colors wasn't affecting her in any way," says Hartness.
"It amazes me to see 30 years later what creative grooming has grown into," says Schinberg. "The colors today are so spectacular, sharper and brighter. But the number-one thing is still the grooming. It has to be top notch in the scissor work and clipper work. Then we look for creativity and design."
So, what's next in the world of creative grooming? For starters, it's gone international. "A grooming show in Brazil is flying me there to teach creative grooming," says Kumpe, who lives in Arkansas. The notion has now also spread to cats. Watch for that story in an upcoming article on Paw Nation!
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There's just something not right about this. If people want to bond with their dogs, spend time with them! If they want to be creative, take up painting or something and leave the dog alone!
Umm, this is done by professionals, and the dogs would be needing to be groomed anyhow. That IS part of routine care for them. I am assuming that you have concluded this is "not right" based on the fact that you dislike the looks of the results. Not being to your tastes does not constitute cruelty.
I'm with you, I think it's horrible what these people do to these animals. I think it's worse than putting clothes on your animal. People need to find other hobbies different than making mockeries of their pets.
Chris: I agree completely. How do we know what the dog thinks about this? They may know more and feel more than we realize. A dog is not a canvas.
anyone who thinks this is cruel also probably thinks that their dog would be happier " living free" ..... where they would die in a few days. Nothing about our lives is natural or "the way it was meant to be". If that was the case we would move outside, quit taking medications and many of us would die off. If thats the world you want to live in then see if you can get everyone to agree to be natural. Otherwise accept that we will never live in a natural world again and if something is not hurting an animal and is in no way cruel other than to your senses ....leave it alone. Dogs love attention more than anything else, they really couldn't care less what color they are (since they are largley colorblind) . Quit anthropomorphizing (giving human traits to animals) about something they could care less about, and worry about the dog in your hme or next door that sits alone all day with no companionship.
Tacky!! If you wanna play "dress up" -- play with a doll! This reminds me of kiddie pagents.... ridiculous, perverse, and wrong. Dogs are much greater than clothes hangers for deranged owners who think their pets look great as a hot dog, or a lobster. Have some respect for your pet.. and some self-respect too. We're taught to curb our pets... in this case.. curb the owners who inflict this on their pets.
sooooooo wrong. as reikipath said it is "normal" to groom....but It is NOT normal to dye the dogs hair and expose him to all of those chemicals with toxic fumes that can cause cancer as well as absorb into the lagest organ of the body~the skin. These dyes can also cause blindness were it to go into the eyes!
if you were a dog would you want your guardian to bond with you this way????
or would you rather massages, rubs, hugs and kisses, playing, walking and running? PETA should be on this, because in my eyes this is absolutely animal abuse and cruelty!
Most people dont like getting their own hair dyed because of the smell and sometimes burning/itching feeling. At least we choose to do it. I dont think it would be so bad if they kept the dye to a minimum or at least stayed away from the face, nose and eyes. But some of these people seemed to take it a bit far. Most dont even look that good. Also, most of the dogs look sad. And yes you can tell when a dog is happy and sad.
Blind? LOL. How do you know that? Are you a chemist? A Vet? Or just an average know it all with an opinion. I would venture that all those who are commenting negatively are completely ignorant as to what goes on at these competitions and how it's done. These dogs enjoy the massive amount of attention they receive and the products are completely safe. You may think it's silly, you may not find it attractive. But cruelty? Don't be ridiculous.
So how about that dog down the block from you that's chained in the yard 24/7? How about the one that's neglected and kicked out of the way by it's owner? How about the dog that's bred cycle after cycle to exhaustion so the owner can make some bucks? How about all the dogs in shelters being euthanized because owners neglected or abandoned them when they became inconvenient? How about the dogs in puppy mills living in squalor on wire grates and filth?
WHERE is your outcry and protest for THOSE animals? What have YOU done for THEM? Yeah, I thought so. I'll bet you say all the time that SOMEbody should do something about that while you sit on your ass and make comments on the computer.
Might want to save all your energy and not waste it on well cared for, adored and pampered animals who revel in the limelight.
Could anybody tell me why you would like to dress up a dog to be a lion? or a peacock? Yes they do like the attention, but this is ridiculous. Standing still for hours while being "groomed" and then ending up with some peacock feathers up their a... does not seem like typical grooming to me..
I wonder what we could turn these groomers into? a tree? a dog?
I think it is ridiculous looking and yes some of the styles are a bit cruel. Peacock feathers hanging down the dogs leg has to be cumbersome to say the least. Also they probably itch and get in the way when the animal has to relieve its self. Hair dye on their fur and skin could cause irritation,. It used to be just some unusual hair cuts but I think this all goes too far. My pets are members of my family and I treat them with care and respect. I would not dress my child up like a clown, complete with face make up just because I think it is cute. Maybe for shot time on halloween, but that would be their choice, not mine. mhwc- What do you mean, animals do not have emotions. They certainly do. They show happiness, saddness, depression, aggression and compassion. People who love animals and are in tune to their own, kinow this to be true. Dogs just love to please but try doing this to a cat and you will see a whole different scene.
This is no diffrent then getting your pet a "normal grooming" it just has a creative side. I have been a groomer for years now and I love to see the many looks that come about in some of these shows. I do understand that people are worried about the coloring end of it and they should..there are many SAFE ways to color your pets coat with out it being harmfull..The safest ways include food coloring and koolaid theses are products that you eat or drink and that we all know stains your skin so why wouldn't it be safe on your pet? Also there are many pet safe hair dyes to achive the brighter looks. You DO NOT USE PEOPLE hair dye as this can cause irritation to skin and may be harmfull. Always use a PET SAFE color. If done right with the right products no harm is done...they may look funny to some people who don't have a creative mind but I would rather see a dog on this way then one where the owners never have them groomed, they come in all matted up, flea bitten, skin raw from matts that have been on the pet for god knows how long...
These dog owners have way too much time on their hands.
While this is not my cup of tea and I would not do this to my dog, WHY NOT. Most of these dyes are water soluable. People that say the dogs don't care for this has never groomed a dog for the show ring or went to a dog show. When groomed, these dogs know they look good and LIKE to strut their stuff.
These people are kind of crazy using dogs as canvases. However, I would not call it abuse unless the dog really hates it or the dog is mistreated. These dogs are likely well fed, well exercised and given lots of love...that is what matters (even if there owners might need therapy).
Good Grief, lighten up. The dye is not the same WE use, duh! Dogs are pack animals and love to attention. If the owners spend this much time with them, I'm sure the dogs love it. They would have too, or they would never stand still long enough, come on people calm down, is it any different that dressing up your kids in cute, funny outfits?
Did any of you actually READ the article? Have any of you actually BEEN to one of these competitions? Talked to anyone who does it? Thought not.
First - they do NOT use regular hair dye. They use vegetable based product that is rather like hyper-pigmented Coolaid. There is no ammonium, no fumes, no peroxide - it is not AT ALL like dying people-hair. The reason white standard poodles are used so much is because their coat lends itself to both safe coloring and sculpting. Also poodles are great show-offs. They love to be the center of attention.
Second - the dogs don't go around wearing the feathers, decorations, for ever - they are applied at the end of the alloted grooming time, left on for the judging and the photo-ops and then the dogs are bathed to remove the water based glues that are used. Most groomers use Elmers. The same stuff your kindergartener takes with him the first day of school. Washes out easily with shampoo and water.
Third - When I owned a couple of grooming shops two of my employees did creative grooming competitions. Those dogs would jump on the grooming table at any and every opportunity. They knew that they would be made beautiful. When they were groomed they would go out front so as clients could admire them. There was absolutely no coercion. Imagine trying to force a dog that large to do something it hated... over and over again. LOL
This is just cruel. Professionals may do this but dogs like to play and be loved, not adorned and made to look like other animals or whatever some of them are made to look like. Can you imagine how long the dogs had to suffer and be still for this foolishness? Get a life. I agree with Chris, take up a hobby that doesn't inflict cruelty on your pets!
I'm sure the dogs love the attention. My dogs hate taking a bath, but when I'm done they run around the house like they are King and Queen. I think this is so cute and so innovative. I would much rather see a pampered pet then one that has been abused.
I agree that it is not right at all. The dye could hard the dogs and it is just wrong. Someone commented that it is almost worse than butting clothes on your dog.... i agree unless the clothing is helpful to the dog. My Italian Greyhound wears a sweater in the winter because not only is he dose not retain heat but also he is pretty much hairless because of a condition he has. But this is not at all helpful to the dogs. At all. And think of all of the time and money spent to do something as ridiculous as this to an animal that cant even tell you if it is uncomfortable or not.