Jean Balducci”™s life has gone to the dogs, and she couldn”™t be happier.
Ownership of The Golden Dog Grooming Salon & Spa in Wappingers Falls is a midlife career for the veteran newspaper advertising manager, who left the field six years ago and decided to pursue her childhood dream.
“I grew up with shepherds and shepherd mixes that I rescued,” she says. “I had a cat who lived for 18 years and another who made it to age 22.”
- Owner of The Golden Dog Grooming Salon & Spa in Wappingers Falls, Jean Balducci cozies up to a fashionable cavapoochon, one of a popular mixed breed of large and small canines.
Raised in Wappingers Falls and graduated from John Jay High School, Balducci earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the New York Institute of Technology.
In preparation for her present career, she enrolled at the New York School of Dog Grooming in Manhattan, earning a grooming certificate. She has been designated a master dog groomer.
Her 10 employees share her devotion to dogs and cats that the business serves. In addition to grooming, the business, at The Castle, 1090 Route 376, offers dog day care in which dogs go for walks and play together. Asked about day care for cats, she says, “We don”™t do cat day care. They are more comfortable at home.
“We will probably never be hand models,” she says of herself and her team. “On occasion we do get scratched or bitten. For really hard-to-groom animals, we request a veterinarian”™s prescription for a sedative.
“Dogs can weigh over 100 pounds. Try to get one into the tub that doesn”™t want to go. They can bark the entire time that they”™re here, and if it”™s high pitched we sometimes refer to it as singing.”
But, it”™s all in a day”™s work, Balducci says, further commenting on the challenges of grooming. “It takes approximately an hour and a half to groom a dog; if matted, it takes a lot longer,” she says. They usually don”™t sit still, so it”™s a challenge to have a beautifully groomed dog at the end of the process.
“Dogs can poop and pee, so we have to clean up and rewash the dog. They can”™t raise their paw and ask to use the rest room.
“Then there is the occasional skunk emergency. That smell can stay with us the entire day.”
During the eight- to12-hour days, attendants may be confronted with double-coated dogs, shedding dogs and dogs overdue for grooming. “When you blow out their coats, you can suddenly have hair in your mouth, eyes and everywhere,” Balducci says.
Then there are the human challenges. “We will have a husband drop off a dog and wants the dog shaved short, and the wife will call with specific instructions to keep it long,” she says.
The salon owner has seen an evolution in dog fashions over the years. “Some people are opting for smaller dogs,” she says. “By mixing small with larger breeds, they get the attributes of the big dog without the size.” The cavapoochon, she says, is a combination of King Charles cavalier, bichon and miniature poodle; the schnoodle, schnauzer and miniature poodle; the Labradoodle, Labrador retriever and standard poodle; golden doodle, golden retriever and standard poodle.
“The poodles are favored in mixed breeds because they are very smart, do not shed and are considered hypoallergenic for people who have allergies to dogs.
Fashions are also changing in dog names. Gone are traditional canine monikers like Rex, Spot, Lassie and Princess. “People are giving more thought to canines”™ names,” Balducci says. “Dogs today can be named for favorite flowers, an athlete, a place with happy memories.”
Future plans for the salon include establishment of a boutique offering such assorted dog articles as collars and sweaters.
Challenging Careers focuses on the exciting and unusual business lives of Hudson Valley residents. Comments or suggestions may be emailed to Catherine Portman-Laux at cplaux@optonline.net.
