The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Back Alley Groomer offers dogs show styles
The Back Alley Groomer, which is the Oberlin branch of The Paw Print animal grooming service, sets itself apart with its specialty dog show grooming techniques.
“We have a little place here in the back of the glass art studio ( Verite Stained Glass, 11 S. Main St.) and business has been very good,” said Anne Deliman, owner and groomer for The Paw Print. “With the COVID shutdown, we really didn’t get off the ground here in Oberlin, but we are going well and it helps that I see kind of one dog at a time.”
Deliman said she was one of the first in the area to do mobile grooming.
“I’ve been grooming for almost 30 years, but this place is new,” she said. “I started in Northeast Ohio. I was one of the people that started mobile grooming.
“In 1993, I was the main mobile groomer on the west side of Cleveland. It was pretty cool being a pioneer in that.
“Once I started that, I never looked back. Now, I live permanently in McConnelsville, in southeast Ohio, where I have The Paw Print studio. I’m from here (Avon Lake), so I still do house calls in the area.
“That is something I had to stop for the time being with the COVID thing. So, that business now comes to me here at the Back Alley Groomer. I was coming up once a week for house calls, and now I do it here.”
Deliman specializes in smaller dogs and cats.
“I only groom dogs up to 30 pounds,” she said. “I do interesting coat care; I hand strip coats.
“Hand stripping is for hard-coated terriers; some dogs that are sporting dogs with fluffy coats, I can actually tame that coat without cutting it. It’s kind of advanced show dog stuff. Show dogs are groomed to a described breed standard.
“Showing is about displaying your dog’s appropriateness to reproduce.
That’s the purpose of showing. I also work really well with cats. Some folks feel they aren’t easy to get along with, but I do a great job with cats.”
Deliman said she separates herself from competitors with treatment of the dogs that come in.
“This is not a kennel,” she said. “People who own the
dogs, they stay here or go to lunch in the area, and the dog is done in an hour to an hour and half; no one handles the animals except me.
“I’ve never been afraid that what I’m doing is anything that is inappropriate or unacceptable when grooming a dog. Which is why owners can stay and see the grooming process if that makes them feel more comfortable.
“The actual grooming skills and tools that I use are very advanced. I use clipper racks, so the blades never get hot. I use cool, high-velocity dryers. I buy equipment that is in topnotch shape. It’s a personal thing for me.”
Deliman said her grooming service has an exclusive feel.
“I think it’s the exclusivity of your dog being handled by one person,” she said. “There is an exclusivity with that, and that’s by design.
“Every dog I see, I need to be prepared for. I do a good job with dogs that are labeled aggressive. I use virtually no restraints. I don’t use muzzles. It’s a real calm environment.”