If you love pets, why not be in a business that you can be passionate about as well as one with significant financial opportunities?

Here is a little background information on the rapidly growing pet industry:

·      There are over 77 million dogs in the US 
·      Busy lifestyles create a high demand for mobile pet services.
·      The aging population seeks in-home convenience for their pets.
·      The pet market now exceeds $50 billion.
·      Pet health & services is the fastest growing segment in the pet market.

Zoomin Groomin offers a cluster of Pet Services:

·      Mobile pet spa service in our customized vehicles
·      Pet grooming in-home using portable systems
·      Removing pet hair, dirt & dander from furniture, pet bedding & rugs
·      Dog walking/sitting at participating locations    

Are we the Right Fit?

·      Are you Dedicated?
·      Do you love pets?
·      Do you have good people skills?
·      Are you conscientious and reliable?
·      Are you motivated to work hard now in order to have a better future?
·      Do you give up when the going gets rough?
·      Do you have the enthusiasm necessary to start your own business, which can give you more financial freedom?

If you think a Zoomin Groomin franchise may be right for you, request more information by visiting 
http://www.zoomingroomin.com/pet-franchise-info-3.html

March 20th is the first day of Spring, bringing with it longer days, warmer (we hope) temperatures and Spring flowers. 

With Easter around the corner, it's important to note that Lilies are highly toxic to cats.  The leaves, pollen and flower of lily plants can make your cat extremely sick and can even be fatal.  Some signs of lily toxicity are loss of appetite, vomiting, lethargy and liver failure. 

According to the ASPCA, some varieties of lilies are also toxic to dogs and include lily of the valley, calla lily, peace lily or palm lily (which is the houseplant Dracaena).  Dogs who have ingested these lilies may experience stomach upset, tremors and depression.

A few other popular Spring blooms are also dangerous.  These include Daffodils (otherwise known as paper whites, narcissus or jonquils), Tulips and Azaleas.  Daffodils and Tulips contain poisonous alkaloids that can cause drooling, intense vomiting, convulsions, diarrhea and heart problems.  If the leaves of the Azaleas are ingested, they can cause loss of appetite, stomach upset, weakness, leg paralysis, central nervous system depression, cardiovascular collapse and death.

If you suspect your pet has plant/flower toxicity, seek immediate veterinary attention.

Pay careful attention to the type of plants/flowers you bring indoors or plant outside.  There are a number of attractive plants that are non-toxic to pets.  Consider African Violet, Rose, Begonia or Easter Daisy, to name just a few.

We are very excited to announce that Zoomin Groomin Palm Bay has reached a significant milestone!  ZG Palm Bay has been in business for only 18 months and has just served their 1,000th new customer.

Cathy Evans, who is our Palm Bay Franchise Owner, caters to pet parents with head groomer, Pat White.  They were nominated for Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce’s "2012 Business Champion of the Year" Award.

Perhaps you have already met Cathy and her team?  They participate in many community outreach events including: Bark in the Park for the Central Brevard Humane Society; Purina's Adopt-A-Thon; Whiskers, Wags & Wine for a benefit for the Central Brevard Humane Society; Paws in the Park and Paws on the Pier for the Central Brevard Humane Society.

Cathy is our first franchisee to attain this scale this quickly and we congratulate her!

NOW HIRING

Due to rapid growth, all of our locations are hiring additional staff.  Groomers, assistants, dog walkers and pet sitters who are interested in applying should visit our Pet Jobs section on ZoominGroomin.com.

Bathe, trim and beautify! The holidays are an exciting time of year for us because we get to primp and pamper our pet clients more than ever.  A number of our clients will request a special haircut for their pets or provide us with beautiful bows or neckerchiefs with which to adorn them. 

Having the holiday family photo taken?  Be sure to book your grooming session ahead of time, so we can have your pet ready for her/his close-up!

We love that our pets participate in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays - from joining us on the neighborhood Christmas stroll to alerting us of all the UPS gift deliveries and "supervising" the delectable treats we're cooking-up in the kitchen.

And of course…curling up with us in front of the fireplace.  There is no place like home when you're with your best buddy.

The holidays are all about giving.  A tasty treat or a new squeak toy will certainly be appreciated, but the best gifts you can give your pet are your love and attention.

With the New Year fast approaching, we'd like to take this opportunity to tell all of our pets and pet parents how much we value you and thank you for your continued patronage.  We look forward to serving you in the coming year.

Wishing you health and happiness this holiday season from all of your friends at Zoomin Groomin!

Grooming your pet is good for both you and your pet. We've compiled a list of "Top 10" reasons why:

1.  Daily grooming with a brush or comb keeps your pet's coat in tip-top, shiny shape.  Whether they have a long or short coat - they'll look gorgeous.

2.  Daily brushing and combing eliminates tangled, matted fur that can further trap dirt and oil, which can increase odor, irritate the skin and potentially cause dermatological and bacteria related problems.

3.  When you brush your pet, the natural oils are distributed evenly, which helps keep the skin moisturized and eliminate flaking.

4.  Bathing your pet with a gentle cleanser at least once a month gets rid of all the dirt and excess oil that goes beyond brushing.  For breeds with a lot of wrinkles, it's especially important to clean the folds with a damp cloth on a regular basis (more frequently than once a month) to prevent bacteria build-up and potential infection.

5. Trimming your pet's nails every two to four weeks helps your pet maintain his/her mobility.  A cat's long nails can get caught on upholstery or become painfully ingrown.  Long nails on dogs can cause the toes to splay as well as cause foot strain, infection or even deformity. 

6.  Daily brushing or combing ensures that fleas, ticks and other parasites will be spotted and eliminated immediately.

7.  Brushing = Bonding.  Even if your pet visits a groomer on a regular basis, gentle daily brushing helps to strengthen the bond between pet parent and pet.  Cats included.

8.  The better to see, hear and smile at you!  Daily grooming gives pet parents the opportunity to do a quick daily check-up of the eyes, ears and teeth.  The eyes should be clear with no milky discharge or cloudiness; the ears should be odorless and wax-free.  Teeth should be checked for signs of decay and brushed daily (if possible).

9.  Grooming helps minimize those "dust bunnies" around the house.  Pets shed constantly and more heavily in the warmer weather.  Daily bushing removes excess hair which otherwise would be shed everywhere else.

10.  Grooming is love.  

How will your pet celebrate Halloween?  Like many pet parents, we delight in selecting costumes for our dogs that suit their personalities.  From the warlock costume worn by our Weiner-dog who keeps visitors spellbound with his tricks, to the black and white striped convict costume worn by our mischief-making Staffordshire Terrier - our pet costumes make a statement!

Halloween is overwhelming on the senses for many humans…imagine all the new and strange sights, sounds and scents that your pet pal experiences!  Here are a few tips for a "spooktacular" evening:

Take extra care when opening the door to trick-or-treaters if your dog is an escape artist.  You may want to keep your dog on a lead and ask him/her to sit nicely each time the door opens.  The lead should keep him/her from darting out the door or knocking down small children in his/her excitement.  Halloween is a holiday of treats, so you may even want to reward your pup's good behavior with a tasty treat after each costumed visitor. 

Halloween candy is delicious and your dog thinks so too.  But candy, in particular chocolate, is NOT good for dogs.  In fact, chocolate is poisonous to dogs and can lead to death if enough is consumed.   Hyperactivity is one of the early signs that a dog has consumed a toxic amount of chocolate.  Other early symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, and these may not exhibit immediately, but the following day.  If your dog consumed chocolate, seek immediate emergency veterinary care.

Anxious or nervous pets need special attention.  Pet anxiety can cause undesirable behaviors such as barking, chewing, clawing and the general ruin of furniture.  It can be helpful to remove your dog from the situation entirely and keep him/her away from all the trick-or-treat action.  If you're looking for special products to help with this problem, learn more about Calming XL for Dogs or check out one of the newest products on the market - the Thundershirt, which is similar to a coat for your dog, yet exerts gentle pressure to calm him or her.

Have a Happy & Safe HOWLoween!

We are often asked if it is really necessary to bathe a cat.

Did you know that allergy to cats is extremely common, occurring in up to 25 percent of people with allergies. Cat allergy is more common than allergy to dogs, which may be related to the potency of cat hair and dander as an allergen as well as the fact that cats are not generally bathed.

Cats are pretty self-sufficient when it comes to cleaning themselves, however there are times when self-grooming just won’t do the trick.  Professional, consistent grooming will remove dead hair and dander and help to alleviate cat allergy.  Other reasons for bathing kitty?  She may have rolled in something that is tough to remove (such as soot, motor oil or dirt from that potted plant she just tipped over).  Or, perhaps kitty has a medical condition that limits her ability to groom herself.  It’s not an easy task to bathe a feline, especially when s/he scratches or bites, so oftentimes it is best left to a professional groomer.

Tub-Free Cleaning

Our cleaning system involves spraying a pet with an environment friendly Pure Oxygen solution as we brush him. The brush-like wand attachment then vacuums up all the cat dander, hair, dirt and odors. This system uses only about one gallon of water, and, since most of the cleaning solution is immediately vacuumed up, kitty will be mostly dry even before he is fluff dried. Most cats really love this system, since it feels just like being brushed and they never get soaking wet. Pet parents love it too, since it is more effective at removing allergens than dunking kitty in a tub of water.

Nail trims are automatically done as part of your grooming appointment, but a cat’s nails are obviously going to need to be trimmed more often than he needs bathing.  Nails should be trimmed every three to four weeks.  If you’re a cat parent, you’re probably aware of when kitty needs a nail trim simply because of the scratch factor – on your furniture, on yourself…. You get the picture.

Zoomin Groomin can help.  We do offer nail trim appointments for cats and will come to you.  And, for senior cats or cats with ailments, or particularly nervous cats or any pet who is most comfortable remaining in their own 'space', we do personal in-home grooming. 

With the “dog days of summer” almost behind us, it’s time to gear up for a new school year!

Although the term “back to school” automatically conjures up the thought of school children with backpacks, we’re referring to your pet child.

Fall is the perfect time to send your new pup, adult or senior dog “back to school” either by enrolling him in private or group training classes or teaching him at home. 

Dogs of any age have the ability to learn new commands and games.  All dogs can benefit from learning new tricks, but training a senior dog in particular can help to keep his mind sharp and enrich his world.  Think about it.  Your senior dog may not be able to get around physically as he used to, but he can mentally move around when you stimulate his mind.  And, teaching new tricks to an older dog helps to reduce the risk of doggie depression.

You can stimulate your dog’s mind through play.  These games are especially beneficial for senior dogs:

·         Kongs and Cubes filled with treats or dry food are great because your dog has to work at getting the food out.

·         Hide and seek with a favorite toy encourages your dog to find the item using his eyes or his nose (especially if the toy has a treat tucked into it).

·         Offering squeaky “nesting” toys challenges your dog to figure out how to get smaller toys out of a larger toy. 

Training your dog doesn’t have to be a chore.  It’s also not a competition to see how much and how fast your dog can learn.  If you’re teaching your dog at home, make it fun for both of you.  The key to making training stick is repetition.  We suggest checking out the wide variety of training books and websites that are available today and find out what works best for you both.

Editor Carol Bryant 

A recent survey conducted on behalf of Beneful, of U.S. adult dog owners, it was revealed that 30 percent are more likely than non-dog owners to play several times a week or more. Another two-thirds, or 61 percent, of dog owners say they most like to play with their dog more than their spouse/significant other (48 percent) and friends (37 percent).

A startling 82 percent of adults surveyed feel Americans are not experiencing enough play. To help in changing this statistics, the team at Beneful brand dog food has enlisted the assistance of Eric Stonestreet, Emmy-award winning actor of television’s Modern Family.

A contest has been created for the third annual Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. People may enter by answering the question, “If you had $500,000 to create a Dream Dog Park where you and your best buddy can play together, what would you do?” The Grand Prize winner’s idea will serve as catalyst for a $500,000 renovation of a dog park in their area. The person will also receive $10,000 cash and a year’s supply of Beneful dog food.

Dog owners can enter the contest through August 22, 2012 at the Beneful Dream Dog Park website by completing an online entry form. Entrants will be instructed to upload a photo with their dog and share a 250 word or less essay that describes what they would do if they could create a Dream Dog Park with $500,000.

Ken Wilhelm, Beneful brand director, said, “We understand the special relationship dog owners share with their best buddies and our goal is to help inspire more opportunities for them to play together in new and exciting ways. Our Dream Dog Park Contest has really resonated with dog owners across the country because it allows them to have fun dreaming up their ideal play destination and, if chosen as the Grand Prize Winner, their entry helps inspire a $500,000 gift their community will enjoy forever.”

Learn more about the contest and gain access by visiting BenefulDreamDogPark.com. Follow Twitter conversations about the contest at #DreamDogPark.