Articles by Ryans Pet

Janelle Russell is the owner of Chateau 4 Paws Pet Spa, located in Fayetteville GA. 12 years ago Janelle opened her shop and is still going strong today! Last year, Janelle made her publishing debut with her book, "How I Make Six Figures Playing with Dog Hair." In her book, Janelle highlights how she started her journey in the Pet Industry and how she created a path to lead her to optimize work life balance, while maintaining success. We caught up with Janelle to see if she'd drop some gems for her fellow grooming community and here's what she had to say.

I?d been grooming three years before I came across my first Doodle, it was being called a ?Boxerdoodle.? I passed judgement until we met. She had a Boxer?s face and body structure with long, wired hair and was loving. Next thing I knew, it was the Goldendoodle and then the Labradoodle. They quickly started to take over the schedule, and I was starting to become burnt out by doing so many. I knew I had to figure out just how to deal with their behavior and different coat textures. I could?ve become angry at the breeders, or pet parents for not researching and training their pets, but I decided to embrace them.

In honor of the iGroom product line coming to Ryan?s Pet Supplies, we wanted to get to know the impressive groomer that started it all: Jennifer Lee. Jennifer started competing in grooming competitions in 2005 and has since won close to 100 competition awards.

Here at Ryan?s Pet Supplies, each March we celebrate Groomer Appreciation. What better way to appreciate groomers than to introduce our 2021 Ryan?s Pet Supplies Brand Ambassadors? Each of these groomers is unique in their own amazing way and we are so excited to collaborate with them.

At Ryan?s Pet Supplies, it is our mission to take care of people who take care of pets. We truly enjoy taking care of our customers, their pets, and helping in anyway possible. We would say that?s why it makes Ryan?s such a great place to work! We really stand behind our morals and our mission statement. Throughout the end of 2021, we focused on several causes that we?d like to share with you including Adopt-a-Dog Month, our #RyansHappyHowlidays Campaign, and the #BettyWhiteChallenge.

Groomers, start saying yes. To trying new things. To continuing your education. To self-care. To encouraging others. Say yes to Grooming!

You did it! Congratulations on making it another year as a small business owner! As we head into 2022, now is a good time to reflect on your business' progress over 2021 and plan how you want it to move forward in 2022. Are you wanting increased success in the new year or more opportunities to enjoy the success you've achieved? Since 2022 adds up to six, here are six of my personal business New Year?s Resolutions for my small business owners!

I was content to live in my grooming comfort bubble and stick to what my mentor taught me. Same grooms, same tools, same results. But when the realization dawned on me that grooming wasn?t just a job, but a passion, my whole mindset changed and I sought to better myself in any way that I could. Reflecting on my career so far, it has become clear to me that the best options for bettering your grooming is to make investments in two major areas: your body and your mind. In my first blog, I?ll convey what it means to invest in your body. I like to break this into three important categories: Ergonomics, tool/product improvement, and physical self-care.

The first few years of my grooming career were spent working in salons. Needless to say, there were many distractions that made the grooming experience stressful and, in some cases, dangerous. The phone was constantly ringing off the hook, customers were coming in and out throughout the day and there were 15-25 dogs being taken in at once, stored in cages all day while waiting to be serviced. While I am thankful for everything being in a salon taught me and prepared me for, leaving the salon life was the best decision I made for this career as it has given me a new appreciation for what I do.

A year ago, I adopted Dakota. She is a Pomeranian and Husky mix. At the age of three years old, she was surrendered to a local rescue. When I saw her image on the rescue?s site, I knew I needed to adopt her. She was showing your typical signs of stress, lowering her body, wide whale eyes, tail tucked, panting, and ears pinned back. At that time, I was in the animal care field for six years and knew how to read body language.