I loved dogs from the start of my life. Although I do not remember the following incident, my mother is still around to tell this little story about my first real encounter with dogs. While walking down the city sidewalk with my grandmother and mother, I spied a mangy looking collie type dog on the sidewalk corner. Being only two years old or so and a very trusting child as all two year olds are, I broke away from my mother and ran to the dog throwing my arms around it's neck screaming, "Doggy, doggy!" The story had a happy ending as the dog was very friendly and although very unkempt, did not seem to harbor anything contagious to humans. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would become an "Animal Hairdresser" and a sheltie breeder.

YEARS LATER..... My teen years were spent in 4-H where I learned, with the help of many books, to train dogs. I developed my skills with a leash and collar to a professional level in the obedience ring competing for many years before the grooming phase entered my life.

After marriage in 1975 I began to exercise my skills as an obedience instructor for my own dog classes while at the same time raising two lovely daughters. It was at the time of my second pregnancy that I was employed by a local dog groomer as a bather and brusher.

This later turned into a learning how to groom phase too. I got into miniature poodles and groomed them at home as well as started showing in the conformation ring . Competing in dog shows is the fastest and best way to learn scissoring techniques. It was there that I really learned how to do the hard stuff.

Due to the birth of my youngest daughter, I began to experiment on my own with neighbor dogs at home as I felt that a mother needs to be with her kids as they are growing at least until they enter school. Grooming at home gave me that opportunity as well as a little spending money of my own. One thing led to another and as my grooming business grew so did my girls and soon they were off to school.

I again sought employment and landed another grooming/kennel job with another local groomer. By this time I was out of poodles and into shelties which remain my love today. I was still competing in the obedience ring. My kids were right there alongside me in the AKC  ring as well as 4-H shows and doing quite well. I began to do quite a few judging engagements, still grooming at work and doing my dog obedience classes.

As my grooming experience grew my marriage didn't and like so many middle aged women, I divorced in Feb. of 1992. My divorce made me have to get a better paying job and I quit the kennel job and moved onto a really killer job in a factory environment. As luck would have it I landed a job in a vet clinic as chief groomer in Oct. of 1993 and for seven years built up quite a good reputation. My girls grew up, married or went to college, moved out and then I met a wonderful man on the internet. On Nov. 7th., 1997 we were married in his homeland of Scotland. Luckily, he liked it here and immigrated where we hopefully will live happily ever after.

A NEW START.... As I worked at the local vet clinic, my husband and I moved up closer to our jobs and I was able to turn part of our garage into a grooming shop. I became part time groomer at the clinic and started my own thing out back in the garage. So began Country Critters Grooming. Before I knew it things picked up and I had more than I could handle. Things at the vet clinic were not going so well however and the seven years I had built up clientele and skills did not amount to much in my employer's eyes and after being the only one not receiving a raise for the year, I knew I needed a change. I went to another local clinic and was immediately contracted under my home grooming name of "Country Critters". Eighteen months later I went out on my own completely and now am grooming entirely from home.

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I bred shelties during my first marriage and started with an old line of dogs which nobody breeds anymore.  They were dogs from Babinette and Alnphil lines.  Both lines are extinct now and I stopped breeding once I divorced.  Fast forward to 2014 and due to the sudden death of two of my obedience dogs while on vacation in Vegas, I obtained a gorgeous bitch from Abbotsford kennels in Illinois.  

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When she was old enough to breed we bred her to Grand Champion Abbotsford Lochiel.  Bree gave birth to three girls and one, Gr. Champion Abbotsford Annabella Drummond received her Championship before age one.  Another received six points (one 3 pt major) before she had to be spayed suddenly.

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Sables, however, were NOT my first love and after receiving a small bi blue male from Klassical shelties in Claypool, IN and a lovely tri bitch puppy from Carlin shelties in Louisville, KY, I decided to breed all those other lovely colors.

 

As I venture into this "new era" I look back and can see that there is hope in my story of a self taught groomer and dog breeder. It was a long hard struggle to make it, but I did and I am sure there is hope for those wanting to make a career with animals. Just hang in there and keep hugging those dogs.



Audrey Blackman