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ABC Grooming Center
Come visit us at our new location!
2109 Grand Central Ave,Horseheads (607) 259-1855 "Grooming Knowledge Begins With ABC's"
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A Brief History
What makes up 23 years of experience? 2006-Present Owner/Groomer-ABC Grooming Center 2003-2006 Groomer/Salon Manager-Petco Big Flats 1997-2002 Owner/Groomer-TLC Grooming Chester NY 1994-1997 Freelance Groomer of Pet & Show Dogs 1991-1994 Groomer-Pet Society Franklin NJ 1990-1991 Groomer-Pampered Pooch Morristwon NJ 1990 Instructor-North Jersey School of Dog Grooming 1985-1990 Groomer-The Grooming Room Millburn NJ 1985 Student-North Jersey School of Dog Grooming 1984-1985 Kennel Attendant/Groomer Assistant-Poodle Palace Morristown NJ
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Welcome to ABC Grooming Center!
Click to email ABC Grooming Center
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At ABC Grooming Center your pet is very important to us. This is why we place such a high standard on education and knowledge. These are two key elements in creating the ideal environment for grooming animals. ABC’s strives to educate their groomers as well as their clients. We find that the best client is an educated consumer.
The Owner, Annette Bamper, began in the grooming industry in 1984 as a Kennel Attendant/Grooming Assistant. Grooming quickly became her passion and she graduated from North Jersey School of Dog Grooming in 1985. She has worked in numerous prestigious salons in NJ as well as teaching at NJ School of Dog Grooming in 1990 and owning her own business in Chester NY from 1997-2002. Annette crossed over from pet grooming to show grooming in the early 1990's and her earliest successes were wit a family of Great Pyrenees who won BOB, BOS, BIS, with the greatest wins were at the Westminster Kennel Club show where CH Rivergroves CG Avalanche won several AOM consecutively. In 2001, a Wire Hair Dachshund she hand-stripped won the Variety at the Bucks County Show. She has groomed several breeds (Great Pyrs, WH Doxie, Toy & Std Poodles, Lhasas) for the ring as well as handling Lhasas and Poodles.
She had just begun competing in the creative grooming ring when she was involved in a car accident in 2000. Suffering a TBI, no one was sure if she would return to grooming. After running her business with a replacement groomer she sold her shop in 2002. Relocating to Elmira (after falling in love with the region in 1998 while preparing to show Lhasas) to continue her recuperation, she began getting involved with the local dog community.But, in 2003, she did in fact return to grooming as a career, and has never looked back! She has competed in several competitions at www.petgroomer.com and won placements in several categories.
Her newest venture, ABC Grooming Center is the return of a dream and is expected to be bigger and better than before! Annette has just finished training her first groomer, Chris Lewis, a local Horseheads native. Chris brings wih her a lifelong affiliation with animals and her enthusiasm is equal to Annette's! Chris is the only person locally to fully complete Annette's program so any others who represent themselves as being trained by Annette do not have her stamp of approval!
At Thanksgiving, Annette and Chris were on the front page of the Star Gazette with her two dogs in the Elmira Holiday Parade. Both boys were in the St Patricks Day Parade in Horseheads on March 11. Annette loves the creativity of creative grooming and uses it as a way to introduce people to the realm of grooming! Drop by the shop and meet Annette and learn just how much pet grooming means to her.
ABC Grooming Center is open Fri-Tues with an occasional weekend off.
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Meet my first Std Poodle, Tea L Sea's Artful Dodger C.G.C.. This picture was taken in his prime July 5, 2000. What can I say- he's a ham for the camera! Rarely in his lifetime was he in natural colour, this was the time period when I decided to show him in the show ring. Alas his heart was not in it, he was a clown in disguise! He definately prefers to be coloured! In fact he sulks if his son (Mumpitz The Joke's on You) is dyed and he isn't!
In this Picture taken in 1998 Dodger was at his most colourful! This was his Hippie stage. In his 9 years of being dyed he has been a Hippie, a patriotic Flag, Pumpkin, Unicorn, Clown and a few other experimental stages! His most public appearances were at Hershey Groom Expo in 1999 and in 2006 at the Elmira Holiday Parade! Perhaps my funnest moment was at Groom Expo when we created the Yankee Poodle Do and sang the song to the Convention Attendees!
Yankee Poodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle had a dog,
Yes it was a Poodle
Yankee's Poodle went to town,
ALooking like a shcnoodle
Yankee's Poodle needs a trim,
Yankee's Poodle's bandy
Find a groomer in a shop,
And hope their shears be handy
Found the French one in the pub,
Guess his hands were shaking
He said OOPs I made a muff,
The straight lines were not taking
Yankee's Poodle left that pub,
His anger was a raging
Found the Deutsch one in a tub,
Some bubbles he was making
Yankee's Poodle didn't learn,
A lesson from the first one
This one was a lathesman first,
A leg turn was his great fun
The messed up trim was bad enough,
What happened next was worse
A Boston party tossed the vat,
To dye King George's furs
Yankee's Poodle did appeal, "I need a groomer fair
Why is it I ask you now,
A good one is so rare?"
"Hold it there dog just a bit, "
Said Yankee Groomer true
"I'll fix you up a brand new look,
A Yankee Poodle 'do"
Yankee's Poodle wasn't sure,
Afraid of what might happen
Look at what had gone before,
The old maids jowls were flapping
That groomer took him to his shop,
And sure enough no lie
Fixed him up a brand new look,
A Poodle 'Do and Dye
Yankee's Poodle was amazed,
That groomer sure was handy
That Poodle has a brand new name,
It's Yankee Poodle Dandy
Copyright 1999-2007 Annette Bamper
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This is a before shot of CinderElla
CinderElla's pictures are in the www.petgroomer Miracle Makeover competition
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This is an after shot of CinderElla CinderElla's pictures and story won 2nd Place in the www.petgroomer.com international Miracle Makeover competition
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How Much is that Doggy in the Window?
- Pet Grooming is a very labour intensive job. It takes a special person to become a groomer. While we all love our pets, a groomer must REALLY love animals. Why else would we get soaking wet, have hair clinging to us like tar & feathers,withstand getting bit, pooped and peed on and various other discomforts? Because we LOVE our job!
- Many times an owner asks why we charge the prices we do. Believe me, most groomers provide quality services for the prices charged. I always compare grooming as the sum of all services you would get at a hair salon. We not only bathe your pet we blow it dry,trim its nails, clean its ears, shave pads of feet, trim its fur and get rid of any nasty critters it has. Not to mention expressing anal sacs, dealing with infections and a myriad of other things... Would your hair dresser do that for you?? Hmmm
- A good groomer makes grooming look effortless but it takes a lot of experience to make it look so nice and easy! Always ask a groomer for their educational background and do your research! Too many pets get traumatized by bad groomers who have not completed a decent training program or not been trained at all. Good groomers attend conventions and continue their education. Look for groomers who can prove taking an accredited groomer program, attend conventions and take continuing education classes! An educated groomer supports the idea of licensing as a way to regulate the profession and create minimal standards! Most of the horror stories reported in the news could have been prevented by these standards! Best to be safe rather than sorry.
- Most groomers love pets, that's why they stay in the profession! Sometimes, however, you run into groomers you wonder why they do it. That is why you need to educate yourself on what a good groomer is about. Questions?
- ABC would be happy to answer any questions you have!
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Meet Gizmo aka Ch Goya's Court Jester. He's the reason I moved to Elmira! When I met his mom in 1998 we were arranging for me to show him in my area of NY/NJ. I fell in love with the Elmira region and moved here to be closer to him(he lives 2 doors down from me)
Meet Mumpitz The Joke's On You "Joker" He's ready to cheer on the Ring of Chiarraghe Celtic Dancers on St Pat's Day!
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