Check out this great story from Andrea Cyrill, a Learn2GroomDogs.com Member! Thank you for sharing your journey with us, and we’re happy to have helped you achieve your dream.

When Andrea Cyrill Khurana started her dog grooming career, she was one of two dog groomers in Mumbai, India. Andrea had a passion to learn and take care of dogs, but to do so, she would have to be a trailblazer for the grooming industry in India.
“Grooming doesn’t happen a lot in India,” she said. “It’s isn’t a huge industry yet.”

In 2008, she attended a grooming school in Australia to get her certification and returned to India. Initially, Andrea ran a mobile grooming van in India, and throughout her business, she refined her skills by using Paragon’s Learn2GroomDogs.com video streaming service.
Today, 12 years later, Andrea runs a grooming school, salon and boarding kennel. Andrea said that she uses Learn2GroomDogs.com videos in her classes to teach her students when appropriate for the lesson.

“I’ve been a subscriber since 2008, and I keep using it,” Andrea said. “Most of the time I use it for schooling. They just have so many fun things to watch and to learn. It’s really helpful.”

Andrea said she has a desire to grow the industry and love for dogs in her area, but the education can be difficult to get, and this is why Learn2GroomDogs.com has been a valuable resource to her personal career, her students and her business.

“It’s not easy for us to go to Australia or U.S. because of money and time constraints, there is a lot of problems we face,” She said. “I’m really grateful there is a place to go and find stuff that is relevant to us. Mellissa is doing an awesome job. It’s a godsend.”

Over the last dozen years, Andrea has seen dog grooming grow, making a positive environment for groomers to be for healthy competition but also learning off each other and bouncing ideas back and forth on new styles and ways of grooming.

“All the groomers love animals, dogs or cats,” Andrea said. “We are bound together for our love and passion for animals. We all have something in common, we all are following our hearts.” Andrea now has founded the Professional Pet Groomers Association of India (PPGAI) in order to regulate grooming standards and build up grooming in the country.

“There are many groomers now who have not gone to school for grooming,” Andrea said. “(The PPGAI is) So we can support our peers, educate our clients, support system to see this through,” she said. “We take pride in this, we educate ourselves, spend money, time and energy educating ourselves, and some people (who aren’t educated groomers) mess it up for everyone, that’s not right.”
Andrea hopes to see dog grooming expand in India, as well as see the PPGAI grow in order to ensure the dogs are safe and healthy and to continue expanding positive care for dogs across the country.

Growing up, Annette Tucker loved dogs, but also dreamed of becoming a hairdresser for women. At the age of 50, those two passions are what spurred her to make a career change into the dog grooming industry.

After spending 20 years working in 4H youth development, Annette said the stars aligned and she took the leap into an entirely new career path. She attended dog grooming school, which set her up to hit the ground running for her new grooming path.

“Some days it’s super hard work, physically hard work,” Annette said. “But the days I’m building fabulous relationships with pet parents, and the dogs are looking great and the people I work with, it’s all fulfilling.”

Annette said that the career change has been exciting and rewarding for her, however, it does come with certain challenges. She has had to face many adjustments in her grooming education, including the age differences with her colleagues.

“For me, what has been interesting and a challenge in my own mind is that a lot of people start grooming at a young age,” Annette said. “I had a full-time professional career longer than most young groomers have been alive. [We are at a] different generational level in life, which is challenging in an environment where my coworkers are significantly younger than I am.”

During her education, Annette utilized Paragon’s books to study after hours, to better refine her understanding and skills. She said that she is a lifelong learner and soaked in as much information as possible when she could.

“Learning on my own was a natural thing to do,” Annette said. “Having a resource like that has been amazing.”

After her schooling was completed, she was hired at a daycare boarding facility, becoming the sole groomer at the company for six months. She said this further drove her to learn as much as she could on her own, which is why she subscribed to Paragon’s Learn2GroomDogs.com video streaming service.

“It’s a fantastic resource that all dog groomers should continue to learn and use,” she said.

Annette also said her desire for further education stems from the importance of having a trusting relationship between a pet groomer and a pet parent. She said this is because both parent and groomer seek to give the best care possible to the dogs, and it can be scary giving a pet into a stranger’s hands for care.

“It’s really key for a parent to trust their groomer,” Annette said. “As we continue to work with the pet and their parent, we solidify what they are looking for in their pet. I’m really enjoying that component, working with the parent and their pet. We are a team of loving their pet together.”

Now, Annette works at Bark Me Beautiful Pet Grooming Inc., where she works with experienced groomers and continues her lifelong learning journey.

Learn2GroomDogs.com has also helped Annette further her education on her own and helped her prepare for certification with the National Dog Groomers Association of America in the sporting and nonsporting groups.

“I’m investing in myself and my further education as a groomer. It’s a fantastic resource that all dog groomers should continue to learn and use,” she said. “I’m fortunate to be working where I am because we all desire to be high quality for our customers.”