Winter Grooming

[OnTheSpot]

This is my first winter of mobile grooming and I'm ready to move someplace warm!! How do the mobile groomers up north deal with all the snow and ice? We had a winter storm that started last Friday and I've had to cancel everything. I managed to get the van out of the driveway today but I had to cancel 3 dogs for tomorrow because I can't get into THEIR driveway. I have snow tires on the van but they don't make a difference on ice. I just saw the forecast for the beginning of next week and they are calling for more snow. So frustrating, but my house is sparkling clean :-)

[Misty]

Thats just the way it goes in the winter. When the weather is good you groom, groom, groom and when the weather is bad you get a clean house.

[Doug]

You wait,and wait,and wait and wish you were some place warmer.They do such a poor job clearing side walks and driveways here where it snows normally that it makes about as much sense as you getting snow.I use a plow and a tractor and then block off the drive way with the plow to keep people from parking here and walking to some place nearby.Other wise I would get parked in. Not much threat of any serious snow this year.Tractor is ready to go,and it waits and waits and waits some more just like you.It's not getting cleaned forget that. Spring is right around the corner.

[bow_wow_wheels]

I reschedule. There is NO sense in taking a chance on hurting yourself or someone else....or worse. Clients should understand because they're dealing with the same thing. The worst part is the havoc it causes to your schedule. This is why I always leave myself some wiggle room in the winter-you just never know what we're going to get and I'd rather be safe than sorry. I've heard ya'll are having some awful weather-ice instead of snow and lots of it YUCK!!!!!!

[Caitie]

I hated the winter grooming months in Virginia! I crashed my first mobile rig into a tree one night after the snow melted on the road and formed a sheet of ice. I was heading to my last appointment when the snow started falling but not sticking so I kept the appointment. I was following a bend in the road when I hit a patch of ice and sailed into a pine tree. That was the end of the rig and the end of my mobile grooming career up north. I have since moved to FL and I don't worry about snow and ice any more!

Don't risk your van or yourself driving in the wintery conditions, it is not worth it.

[plushpuppy]

Hey don't feel bad. I have an in home shop and we have had terrible weather in the northwest. we do not usually get snow and I have had a ton of cancellations the past few weeks because of the weather.

[Doug]

got milk

It snowed for a wopping 5 minutes today, it even stuck to the ground for another 5 minutes. I guess who ever did'nt get milk and bread is out of luck. The old people baught it all up. Dont want to get snow bound and not have any milk and toast.lol

[bow_wow_wheels]

ROFL Doug! You should see the folks in my area go nuts when there is even the vaguest hint of the threat of the possibility that maybe we might get frozen precipitation. You can't find a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk or a 6-pack of beer for 50 miles around LOL!! I remember when my Dad first retired from the USAF and we moved down here from PA/DE. I was a Sophmore in HS. One day I get up for school and start getting dressed. I go down stairs and get my breakfast ready and my Mom gets up to tell me that school has been cancelled. WHAT??? Yep, snow on the ground. Shoot, you could even see the blades of grass in the yard and the roads weren't bad at all-the trees were icy though. But being a kid I didn't understand that the people around here don't have much experience driving in the snow/sleet/freezing rain/yuck. It was in the best interest of all for the schools to close down Especailly us kids LOL!!

It snowed for a wopping 5 minutes today, it even stuck to the ground for another 5 minutes. I guess who ever did'nt get milk and bread is out of luck. The old people baught it all up. Dont want to get snow bound and not have any milk and toast.lol

[puppyluv]

I am building a garage for my van as we speak! I can't stand working on it in the cold! One more bill to pay, but when you are that much in debt with the van, whats a few more payments? lol I will be happy in the long run....

[OnTheSpot]

I'd like a garage and a flat driveway!! I was able to get out and groom yesturday, got to get as many in as I can before the snow hits again in a few days. My biggest fear in having to re-schedule clients is that they would get tired of waiting on me and go to a salon. Everyone has re-scheduled except for one that I was supposed to groom this morning. She left a message on my machine last night that she gave her dog away and needed to cancel her appointment. What!!! Give me a break, just be honest and tell me you took your dogs someplace else. Probably didn't want her business anyway if that's the kind of stuff she'll pull. Thanks for everyone's post, feeling better that I'm not the only one stuck inside.