Joey Blogs: Ep. 9 - Look-alikes

June 06, 2009

I cannot believe that anyone was able to find their dog (during the quick-sniff)! I do not think that I would have been able to.

The look-alike dogs were great. This was a very hard challenge but for the most part I think that the groomers did very well. I felt real bad about Cassandra going home because it would have been Danielle if Lisa had not saved her. I did agree with what Lisa said, she saved Danielle because she was a good groomer and would be very competitive. I think I would have done the same thing. Danielle is a better groomer than Cassandra, in most cases, but my hat is off to Cassandra, with only five years under her belt she did great. Great job, Cassandra!

Now, Bill ... the winner of this challenge. He did a great job and the TV does not actually show just how good it was.

Only four remaining and three more shows.

Come visit me at www.joeyvillani.com.

Xavier Blogs: Ep. 9 - Look-alikes

You know it's too bad I wasn't with the groomers during the quick sniff challenge. My family comes from three generations of Fox Hunting ... yes, I went there ... but we love the Hound Group. Basset Hounds remind me of nothing more than elongated miniature American and English Fox Hounds. What was brilliant was Victoria Stilwell. I know we would have a bit of fun whipping untrained dog owners into shape. Spin-off maybe? The twist of trying to identify their Basset Hounds in a sea of dogs was even more brilliant. After the dust settled, Lisa won a well-deserved makeover.

So on to the challenge. Who's my doppelganger? Thank God conformation is set to one basic standard and not trying to mimic the owners. Seriously though, how many owners actually look like their pets OR is it pets that look like their owners? I know Joey had a fun time with this. This was a tough challenge for me because I love to see what the groomers can creatively achieve, but I know that is not always possible with all of their backgrounds.

Personally, I think Bill had way too much fun with this challenge. He did a great job, but wow ... he really had fun. Now, I hate to say it, but I didn't want to see Cassandra go home for this one. Her human model was really a pain in the hind-quarters. What can you do though? It's a competition and curve balls come up all the time. Spunky Chick, good luck and groom on!

Xavier
www.xavierasantiago.com

Xavier Blogs: Ep. 8 - Rescue Me

May 30, 2009

Rescue me from the abyss. During the multiple times we've been to the shelters to rescue and work on dogs, I can never stand watching them being left behind. If it were within my power to rescue them all, I would, but I can't. Watching all of the remaining competitors work on their dogs really made smile. However, what could make you smile more than fellow dog-lover and comedian, Margaret Cho? You know, I would have had a hard time calling this one, but she had no problems choosing Huber.

So, on to the challenge. After 9/11, we were faced with a challenge unlike any other since the birth of our great nation. Lives were lost. Heroes were made. And we were re-defined. Heroes such as Roselle help people everyday, not just during pinnacle events. Cleaning rescue dogs was an exceptionally challenging event. Every time these groomers meet, they try to up the ante and not being able to clean up their four-legged friends with soap and water is quite difficult. Being on the show circuit, some times you are met with challenges that prevent you from using water in the amount that you require or desire. But these groomers stepped up to meet the needs.

I have to admit that Lisa really made it difficult for me. She always does a stand-up job and she did this time as well. Seeing Huber's face when he knew he was in the bottom was a bit heart-breaking, but it was all worth it when he learned that he, himself had been rescued. Really, how can we send someone home on a day like this?

So, to all of our fans and viewers, say a prayer for our heroes who wear the uniforms, four- and two-legged alike ... and take the time to help with your local rescue.

Xavier
www.xavierasantiago.com

Doc Halligan Blogs: Ep. 8 - Rescue Me

I may be biased but this was my favorite episode so far! It was also nice for a change not to have to send anyone home. I was really touched by all of the groomers, because although it was edited out, they all got very emotional visiting the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles (spcaLA). Shelter animals can do that to you!

I have been a shelter vet for ten years now and I’m extremely proud to be part of such an amazing organization, which was started in 1877, whose mission statement is to be a voice for the animals. Every year, roughly 4 million animals are euthanized in our county because there are not enough homes, so please check out your local shelters because I can guarantee you there are some wonderful four-legged creatures just waiting for someone to take them home and become your friend for life.

I also want to take the opportunity to clear up a huge misconception with regards to donations. I think it can best be clarified if I quote my boss Madeline Bernstein, who is the president of spcaLA and said in a statement from this past April regarding an aggressively targeted Los Angeles marketing campaign from the ASPCA in New York. “There are many who mistakenly believe that aspca is an umbrella organization that channels funds to spcas across the country. This has never been the case and spcas all over the United States have to work constantly to make this clear. This is a matter of survival. Without funds, spcaLA and other spcas would not be able to serve the communities which they represent. The recent series of television commercials focusing on shelter animals is particularly successful in diverting funds from your spcaLA and other spcas in the surrounding area. Such national advertising can be misleading to the donors who often generously give under the impression that the funds will return to their home state or community, as is the case for many national charity models. But again, there is no national spca that distributes donations. Sadly, local animals are simply deprived of these funds.”

So if you really want to help animals in your community seek out your local spca. Please help spread the word to other pet lovers because in these hard economic times, non-profit agencies like the spcaLA are funded solely by donations and all of them have been hit hard due to the economy. Plus, there has been a 30% increase in animals being turned into the shelters across the country.

These shelter animals deserve a second chance at life and by volunteering or donating you can really make a big difference. If you want to follow the spcaLA you can do so on Twitter or Myspace and be sure to visit our website at www.spcaLA.com!

And kudos to all the two- and four-legged rescue workers who have made such a difference and have such a demanding job both physically and emotionally! It was truly an honor to work with Michael and hear his amazing story. Okay, I am getting emotional again so I will end with that but will talk with you all next week!

Thanks so much!

Doc Halligan
Director of Veterinary Services
spcaLA

Joey Blogs: Ep. 8 - Rescue Me

What's up people?  The first thing I want to mention, which is bigger than me or this show, is the amount of pets in the shelters today. If you or someone you know wants a dog, cat or even a bird ... go to your local shelter, these pets need us to live a happy life. If you cannot adopt but you have a little time on your hands you can even try to donate your time helping at your local shelter.

The quick sniff: there is not much to say, these groomers did the best and most humane thing they could have done and there were no winners or losers in my eyes. I will say that my favorite part was when Huber's dog came out of his depression and opened up.

The elimination challenge was great for me. This is all about what my products were designed for, waterless shampoo, odor eliminator and cologne. So I really wanted to see how the groomers would do. I think most of them did not do too well, they needed to use the waterless shampoo heavy, towel dry, apply a lot of corn starch to absorb everything left behind and than a lot of brushing, that's it. Lisa really did great and her dog showed it. Now how can you send someone home on such a good note? Not even the tin man, Xavier could do that! Great job groomers!

Hey, check out my pictures at http://jargapix.zenfolio.com/joey_villani and tell me which ones you like best at www.joeyvillani.com

That's It!

Joey

Joey Blogs: Ep. 7 - Piggies

May 23, 2009

Well here I am, twisted steel and sex appeal, Dr. finally got it right!

On the quick sniff, I've never worked with pigs since I live five miles from Manhattan so I was amazed that they were so dog-like and lovable. I will be the first to say when I am out of my element so that is why I will not comment on the quick sniff but I will say I think all the groomers did great.

Now, how comfortable do you think I was being an overweight judge on a slimming challenge? And what could have been better than a fat dog named Joey? This really was a hard challenge because as a groomer, you rely on the dog's coat to help you create a good groom and some of these dogs did not have the best coats to make a great change. So as a judge, when a dog does not have the coat, I need to watch the groomer do their thing and at least try to make the dog look slimmer without making the big mistake of over-trimming ... a little can go a long way.

The cut always needs to look good and that is why Huber was safe. His trim was not very slimming but it was not done poorly. As much as I liked Lisa's dog, I actually voted for Bill in this challenge but was out voted. Cassandra's dog did look worse than Marco's but her degree of difficulty was far greater than his. Marco should have breezed through this one but was not able to pull it off. We all have bad days and this was Marco's. That's it for this week but visit me and my world wide official launch of Dogs In Style at www.joeyvillani.com .

Xavier Blogs: Ep. 7 - Piggies

Well, it looks like it's time shed some unwanted fat from the remaining contestants. And that's when things got interesting. When they carted off the groomers to a pot-bellied pig ranch, I couldn't stop laughing. A little known fact is that I am just as comfortable on a farm, as I am in the city. Having worked on clippering (is that actually a verb now?) a horse, I am sure I would have had a fun go at the pigs. They can be right stubborn with you, but they are highly intelligent. Some people have started using them as assistance animals, but that's a different program.

Watching the groomers struggle to bathe and clip the pigs was hysterical. Part of me wanted to see one of the groomers take a dive into the mud. When the suds were wicked away and the pigs were squeaky clean, it was Marco and Lisa who won. And what did they win? A training session in kick-boxing (they should come to my dojo, now there is an idea). Hmmm, what to make of the comments during their training session? In any case, after their kick-boxing session, they got down to grooming.

In this challenge, the groomers had to remove some unwanted pounds from their four-legged clients. The fun part was that Marco and Lisa got to take away 15 minutes from a competitor of their choosing. Lisa hit Huber and Marco got Cassandra. Talk about some rivalry. I don't know what it was, but Huber didn't seem to be as fazed as Cassandra was. Life always throws you challenges. A dog jumps into a puddle 10 minutes before ring time; someone steals your grooming bag; the dog just doesn't want to be touched: all challenges. And we all define ourselves by the way we react. Huber seemed to find his zen moment and worked away, while Cassandra let it get the best of her. She did have a bigger dog, but I think if she had just focused and centered herself a bit more, she could have truly stepped above and beyond her own expectations and ours.

Marco on the other hand, well, I am going to side with Joey on this one and reiterate that it was a grooming Titanic. It isn't always how bad you perform, but who performs worse and in this case Marco missed the mark. Yet one thing I do want to say is that Marco is obviously a competent groomer and savvy business man. At his age, to have the success he has garnered is impressive. But, like a dog show, you can be Best in Show one day and dumped the next.  And that's what happens when you compete. Good luck to everyone on the next round!

Xavier
www.xavierasantiago.com

Doc Halligan Blogs: Ep. 7 - Piggies

Okay, I have a fondness for pot-bellied pigs so I thoroughly enjoyed watching them get cleaned up! Congratulations to Lisa and Marco as it did seem their pig was a handful and yet Kelly, who was judging them, said she felt like she could eat off that pig.

I didn’t like the cross-eyed comment made by Lisa as it seemed kind of mean-spirited to Xavier. Bottom line is whether you like us or not, we are all highly qualified to judge on this show and we always take it very seriously as far as who we are going to send home. What you see on TV is edited a certain way and yet a lot is often left out, because of time, that would show you more insight as to our thought process as far as judging goes.

I was really glad that the topic of obesity in pets was addressed. Over 40% of all cats and dogs these days are overweight so it has kind of become an epidemic mirroring what is happening with children and adults in our society. Obesity leads to a host of medical problems for pets while shortening their life span and increasing their vet bills. It was so sad to watch those poor dogs have to carry that extra load and to think what all that extra fat is doing to their hearts and limbs. Obesity is 100% preventable in pets, that is unless your pet can open the fridge and sneak late night sandwiches!

I liked the concept of anatomy grooming and was really impressed with both Lisa and Bill. Lisa made her dog, Jennifer, look slimmer and Bill definitely took a few pounds off his dog, Joey. I felt bad for Cassandra because I have never called her dumb, nor would I, so I was not sure where her insecurity was coming from. I actually think she is a talented groomer and was sorry to see her in the bottom two AGAIN. I think she let the fact that Marco picked her to lose 15 minutes of grooming time to get back at her affected her ability to groom Shadow properly.

Marco focused too much on payback and not enough attention to what we were judging them on, which was their ability to use their grooming tools to make the pet look leaner and give them a flattering look. I like the fact that Huber, who Lisa feels is her biggest threat, took losing the 15 minutes of grooming in stride. He has a winning attitude and it shows!

Next week’s episode will be my favorite because it was filmed at the shelter that I work at! YEAH!! Becoming a shelter vet has literally changed my life and given me a good project to focus on and that is to help reduce the number of animals that get euthanized in shelters from 4 million to zero. With that said, get ready to have Kleenex because I am sure it will be a tear jerker.

Doc Halligan
Director of Veterinary Services
SPCALA
“Rescue a pet, save a life!”

Doc Halligan Blogs: Ep. 6 - Old Dog, New Tricks

May 16, 2009

Lots of feelings got hurt with Cassandra and Vanessa both throwing Marco under the bus last week! I think I would be mad too, so let’s see if Marco steps up his game. I have to mention Nemo’s argyle sweater with hearts, sad to say but I think he has a better wardrobe than me. (Click here to rate Nemo's wardrobe!)

I loved the quick sniff challenge with the groomers teaching children how to groom on yarn dogs and old pro, Joey Villani, was quick to stress safety first. I wish we could have seen more of Joey interacting with the students and groomers. Bill won this challenge and what a win, because it gave him full immunity during the judging, which proved to be crucial for him this go around.

I have a special place in my heart for senior dogs because my chocolate Labrador, Duke, had a pacemaker put in when he was 12 years old. He lived another 15 months and I cherished every minute. If you’re lucky enough to take care of a senior dog, it can turn out to be some of the most cherished times with your pet.

I also loved the fact that all these dogs were rescue dogs in addition to being "sophisticated" as Joey called it! We were judging the groomers on their ability to make the dogs look younger and their ability to relate to senior dogs. The problem with Vanessa was that both Joey and I had no problem handling Skyler so we were somewhat perplexed that Vanessa had such a hard time grooming him. Vanessa chalked it up to her spirit guides not being available that day, but no matter what the situation, she was definitely ineffective with the challenge.

Kudos to both Danielle, for winning runner-up, and Huber for Best in Show of the night. I think both of these groomers demonstrate over and over their love of animals and I think the dogs pick up on it and that makes for a winning combination with their amazing grooming skills.

Janice Dickinson was wonderful to work with even though she has somewhat of a tough reputation. Her love of dogs and people was clearly evident. I even got emotional when she asked to give Cassandra a hug, I thought that was very compassionate!  Animals bring out the best in you if you let them.

Next week will be very entertaining with the pigs and the ensuing feud between Cassandra and Marco. I am sure he feels "one down and one to go!"

Submit your vet questions to me at Virtual Vet and I'll talk to you next week.

Doc Halligan
“Rescue a pet, save a life!”
www.dochalligan.com

Joey Blogs: Ep. 6 - Old Dog, New Tricks

It's week six and it's going by fast. How could I not love this quick sniff? I'm in it a lot! These guys all did great, but the two stand-outs were Bill and Huber. What made my final decision was that Bill had to teach a left-hander how to scissor when he is a rightie and couldn't touch the dog. That's a really hard challenge if you've never done it before. Great job, Bill.

Now the elimination challenge. Danielle and Huber did a great job handling and grooming these older dogs (the edge going to Huber), matter of fact, the groomers all did a great job with handling but not all did good grooming.

Cassandra and Vanessa were in the bottom for two different reasons. Cassandra, who impresses me with the short time she has been grooming, seemed to be overwhelmed with this dog which made for an incomplete job. Her handling was great and if I had an older dog, I would go to her.

Vanessa, on the other hand, just could not bond with this dog and for some reason could never just get in the groove and that is why I think she needed to go home. You always need to at least seem to be in control even when you are not.

Janice Dickinson was great and a lot of fun. Well, THAT'S IT for this week. Come check me out on joeyvillani.com or nashacademy.com.

Joey