A Generous Groomer Donates Haircuts to NYC Shelter Dogs to Help Get Them Adopted

Animals are my world

Mark Imhof aka Mark the Dog Guy, a compassionate New York City man who runs a full service pet grooming company, generously donates his time and his skills to the Manhattan and Brooklyn branches of Animal Care and Control to provide much need haircuts to shelter dogs in order to make them more comfortable, happier and more attractive for adoption. In an insightful post on Facebook, Imhof explained the importance of proper grooming for any animal.

A matted fur needs to be worked on to clear in order to do a cut as a clipper cannot run through matted fur. What is matted fur? Imagine tying all your hair in knots as tight to your scalp as possible so no comb could be pulled through the hair without ripping hair out. THAT is matted fur. It is very painful for a dog and quite difficult for a groomer to work though, but that is the groomer’s job to help the dog. Sometimes though, it needs to be cut off so that the dog can be styled the next time the hair grows back un-matted. One other thing noted is the condition of the skin under the fur when the brush out occurs. Wounds, warts, and other items come to light when the dog is brushed out which a responsible groomer will inform the owner immediately if necessary. Finally, a dog’s personality and demeanor can change after a grooming. A badly matted dog may be cranky, may bite a lot, and often is considered unsocial. Now, please put yourself in the position of the dog with matted hair (see story above) and imagine yourself in pain everytime you move. Would you be a pleasant person to speak with? I don’t think I would. Cleaning and grooming such a dog can increase adoptability as well as improve a dog you own to be more sociable.

image via Mark the Dog Guy