Sub Zero Weather and Dog Grooming

 

So given how awfully cold it has been here in Illinois and my new little corner of Lake in the Hills, I thought I would write a post just letting everyone know about the immense work it takes to keep these dog grooming vans going during these winters.

Our mobile dog grooming vans are kept outside in the driveway. We’re a mom and pop operation and after we pay for expenses and make sure we pay our groomers a live-able wage, there’s not much money left at the end of the month so we cannot afford to have some large garage to put them in to keep them warm, we don’t mind and it isn’t a big deal most of the time, but when it is super cold like it has been, it does cause some problems.

In this cold, the fresh water hoses freeze in the time it takes us to bring them from inside a warm house and hook them up. We use heat guns and blow dryers to allow us to turn the water on from the house, to clear ice that builds up in the fresh water inlet pipe. Some evenings it will be 8 or 9pm and we will be outside in sub zero temperatures trying to unfreeze the grey water tank valve so we can empty our dirty water for the day. Me and my husband often get up extra early to clear off snow, salt any ice build up, chip ice off of the windshields , start the vans and warm them up or sometimes to keep trying to get the vans filled after we weren’t able to the night before. The extension cords that we bring outside so we can plug in the heat gun to melt ice will freeze into position prohibiting us from coiling them back up properly, we have to drag them inside to warm them up. This takes place about every morning and night.

We made sure we paid extra to get the top of the line grooming vans for the convenience and comfort of everyone- so I am glad we have furnaces on the vans to keep the insides warm. Depending on how cold it is, we will use up 30 gallons of propane in a matter of a few days trying to keep the vans warm enough during the night. Sometimes they run out of propane in the middle of the night and we wake up to a frozen van. Water pipes freeze in no-time when it is this cold.

Many of you know Tori, well she got a flat in one of the vans yesterday, so my husband went to the appointment she was at and changed the tire out in 4 degree weather so she could continue with her day.

These groomers get here early to help make sure the vans are ready to go, they stay late with us trying to get vans filled in this frigid cold and they show real dedication to us, to you and to their craft, so be sure to thank them when you see them next.

Given the number of problems this sort of weather causes, I am very grateful and proud that we have had as little hiccups as possible in our scheduling of our clients. You all have come to rightfully expect prompt service and that’s what we try for every single day. To those of you we have had to rescheule at all this winter, I want to say thank you for the good grace and understanding you have shown. Having to reschedule appointments certainly isn’t the norm and we have no reason to expect you will have interruptions with your service – I just wanted to share with you all amount of effort that goes into being the greatest mobile groomers in Illinois.

Thank you all again and here’s wishing every one of you a safe and happy 2018!