‘I used to work in a shop where they played it over and over again for the kids and I never got bored of it.
‘I love Christmas as well and now Ira is part of the decorations.
‘I love getting into the spirit of it.
‘A lot of people laugh when they see him and it definitely makes them smile and Ira loves the attention he gets.’
The design took two hours, involving airbrushing Buddy’s hat and collar and using small paintbrushes for the details of his face.‘I trimmed the hair down because it’s easier to dye when there’s less fur,’ said Nicole.
‘I cut out the shapes of the hat, face and neck collar then applied the dye.
‘I let him have a break while it dries then I come back and airbrush to sharpen any colours that haven’t turned out exactly how I wanted them and more scissoring to make it look nice and crisp.
Make your own flea shampoo. 1 cup Dawn, 1 cup vinegar, and 1 quart of warm water. Massage in and let it sit for five minutes. According to one testimonial, "The fleas just floated in the water and died and best of all little Libby did not have any reactions at all to the process."
‘He’s so good and he stays still all that time.’
This isn’t the first time Nicole has gone for an out-there grooming job.
She started creative grooming seven years ago, competing in contests with her squad of dogs: Labrador mix, Abe, eight, Pitbull-Dalmatian mix, Sofia, nine, and poodle, Sprockett, 11 months. Nicole, from New York, said: ‘I’ve always loved dogs and always wanted a career with animals.‘I originally wanted to be a trainer but I got a job as a groomer and I’ve always been quite artistic.
‘I fell in love with it and Ira absolutely loves been groomed.
‘He hates it when he isn’t being touched by someone.
‘He just wants to be petted and constantly playing with the other dogs.’
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