Credentials

Hi! My name is Debbie Stover. In 1980 I moved to Houston, TX to go to work for the top professional handler in the country at the time, Michael Kemp and his very talented assistant, Scott Sommer. You will, no doubt, recognize these names from Westminster Kennel Club in NY each February as Group winners and Best in Show winners at The Garden!

I started my career in dogs as a show assistant. I learned everything I know the old fashioned way, by being an apprentice and show kennel assistant. We had anywhere from 50 -150 dogs boarding at any given time. I learned to groom show dogs first, which is very different than pet grooming. When I made the transition from show dogs to pet grooming it gave me an edge many groomers don't have. Many groomers don't have a clue what a specific breed is supposed to look like, much less how to groom it correctly! This is a real detriment to our profession and the result is that it has made us all look bad at one time or another. We plan to change that by teaching our students far more about the individual breeds than other schools do. We can do that because of the show dog experience incorporated into pet grooming which gives us an edge over other schools.

When I started grooming pets, I wanted to be the best at that too so I sought out the best groomers in Houston and went to work for them at an exclusive grooming salon near the Galleria. I honed my scissoring technique to perfection over the next few years. My talents were noticed and sought after at dog shows along with job offers from all over the place.

One of my mentors in my beloved breed used to fly me to Dallas every 6 weeks to groom all their dogs while I was still living in Houston. I hated the heat in Houston so decided to move to Dallas in 1987. I went to work for one of the first mobile grooming services in the country. After several years I decided to move to the top of the hill country and start my own mobile grooming service, Vanity Fur. During this time I designed my initial set of 6 instructional grooming videos which were produced by one of the earliest grooming/handling videos producers in the country at that time.

I designed my videos in 1992 so that anyone could learn to groom dogs professionally from home. Grooming school isn't always feasible for everyone so I came up with a great, affordable alternative so anyone could learn to groom dogs and have a great career as I have. I saw then NEED then and I see it now.

I sold my grooming van and moved back to Dallas as I really missed city life. I set up a small shop in my home and worked from home as well as for another groomer friend a few days a week. My home clientele consisted of a lot of hand stripping for various show clients. I lost my home in a devastating fire, which you may have read about in the Schnauzer issue of Dog Fancy in 2000.

Now I would rather help people who love dogs as much as I do have a fun, rewarding career by helping them sift through all the confusing stuff and get right down to what they need and don't need to learn the fine art of grooming!

After teaching for one year and successfuly graduating 23 students at another school I realized the tremendous need for a grooming school that truly teaches the real life basic grooming without sugar coating it so I wrote my curriculum based on my beliefs and was approved by the state right off the bat.

What really made my school different is that I AM a professional groomer of 30 plus years and KNOW what its like to be a groomer just starting out.

I'm going to take some time off from classes starting in January 2012 to work on my illustrated instructional ebooks and cell phone apps. Forget how to do something? Grab my ebook or app by the tail and save the day and your credibiity as a knowledgeavle groomer who can think on his/her feet.

Never fear though. I have my killer Reality Pet Grooming Home Study kit that is as direct and to the point as my classes in person are. I use my DVDs in my own school to drive the points home so you have what to do drilled into your head. If you remember these features and points you will be a safe and respected groomer.