Dressed to the (ca)nines

Carol Kokkeler's appointment book the next few months reads like a section pulled out of Conde Nast Traveler.

She's off to London next week, then south to Milan. In July, Argentina.

Romantic destinations, without a doubt. And by all means she'll be making time to see the sights because she's never been to Europe before. But there's a great deal more adventure that each stamp will bring to this Boulder City businesswoman's passport.

Kokkeler is after the world's dogs.

Poodles and Bedlington terriers, to be precise. And the longer the coat, the better.

Because it's that silky curled fur that's made her famous -- and, perhaps, one of Nevada's most intriguing secrets.

Kokkeler these days carries the Stars and Stripes on her shoulders as the No. 2-rated pet groomer in America -- a prestigious title in clipping and snipping circles and one that has earned her much respect among her professional peers.

The distinction resulted from an impressive 77 points -- more than ever scored before -- that she recorded for wins and placements in styling competitions during the 1998 show season. The No. 1 groomer, Sue Zecco of Massachusetts, earned 113 points.

Most major styling events are sanctioned by Groom Team USA Inc., a nonprofit organization created in 1987 to encourage continued education, growth and a competitive spirit within the industry.

Groom Team throughout the year tracks stylists' contest points and at year's end determines the rankings. Groom Team will be paying for the top six -- Kokkeler, of course, among them -- to travel to London. She and the others will pay their own way to Italy.

"I never would have dreamed that pet styling would take me around the world," Kokkeler, 40, said. "I'm so honored to get this opportunity. I'm getting more and more excited each day."

Stylists will be tasked with taking dogs with several weeks' worth of growth and grooming them to look as close to breed standard as possible.

Unlike Westminster and other animal competitions where owners are prized for having a dog that is physically perfect according to breeding standards, groomers are tested in competitions to make a dog look as close to breed standard as possible.

Cutting techniques can make a dog whose legs are shorter than a standard breed appear to have limbs just the right length. The best of the best can make long dogs appear shorter, wider dogs look thinner and the scraggly look regal.

They are masters of optical illusion.

Kokkeler's expertise has even won her one of 30 invitations this weekend to New Jersey, where the creme de la creme of the competitive grooming world will be attending Intergroom 1999 -- the largest and most respected international conference of its kind.

"If I never go any further in," Kokkeler said, "I can look back and say, 'Gosh, this has been grand.' "

Expertise expands

The average pet owner likely knows little more about cleaning Rover's coat beyond getting his dirty paws through the grooming shop door and thanking the willing soul inside for taking the other end of the leash.

Licensing is not required, leaving open the door for just about anyone to hang up a shingle and set up shop. There are no mandatory facility inspections, regulations or tests for groomers to pass about the do's and don't's of bathing a customer's pet, turning a hot dryer in its direction or taking sharp instruments to its claws.

But as the competitive arena has grown, it's positively impacted the world of grooming.

"The industry is growing and expanding for a variety of reason," Kokkeler said. "Groomers are becoming certified, attending more seminars and, even if they're not competing, they are becoming more educated and that is raising the level of professionalism."

Groomers now are taking classes in hygiene, styling technique, animal care, equipment and business management -- a major change from years ago when shop owners got by with a tub and a shaver.

Many test for, and gain, certification -- a voluntary process available through several national grooming associations -- to distinguish themselves from the pack; others do it to continue their education.

Kokkeler's education in grooming began in Santa Monica, Calif., when she was 8, introduced to the how's and why's of brushing dogs by her stepmother, who bred and showed poodles. By 9, she had her own poodle. By 18, she had her own grooming business in Las Vegas off Stewart and Eastern avenues, which she bought for $5,000.

She learned a lot in those early years -- about people, about pets, about the challenges of being in business for yourself. After 10 years, though, she grew disillusioned, giving it all up to find her place in corporate America. She took a job with the power company she thought would make her happy.

It didn't.

What it did, though, was make her realize that she was most at home working with animals. She took a job in Boulder City working for a vet who did grooming. In 1989, she bought Hair of the Dog.

She was wandering around a dog show in Southern California about five years ago when her competitive aspirations stirred.

"I saw the competition and realized that I could do what they were doing," Kokkeler said. So she and her assistant at Hair of the Dog, Debbie Wurdock, began the process to get certification.

The National Dog Groomers Association of America's certification program required her to pass written and practical skills exams. She further distinguished herself by becoming a master groomer, passing a 400-question exam covering all of the breed groups including: sporting, nonsporting, terrier, working, toy and hound dogs; cats; anatomy; breed standards; general health; pesticides; and clippers.

"I realized while studying to pass the standard certification test how much I didn't know," Kokkeler said. "It challenged me, it interested me. There is so much to learn. I'll never know it all."

One thing's for sure, though: She's got the winning touch.

Judges in competitions around the country have awarded her top prizes for her technique and creativity with poodles and Beddlington terriers.

Photo albums capture her four-legged models of perfection, standing alongside trophies. Also are images of some of her most "colorful" success stories: a Las Vegas-themed poodle with green visor, a pair of dice trimmed into its coat and gray "vest" around its chest; another poodle with a green turtle on its back and a blue fish on its side; and her huge grand champion trophy from the Groom and Kennel Expo, held in February, in which she showed off a fluffy-coated purple poodle.

Pushing to be the best

Kokkeler's Green Valley home gleams from golden trophies and plaques, and ribbons brighten the lobby of her Hair of the Dog Grooming Salon in Boulder City. She's quick to explain, though, that the prizes are not her motivation.

She pushes herself professionally and competitively to become the best, she says, because she wants to be able to offer her clients the best the world has to offer.

"Not too many people are aware of grooming contests, or even what dogs are supposed to look like," Kokkeler said. "People will want you to cut Yorkies into Schnauzers, or shave Yorkies' feet to look like poodle's feet. But as long as it's safe for the dog, we'll do it. The customer is always right."

Most traditional grooming styles are reflective of a dog's breeding origins.

Poodles, for example, were water dogs bred to retrieve ducks. Historically, their curly coats were groomed to reduce water resistance while working, with puff-like balls of fur around the feet to increase swimming power, and on the tail to add buoyancy.

The Lakeland terrier evolved to hunt vermin in England's Lake District. Its classic long moustache is typically left long, covering powerful jaws.

Kokkeler closely cropped the coarse brown coat of an Australian terrier with the sweetest disposition named Oscar. He let loose a few grumbled barks while up on the grooming table, although it wasn't the shaver that riled him. Rather, it was a green-eyed feline caged nearby, waiting her turn to be bathed.

Traditionally Oscar's breed would be groomed by "hand stripping," a technique that would see a groomer comb through the coat with a bladed tool much like a butter knife. Shaving, as Oscar's owner prefers, is quicker.

"There are so many seniors living in Boulder City, and their pets are so very important to them," Kokkeler said. "They are members of the family, and we treat them like family."

Kokkeler's not accepting new clients these days. She has her loyal following, among them Cassie, a silky-coated Maltese, a Lhasa Apso named Silas who looks like a teddy bear once shaved, a blind dog who bites and a fluffy white Bichon Frise named B.J. whose owner keeps regular appointments to maintain a full coif.

Each gets trimmed, washed, trimmed again to soften any rough edges and then the finishing touch -- a spritz of "pearl" scent or pina colada cologne.

"The reward comes in giving the dog back a little dignity," Wurdock said. "You see a big old ugly, matted mess come in and you clean it up and let it shine."

Kokkeler's pride and joy often spend the day with mom. Tess, a black standard poodle she bought from a breeder in Ohio, is her best show dog and regally sits atop the grooming table, tolerant of any technique. Liza, an elegant white poodle with juvenile cataracts, has traveled to shows as well.

She's learned much from her own dogs. Kokkeler's decades of experience have benefited her customers as well, having helped her detect, during grooming, problems pets had quietly been suffering from, such as cysts, slipping knee caps and painful joints.

"Not all dogs are comfortable being groomed and you really have to work to earn their trust," Kokkeler said. "Imagine never having heard a dryer noise or having anyone touch your nails. Many are sensitive and have allergies. We try very hard to help them relax and feel safe. Perhaps the most fulfilling part of this business is seeing dogs turn around. They come in afraid, and by the time they leave, they trust you."

Kokkeler won't know the dogs she'll be grooming in Europe -- and that's part of the challenge. Once assigned a particular dog, she'll be under a judge's scrutiny for several hours as she clips and shapes.

"There is a lot more pressure at this level than there ever was before, but I try to not let that get to me," she said. "I'm just going to go out there and do my best."

The London and Milan events will include seminars on holistic medicine for pets, clicker training and shaving techniques. She'll have a chance to cruise the Thames River and sample authentic Italian cuisine.

And all of it thanks to the hair of the dog.

archive