My standard poodle is a retired show dog. I adopted her when she left competition in agility and conformation. I used to get her regularly groomed by her breeder, but the breeder retired, so the search began.
After some truly dreadful experiences, I found Lis! Not only does she do my girl's hair perfectly, but she has adapted the grooming day to help my 11-year-old arthritic former agility jumper have a reduced-pain day. She bathes her and shaves feet, face and tail, gives her some pain medicine and lets her take a nap. Then when the dog is up and the pain meds are still working, she scissors the rest. The result? A beautiful, happy, reasonably pain-free dog.
Thanks, Lis!