If You're Considering Grooming Your Dog At Home, The Pros Swear By These 16 Things
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Time to take matters into your own paws.
1. An oatmeal doggy shampoo to help soothe your pup's skin and make their fur feel oh-so-soft so you won't feel like you're cuddling with a Brillo pad.
www.amazon.com
Promising review: " This was recommended by a groomer. It is by far the best shampoo I've ever used on my Yorkie. It makes her fur so soft and the smell is very gentle." — Carrie
Get it from Amazon for $16.97 (available in three formulas).
2. A slicker brush you'll wanna add to cart immediately if you have a curly-haired or double-coat breed. Its thin, tightly packed bristles are angled and have coated tips to prevent any scratches.
www.amazon.com, Amazon
There are lots of reviews from pleased pet parents of Maltipoos, poodles, goldendoodles, Maltese, Bichon Frise
Promising review: "This is the only brush he likes. He Is relaxed when you brush his hair. I had to buy two, one for grandma's house and one for our house because he runs runs and hides if you try to brush him with any other brush. No more mats for this poodle." — Liz
"This was recommended to me by my dog groomer and it works great. I have a large Labradoodle with a long coat and it's perfect to keep his coat nice and soft." — Morgan Crowe
Get it from Amazon for $13.97+ (available in three colors).
3. A grooming rake that'll help loosen tangles and lighten your pup's undercoat — without the yelps.
Promising reviews:"It really gets out the hair from the undercoat of my Aussie without pulling and hurting her. It came highly recommended by my groomer. It really helps with shedding, pulls that undercoat out, and keeps my old girl cool in the Florida heat." — R. Smith
"This works amazing. I am a groomer, and this works really well for the clients who have dogs with a lot of undercoat that's shedding. I may get a second one for home use. And you can't beat the price!" — Whitney
Get it from Amazon for $18.99.
4. A reusable roller dog hair remover might have you toss your old sticky roller after you see how much fur this reusable one (it has a sturdy brush system) picks up off your beloved couch that both you and your dog basically live on. If you've been avoiding grooming at home because you're afraid to be covered in fur, this is gonna help a LOT.
See the ChomChom roller in action on TikTok!
Promising review:"I'm a pet groomer and constantly have hair on my clothes and car. This product works very well to remove hair and is easy to clean!" — Jessica Pittman
And check out this ~glowing~ review from my colleague Jenae Sitzes: "The tens of thousands of 5-star Amazon reviews are reason enough to add the ChomChom to your cart immediately — but let me add my own personal review to the stack. I've been using the ChomChom for quite a while now, but I took the photos above literally just now to show just how quick, easy, and effective this roller is. It took 10 seconds to rid my velvet couch ottoman (yes, velvet...a terrible cat owner choice, I know) of the hair my two gray kitties are constantly leaving everywhere. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of using this roller — at first, I thought you only brushed down in one direction, and was confused why it wasn't picking up hair. It's important to do a push-and-pull brushing in *both* directions so it actually pulls the hair inside, which does require you to apply a bit of pressure. Afterward, you'll just dump out the hair that's been trapped inside. The ChomChom is best for large flat surfaces like couches and beds."
Get it from Amazon for $24.99. And check out a mini version.
5. A detangling spray that'll likely have you filming a slo-mo video for your grid of your dog shaking his glossy, NOT tangly, ears.
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I have been a professional dog groomer for over 35 years and this stuff does what it says it will. Even on the most coarse coats it turns it into a thing of beauty; any mats almost fall out. This is a whole new world for me. Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks? This old dog just learned one." — sandra k. steele
Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (or Subscribe & Save for $14.24/three months).
6. A nail grinder that, according to reviewers, will be a godsend for pets who hate or can't get to the groomer but are quite good at growing talons.
Rexipets is a small biz specializing in grooming tools.
Promising review:"Gilligan is the biggest drama king you'll ever meet and even he tolerated this nail grinder. Highly recommend!" — Julie
"I am a veterinary technician and part-time groomer. I use this product at work and find it to be adequate to introduce pets to dremeling. It has a quiet hum while on both of its speeds and provides a bright light when dealing with dark coats and nails." — Savannah Blair
Get it from Amazon for $26.99.
7. Or nail clippers for impatient pets who won't sit still long enough to let you go at them with a nail grinder.
Promising review:"For whatever reason, I didn't know trimmers came in sizes. I have a big boy, about 90 lbs. His nails were so hard to cut, and I would usually split them. I talked to a groomer, and she suggested these. What a big difference! My big boy is very pleased with his nails, LOL. Nothing split and quick, clean cut. Ease to hold as well. Very pleased." — Susan E. Snyder
Get them from Amazon for $11.99
8. Tearstain wipes to brighten your dog's coat by lightening those dark marks around their eyes. It will be especially helpful for dogs with lighter coats.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"My groomer recommended this product for my LhasaPoo mix because his eyes tear constantly and stain his light coat a dark red. The tear staining is all but gone. Much nicer to look at his pretty face now." — Janie Dietert
Get 100 wipes from Amazon for $15.29.
9. A hair-removing glove for pets who KNOW what you're doing when you pull out a regular brush. They'll think they're getting a total treat but I'll keep our evil secret.
10. A year-round paw protection cream chock full of vitamin E to keep those paws protected against ice and salt in the winter...and then against too-hot sidewalks and sand in the summer.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:" We got this at the recommendation of our groomer. Our dog is very short hair, but gets scratches and bites on herself a lot. She's a nervous little dog. This has been very soothing and has helped heal her skin. It's a little hard at first, but warms up and is easy to get out. I only need a little bit to form a film on her skin. Smells a little minty or herbally, but it doesn't linger, and the dog doesn't seem to mind. She loves having me put it on, and it has become a bonding time for us." — Jada
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
11. A doggie blow-dryer with a flexible hose and two heating settings to help transform your dog from wet mess to runway ready.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"My daughter is a professional groomer, and she absolutely loves this dryer. Uses at work daily. It's as good as a $300 one she was using before." — Nancys notes
Get it from Amazon for $75.99 (available in two colors).
12. A scratchy lil' tool that'll FINALLY get all the pet hair off your fabric surfaces both inside your house and car. You'll wonder how you lived without up until now.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I'm a dog groomer who's constantly covered in dog hair. That being said my car stays covered in dog hair. This brick actually removed everything!!! I'm so beyond impressed." — Kara
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
13. A broom for pet hair to unearth all that fur stuck in your area rug you've just learned to live with by now. It also works on wood and linoleum. And the handle extends from 36 to 60 inches!
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I am a dog groomer who has to clean up a lot of hair. I absolutely love this product; it makes clean-up a breeze. Hair doesn't stick to bristles like a traditional broom. It picks up dust and dirt, too. When the floor is wet, just use the squeegee side of the broom." — Kim Atwood
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
Check out my colleague Emma Lord's Evrilholder FURemover broom review for more satisfying before and after photos!
14. A handy TubShroom to take on the hard task of helping clean out your tub after bathtime. It works well for human *and* pet hair, just so you know.
www.amazon.com
Promising review:"I'm a groomer. I have two different tubs. They both have different 'waste holes.' One is a perfect fit, the other isn't. The TubShroom still manages to collect the bulk of the hair." — Obi
Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in five colors).
15. A pack of grooming wipes perfect for in-between grooming appointments or as an alternative to professional grooming if you can't get your dog there for health or financial reasons.
Amazon
Promising review:"Love these wipes for our Pomeranian. We use them to wipe our dog down after his play dates and also clean his paws off after returning from our walks. Doesn't really have a strong scent, so it doesn't linger on our dog. The wipes are sturdy and big enough for our needs. These were recommended by our groomer and we are pleased with the product." — Average Amazon Customer
Get them from Amazon for $12.99 (or Subscribe & Save for $12.34 /two months; available in two scents).
16. A toothpaste that'll help reduce tartar and plaque formation — and maybe even improve your dog's dental sitch enough so you can skip a professional pricey cleaning where they have to put your dog under anesthesia.
www.amazon.com
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What could be better than that? A foot-hugging recovery slide Breathable and supportive, these sturdy slides have a gently firm orthotic insole that doesn't 'sink' the way other overly squishy recovery shoes tend to. They feature a rubber outsole that makes them the ideal indoor/outdoor shoe. Perfect for the dad who needs a little extra cushioning under his feet, they come in three different colors and men's sizes 7– them from Kuru for $99. 1861: The Lost Peace by Jay Winik If your dad loves to curl up with a good book, then he's going to love sinking his teeth into this account of the weeks leading up to the start of the war. This book is surprisingly gripping and gives readers a look at President Lincoln's mindset, the lengths he and his cabinet went to avoid war and introduces new readers to the many ways these leaders attempted to keep peace. 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A light-blocking sleep mask that won't put pressure on his eyes Manta's sleep masks are ultra-popular thanks to their multi-tasking ability to protect the wearer's sleep. The adjustable eye cups mold right to the contours of the user's face to block out all the light without putting uncomfy pressure on the eyes. They're made with a breathable cotton strap that won't snag, with subtle closures and elastics to keep it secure and it from Amazon for $39. A soft, luxurious and deliciously lightweight robe Parachute's Cloud cotton robe is the perfect example of an everyday basic made more special. It has a lovely, delicate texture that is as cozy and comforting as it is stylish. It's the kind of thing dad would never buy for himself but deserves. Time to replace the ratty one he's been using for years with one of these beauties. It's available in nine colors and sizes XS to 3X. Get it from Parachute for $103+ (originally $129). 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Their house had a basement room with "toys" that my sisters and I would play with. One of the things we loved was this flat 2"-thick orange disc that was kind of like a super sturdy lazy Susan. We'd stand on it and twist back and forth — and we'd do it for hours. I dug around to see if I could find it, and it turns out it's a 1970s piece of exercise equipment meant for whittling your waist (waist twister), and versions of it are still sold today. Must be why I have such stellar abs. Thanks, Grandma! Related: Speaking of random 70s and 80s exercise equipment that was fun to play with, our Editorial Director Carrie and her siblings also found fun in grandma's pursuit of physical perfection. "My grandmother had a vibrating belt machine," Carrie says. "That thing was an absolute riot to use. We'd strap in and turn it on, and then talk — it was a hundred times better than talking into a fan." Kind of makes me long for grandma's old exercise contraptions, because I'm pretty sure if my grandma were still alive and had one of those, I'd do that whole trying to talk while vibrating thing today. Life in the 70s and 80s was very different than today, and the pursuit of the perfect figure was definitely something that both my grandmothers were involved in. My maternal grandma used to take this weight-loss product that was a chewy chocolate candy — it was called Ayds. I think it was an appetite suppressant. She'd hide it in the top cupboard, but we knew it was there, so my sisters and I would climb up on the counter and eat it when she wasn't looking. Maybe that's why we were all so skinny. Both sets of my grandparents had HUGE console TVs that were essentially pieces of furniture in their own right. Nobody could ever figure out the color balance, so the picture always had a green tinge (not the worst thing, since my granddad always had golf on the TV). But, according to one of my grandmas, we could never sit too close, because the television would irradiate us. Ironic, given that the picture was so fuzzy (and green — did I mention the green?) that we'd sit practically on top of it just to be able to see it clearly. Our Editorial Director Carrie also remembers a gigantic TV: "My grandparents had Pong hooked up to one of those combo TV/record player/radio/liquor cabinet jobbies." We also played Pong when I was a kid. Making two bars of light hit a square back and forth seemed exciting at the time. We couldn't wait to head to my grandparents' house in Seattle because they had a Wheel-O. The ultimate low-tech toy, we had contests with this gyroscope to see who could get the wheel going with enough force that it would roll up and over the hump multiple times when we held it vertically. Over the years, this toy (which is still for sale in a cool light-up version) has appeared in various family members' Christmas stockings, and like riding a bicycle, once you figure out the motion to get it to go, you never really forget how to do it. For our Editorial Director, Carrie, binders of real estate listings were something she loved at her grandparents' house. "My grandfather was a retired real estate agent, and he had these old binders full of black & white pictures of houses in the city. They were super fun to colour." And in a modern paperless world, I know that there's almost no good use for a binder today, but I still LOVE them. Whenever we'd head over to my grandparents' house, the furniture would be covered in clear plastic slipcovers. My mom told my sisters and me that they were only there when we came over. They were... not comfortable. But apparently, they gave Grandma peace of mind when her grubby-handed grandkids came for a visit. My Zillennial son fondly remembers the Find It Hidden Object game at his grandparents' (my parents') house. This simple game hides small objects in a cylinder filled with plastic beads, and you twist and turn the cylinder to see if you can locate all the objects inside. The hardest to find (and the ultimate game winner) is the penny. There's a trick to finding it, but just in case you want to play, I won't share it (you can find it online if you get desperate). My son loved this game so much that he recently bought one. He assures me that the penny trick still works. My grandparents lived in an old house in a South Seattle neighborhood, a few blocks off Lake Washington. We had a basement room we played in when we visited that was one of two finished rooms downstairs (the other was a bathroom). 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The tape was actually used to hold pincurls in place while they set. How does one explain Wiz-z-zers — a toy that came out in the late 1960s? They were sort of like a spinning top, but smaller. You'd wind them up by running them along the floor (they'd make a whizzing sound), before setting them on the tip to spin. My dad used to "put them on our heads" to spin (turns out, he was putting his hand on top of the head and putting the Wiz-z-zer on his hand, but I didn't know that). I tried this wondrous feat with my younger sister and wound up winding up the Wiz-z-zer in her hair so tightly that it had to be cut out. Oops. My great-uncle Harold (my grandmother's brother) was an artist (a painter), and they lived in this super-cool big old house that had a HUGE art studio in it. The house was decorated in a very sophisticated, wealthy person's style, with the exception of his studio, which was full of all sorts of curiosities from his travels and other things that had caught his fancy. The thing I remember the most (aside from the stacks and stacks of his paintings) was a huge fuzzy bright green rug that was shaped like a bare foot. It was, to my young eyes, magnificent. And looking back? It was the most 1970s thing ever! We may not have interacted much with our grandparents when we went to visit, but we had a heck of a time anyway. Whether we sat two inches from a green-tinted TV or cozied up on a fuzzy green foot rug, we found ways to entertain ourselves with all their weird stuff.
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Teen Goes Viral Helping Burger King Coworkers After Graduating. Then Strangers Raised $200K to Send Him to College
Mykale Baker voluntarily, and spontaneously, helped his Burger King coworkers right after attending his high school graduation ceremony last month Customer Maria Mendoza, who noticed Baker was still wearing his graduation medals, captured the moment, which ended up going viral on TikTok. Then, she set up a college tuition fundraiser that has raised over $200,000 so far When the teen found out about everything he was shocked — but tells PEOPLE he also feels beyond blessedAn 18-year-old high school graduate in Georgia can now afford to go to college after his act of generosity on graduation night led to a viral TikTok. 'I just feel amazing,' Mykale Baker, who lives in Gwinnett County, tells PEOPLE. 'Blessed, honestly.' Mykale was one of about 700 students who graduated from Mills Creek High School last month. There, he received his diploma and two medals, one for band and the other for track. Afterwards, Mykale went to his local Burger King, where he works as a crew member, to pick up food for his family. Although he wasn't scheduled to work that night, he ended up helping out his busy coworkers behind the counter. 'Honestly, I walked in there and I just saw it was so busy,' he recalls. 'I was like, 'I'm not doing anything when I get home, so I might as well just help you out, give out a helping hand.' " The teen took off his cap and gown, but still wore his graduation medals around his neck, which caught the eye of a customer whose daughter went to the same school and also graduated that day. Maria Mendoza, 45, and her family — including the graduate, daughter Daizie — stopped in at the Burger King that night because Mendoza had a hankering for a Whopper. When she caught sight of Mykale through the drive-through window, she froze. "I told my husband, 'Look at him. He is working. Oh my God. He has his medals,' " she says. Moved by seeing Mykale fresh out of his graduation to prepare the customers' orders, Mendoza took out her cellphone and recorded him for several seconds before stopping when he turned around. 'I dropped the phone," says Mendoza, "and my daughter, who was in the backseat, was like, 'Mom, what are you doing? You're so weird.' " The next evening, Mendoza shared the clip of Mykale on TikTok and then went to sleep. 'When I woke up, I was just blown away,' she says. As of Friday, June 6, the TikTok has generated over 4.4 million views. It was her daughter Jazmine who suggested setting up an online fundraiser on Mykale's behalf. 'So I decided to put a GoFundMe to pay for his college tuition,' she says. (As of Friday, June 6, that GoFundMe has raised over $200,000.) Mendoza later stopped at the Burger King and asked for Mykale's contact information from his coworkers so she could tell him the news. They declined to give it to her, so she left them her phone number to pass it on to him. Twenty hours passed and Mendoza had not heard from Mykale. With the donations to the GoFundMe continuing to pour in, Mendoza went back to the Burger King to speak with Mykale's manager. The manager then called Mykale and told him to come to the restaurant. ''I need you to come right now. This is life changing. Please, I beg you. Come right now,' ' the manager said, according to Mendoza. Fifteen minutes later, Mykale and his mother entered the Burger King and Mendoza told them what happened. Upon hearing the news, an emotional Mykale hugged his mother and Mendoza. 'Honestly, when she told me about the video, I was surprised,' Mykale says. 'But when she showed me the GoFundMe, I was like, 'Wow. I might go to college now.' ' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Mykale says that he was originally planning to take a gap year or join the Army so he could pay for college. Now with the money raised for him, he has set his sights on Gwinnett Technical College. And that's not the end of his good fortune: after hearing about Mykale's story, Burger King and the Burger King Foundation awarded Mykale with a $10,000 scholarship. They also offered Mendoza's daughter Daizie with $10,000 scholarship as well. 'This story is about more than a viral moment. It's a testament to hard work, generosity, and the incredible ripple effect of doing the right thing," Burger King tells PEOPLE in a statement. Mendoza feels proud to be able to help Mykale achieve his dream. 'It brings me so much joy,' she adds. 'I'm smiling and laughing because I'm overjoyed of what's going on with Mykale. Now he's part of my life, and I'm part of his life, and his mom said we're family. I've gained a new family. I just feel so blessed." Meanwhile, Mykale is still working at the Burger King, but now he's a manager — and his life has changed because of the viral moment. 'I'm very grateful that she actually did this,' he says of Mendoza. 'It opened eyes up for me to see that now that she did this for me, that I return this favor and pay it forward to somebody else.' Read the original article on People
