Oct. 12 was grooming day for Bobby, a 12-year-old mixed-breed dog that belongs to this SooLeader reporter. Bob’s been going to the same groomer for all his years, along with three of the previous dogs your writer has owned over three decades.
There isn’t a formal name for this grooming business other than a loose affiliation with the family member who presently runs it. On Debbie Norton’s day, during its launch 40 years ago, it was Shear Magic. Soon regulars began to call it Debbie’s.
When Norton retired three years ago, her daughter Linnea Kelly took over the business. Linnea is now training her daughter, Aurora Bourne, to keep dog grooming in the family.
So, three generations of women, in one way or another, now cater to a client base of 40-plus customers with more than a hundred dogs. Suffice it to say, function means more than a catchy name in this grooming business that started when Jimmy Carter was president.
But first, let’s meet the groomer’s morning client.
Bobby is a rescue dog that was shuttled to Michigan by a network of truckers. He had been surrendered to a Tennessee shelter during the summer of 2010. It was an exceptionally busy day when Bobby came in, so much so that the shelter manager soon ran out of names and started naming surrenders after himself. His name is Robert.
Hence, Bobby’s formal name, as it appears on the adoption paperwork, is Robert #4.
A recent DNA test revealed that Bobby is a mix of border collie, Shetland sheepdog, Boston terrier, and poodle. One could say that Bobby was distilled in Tennessee and mellowed on Lake Superior.
Oct. 12 was Bob’s 37th visit to Three Women groomers in 11 years.
The standard treatment includes an initial brush-out, a shampoo, and a post-bath brush-out under the blow dryer. After a pause to air dry and cool down, the dog gets its nails, foot 'slippers,' and rear-end 'crinolines' trimmed. All for around the cost of two people dining on fast food, upsized too large.
“This all started with grooming my schnauzer in the late 1970s,” Norton said. “I was taking her over to Canada for an obedience show and wanted her to look really nice.”
It made sense to Norton to connect with a Sault, Ont., groomer to combine trips. Norton found one that lived just lived off the International Bridge.
“She said my dog looked great and asked who did my grooming in Michigan,” Norton recalled. “That would be me, I said. She said I had the touch. So she let me intern with her for three months. I paid her $150 for the first two months and then worked for free. That was the length of time for most grooming schools – eight-12 weeks.”
Norton wanted to follow up on the internship with a grooming school in Oregon, where she had a family. “But that changed when I was expecting a baby – Linnea,” Norton said.
So, it was 1981 when Norton started her family and grooming business.
“Dad finished off the basement of my house,” she said. “It took four of us to haul a great big 680-pound cast-iron pink tub into the basement so I could bathe dogs.”
She remembers taking baths in it herself. “I remember climbing a stepladder to get into it for a bath, too,” daughter Linnea chimed in.
Norton’s father was a postman, so the business practically launched itself as colleagues from the office brought in their dogs. “When business got busy, dad came in as a bather and drier,” said Norton. “Linnea started helping at age 12.”
“I was in junior high when I got a show-and-tell assignment,” Linnea remembered. “I brought our family dog in to demonstrate how groomers trimmed nails.”
Linnea got into grooming almost as an afterthought.
“I never saw myself doing this,” Linnea said as she brushed out Bobby’s fur. “I was enamored by Great Lakes history and managed the Soo Historic Sites Museum store for many years. I started helping mom with big dogs 14 years ago and soon fell in love with the clients’ dogs.”
Linnea formally partnered with her mom nine years ago, taking full responsibility for the business three years ago when Norton retired. Linnea’s daughter and Norton’s granddaughter, Aurora, has been a full-time groomer in training since graduating from high school last year.
“She even owns a poodle she can practice on,” chuckled Linnea. “Just like a beautician has a mannequin they can learn on.”
Norton still picks up the sheers on some weekends when longtime clients bring in older, nervous dogs that need quiet.
Today, the grooming business routinely services up to 50 dogs a week and sometimes, every few months or so, some special ones.
“Aurora and I are on call with the Chippewa County animal shelter when dogs come in tangled and matted,” Linnea said. “We get them all fixed up and ready for adoption into a forever home.”
This suits Bobby, the rescue dog from Tennessee, and his owner, your humble correspondent, just fine.
