Idol Worship ?

I love Jonathan David. There I said it out loud for all to read. Well not in the biblical sense of loving someone. But in the sense that I love his Persona, his grooming skills, his teaching skills and his ability to make people feel good. There are some people you meet and you can just see their kindness. Jonathan is such a person. If you don't know who he is then Google him, look him up on Facebook and other social Media sites. He is a Pet Grooming Idol. He is my grooming Idol.

I use that term because people flock to his classes on pet grooming. Specifically, poodles, but all breeds. The man is amazing with a pair of scissors. I would swear if I hadn't met him in person several times, taken his classes and questioned him like Lois Lane, at his demos, that he had to be a made up character from Tim Burton.

The Talent he has is amazing. I think he could groom a standard poodle with a pair of garden shears and a rake, and it would look fabulous. He just makes it look that easy. When I know as all professional groomers do, it is not.

This man is so generous with his fans. When I first met him at a grooming convention he was doing a live demo on a standard poodle. There was a crowd of about 25 groomers, mostly female. Everyone was spellbound. Watching him wield those shears and skillfully carving out a masterpiece of perfectly prepared poodle coat.

I was naïve, new to grooming and the world of grooming conventions. I asked a lady next to me, “hey who is this guy?” She looked at me like I was an alien from an obviously lesser intelligent planet. With an eye roll that could rival a teenaged girl, she retorted “That is Jonathan David” the celebrity groomer. He grooms Mariah Carey’s dogs. “and with that she moved away from me as to not catch my apparent disease of stupidity.

Since then I have been to many different grooming seminars, shows and conventions. I have met this celebrity groomer on more than one occasion and taken his classes. Each time, he has taken time to answer my questions, exchange pleasantries, stop what he is doing and take a photo and always with such a humble spirit about himself. Never once did I ever hear him say to me or any other groomer whom he did these things with, I’m busy, I have to finish this or anything derogatory. His smile is contagious and he makes you feel like you are just as important as he is no matter what skill level groomer you are. He has freely shared his opinions and information about products, tools, breeds and more to those who ask him. He is so effortlessly generous. You sort of feel like the lady next door asking to borrow a cup of sugar and he invites you in for tea and opens up his private recipe book for you to pour over, while he chats with you.

Niceties are a rarity anymore. I have met many of a “Celebrity” in my profession. Some were nice and some were not. Now I know everyone has a bad day here or there. I don’t expect people to be so open or kind when meeting them, so when they exceed my expectation, it makes me feel good about being a human being and even more so when they are a groomer.

Yes, there are many people in the grooming industry that enjoy taking their classes, buying their products, and so on. There are so many really nice people in this business that I have met along the way. Genuine and truly talented. I appreciate them all. I guess I am just in groomer love with this particular Idol of mine.

If he ever reads this, I just want to thank him for making me feel special and important enough to take the time to give a little help to a fellow fur slinger