Well another year has flown by, Christmas is fast approaching yet again and it only seems like a couple of months ago when I was putting together the Christmas Newsletter for 2008.

What did we achieve in 2009?

Many thanks to all who bought raffle tickets in April to help raise funds for 'Hope for Holly' (the little girl with Nieman Pick Disease). You may like to know that we managed to raise over £300 for the charity. Congratulations go to Shirley the owner of Maggie and Freddie who won the Dog Grooming voucher.

As always in this line of work I am always given the privilege of meeting new puppies and one puppy that stands out amongst all of them this year has to be Yogi the Newfoundland. Every time I am approached about grooming a Newfoundland my heart skips a beat as they are really hard work but I take my hat off to his owner Justine who attends regular grooming sessions every 4-6 weeks. Even if I say so myself when Yogi goes out of my salon he is one handsome looking dog and struts his stuff as if he is a the bees' knee.

And sadly, I have yet again had to say goodbye to some lovely dogs who have passed away. Ollie the Westie (a sweet natured dog), Harry the Daschund (such a smart little character), Ted the toy poodle (a noisy dog when being groomed but lovely with it and will be missed), PJ the Yorkshire Terrier (a little old man who lived to ripe age of 14), Candy the Westie (a rescue dog but who was a real lady) and Charlie another Westie who absolutely hated being groomed. They will all be missed very much.

On a lighter note and as a thank you to all our customers, we are once again holding our very own Christmas competition (which is free to enter) so don't forget to fill in a slip when you bring your dog into the salon. Prizes are:

                              1^st Prize           £25 Dog Grooming voucher and dog toy

                              2^nd Prize          Bag of dog goodies including dog toy

                              3^rd Prize          Tin of sweets and dog toy

Unfortunately, in April 2010 I will be introducing new prices. My overheads are continually rising (electricity up 40%, insurance up 25%, rates up 20% etc) and having experienced huge increases in products used in the salon during 2008 and 2009 means that I too am forced to increase my prices. I have strived to keep prices down for the last 4 years but with rapid and unprecedented level of increases I face daily, I have now had to re-calculate my prices. It goes without saying that increases will be kept to an absolute minimum and the level of service you have come to expect will never be compromised.

Finally, once again I would like to thank you for your support and using the services of Shear Pawfection. Your custom is highly valued and if you haven't already done so, don't forget to check out our website for the latest news and any special offers.

From myself, Tony, Nikki, Wesley and Hamish may we wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year for 2010.

Cathy

xxx