Creature Feature: Dogs (Not Cats) Are Her Calling

No felines need apply at Gay Ernst's grooming shop. "I'm allergic to cats," says Ms. Ernst flatly. So it's canines only at the appropriately named Dapper Dog, at the Bridgehampton Commons shopping center.

Ms. Ernst has been around dogs all her life. Being raised among them at her childhood home in Manhattan (her parents bred cocker spaniels) led to an undying love for the creatures and to her choice of profession. "I always knew I wanted to be a professional groomer," she states.

Owners More Attentive

In her late teens, while a boarding student at Friends Academy on Long Island, she began her professional career by apprenticing at a local kennel that bred cocker spaniels for show. With her husband, Bill Ernst, she ran grooming shops in Manhattan and Connecticut before moving to the East End in 1975.

A trim woman of 57, Ms. Ernst has the calm and direct manner so often noted in those who handle animals. She discussed the changes she's seen in the dog world while expertly wielding shears and clippers for the beautification of Max, a brown miniature poodle.

"People are better educated about dogs. Though they are more likely to treat them like children these days. And that can get obsessive. But it's better for the dogs. I'd rather see them obsessed over than ignored. You certainly see fewer dogs just tied out in the yard than you used to," she said.

Relaxed Atmosphere

Ms. Ernst does note that with the long-haired, high-maintenance dogs that make up most of her clientele, obsessiveness is not a bad thing. If the luxuriant hair of the toy breeds is not attended to it will become matted, which can require clipping it all off. Most toy dog breeds do not carry off a crew cut well. As Ms. Ernst observes, "A shaved Maltese, that's a scary sight!"

The breeds that are groomed at Dapper Dog are usually "exotic breeds" such as Shih Tzus, Malteses, and Tibetan Terriers. But Ms. Ernst also works on many representatives of the breed that brought her to her calling, her first love, the cocker spaniel.

Dog owners who are choosing a grooming shop for their pet should look for one with good natural light that is clean and smells pleasant, advises Ms. Ernst. The atmosphere should be calm and relatively quiet.

Evolving Profession

The atmosphere in the Dapper Dog certainly met those requirements. The dogs on the grooming tables were calm and relaxed. Peace and quiet reigned, with the occasional exception of the soft whines emitting from a large white German shepherd. He was not, however, complain ing about his plight but was communicating his concern about his beloved companion and housemate, a pretty little Maltese who was currently on the grooming table. Somewhat unecessarily, it seemed, for the object of his concern was cheerfully luxuriating under the blow-dryer as her long tresses were carefully comb ed out.

Dog grooming has existed for as long as there have been dogs. Initially it was probably practiced by the servants of the wealthy or, in the case of the less affluent, the dog owners themselves. The first indications that independent contractors were making a living grooming dogs are engravings made during Elizabethan times that show professional groomers clipping dogs at marketplace booths.

In the United States, though grooming services were always available to the dog owner through veterinarians' offices and kennels, it wasn't until the mid-1950s that single service grooming shops became widely available. Due to the exploding population of pets, dog grooming had became a viable profession.

Changes are still occurring in the grooming world, at least as far as the equipment is concerned. "The equip ment is much better," relates Ms. Ernst. "The tables, scissors, and brushes have all improved. Everything's bet ter except for clippers, they've gotten worse!"

Pom-Pom's Purpose

But if the means to the end have changed, the end itself remains largely the same. The clips and trim that the various breeds receive are rooted in tradition and have varied little over the ages. Ms. Ernst cites poodles as an example of the unwavering traditionalism of dog grooming. "Poodles were French hunting dogs. The clips we use today originated to protect the joints of the dog while they were working in the field," she says.

Breed historians concur, but they also note a touch of whimsical malice to the practical aspects of the poodle's coiffure. The pom-pom on the end of the tail served not a practical purpose but a taunting one - it was a mocking salute to the lions on the British crest.

Though dog grooming can be a lucrative career, it is by no means an easy one. Ms. Ernst advises prospective groomers to "be sure you're very fit, it's physically demanding work. I've had people, young people, who apprenticed with me and couldn't deal with all the physical exertion." Being a professional groomer re quir es a great deal of lifting and bending, as well as knowledge, cutting skills, a good eye, and a very great love of animals, she says.

Raises Spaniels, Too

Ms. Ernst's other line of work is closely related. In fact, she says, appropriately enough, "one hand washes the other." She carries on the family tradition of raising cocker spaniels. She has 15 dogs residing at her East Hampton home, with three more out on the show circuit with professional handlers.

Though she's experimented with raising other breeds such as Border terriers, Dobermans, and Shetland sheepdogs, she's always come back to the dogs of her childhood. She raises four litters a year. The show quality puppies remain with her to make their way into the judging rings, while the other puppies are sold as pets. Ms. Ernst estimates that at least 50 cocker spaniels with her kennel name, Begay, have been awarded championships.

After a lifetime in dogs and 40 years as a professional groomer, Gay Ernst clearly has no regrets. "Dogs are my life," she says unrepentantly.