For SUNY Cobleskill Freshmen Shayna Cooley, grooming dogs part time is just a facet of her lifelong love for animals big or small.
The 21-year old Massachusetts native moved to the area to become a student in SUNY Cobleskill’s Animal Science program, with a concentration in large food production animals such as cows and sheep.
To help pay for that education, Cooley has started grooming dogs at The Happy Dog Pet Hotel in Rotterdam.
I love grooming there; it’s a great place to work; it has a great atmosphere and they’re great people to work for, said Cooley.
For Cooley, taking care of animals has always been a part of her life. Starting at age 13, Cooley volunteered with a local vet in her hometown of Petersham, Mass., until she was old enough to work and was hired as a member of the staff. At 15, Cooley attended a veterinary camp, which she said helped her solidify her passion.
`That’s what really did it for me,` said Cooley. `That’s when I realized I wanted to do that for the rest of my life.`
While growing up, Cooley nurtured a number of pets, including horses, cats and dogs. While still at home, she worked in Alan Bachrach’s veterinary practice through high school and her time in community college. She also worked as an associate at PetCo and learned from friends how to groom pets before moving to Upstate New York to attend SUNY Cobleskill this year.
It was through a mutual friend on campus that she was introduced to Rich Kranick, the owner of The Happy Dog Pet Hotel in Rotterdam, who was interested in hiring her after hearing that she was experienced in grooming and working with animals. Kranick said her personality, customer skills and how she deals with the animals all factored into his decision to hire her. After having her groom one of his own dogs as a part of her interview, and with only three weeks on the job, Kranick said he is already hearing only positive remarks about her from customers.
` The dogs love her, the people love her,` said Kranick. `We all love her here. We hear nothing but praise from the customers. She’s going to do well here.`
Kranick bought the pet shelter and boarding property, formerly known as the Emerald Acres Pet Motel, more than two years ago. A staple in Rotterdam for more than 38 years, Kranick has re-opened the property with the help of his wife. Happy Dog Pet Hotel has 35 kennels for boarding, grooming and acts as the animal shelter for the town of Rotterdam.
Cooley said she has repeat customers in her hometown and goes back to Petersham once a month to take care of those clients. Working only about twice a week, as her schedule allows, Cooley hopes to work more often in the summer as she looks for an apartment in the area between the end of spring and the beginning of fall semester.
Eventually, Cooley, who is a member of the campus Dairy Cattle Club, would like to attend veterinary school at Cornell University or at the Colorado State University to earn a doctorate of veterinary medicine, but in the meantime, she is working to get through her freshmen year, while adjusting to life in upstate New York.
`It’s great. I love being on my own. I love grooming. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since high school and it’s a great part time job while in school,` said Cooley. `This is probably the best thing I could have done with my life.`
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