Opening up a full-scale, brick-and-mortar pet grooming salon can be daunting. The challenges range from having to secure a location to buying equipment and supplies to finding reliable employees.

  It is no longer a forgone conclusion that people will leave their pets at home or in a kennel when they hit the road for vacation. Pet owners are increasingly traveling with their pets. In fact, many tourist-bound destinations and businesses—such as hotels and even restaurants—are opening their doors to pets. But while this is good news for many pet owners and their companion animals, travelers need to be aware of the precautions they should take to keep pets safe this summer.

Inspired by stories of people searching through rubble for their pets in the wake of the Oklahoma tornado, two Branford, Conn., pet grooming entrepreneurs have launched a drive to collect pet food, toys, bowls and other supplies to donate to the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter. Angel Paws Dog Grooming and Spa owner Colleen Hainsworth—who is running the drive with Michelle Cicarella, owner of Lucky Dog Grooming—says they are collecting donated goods through noon on Saturday.

Mobile grooming is certainly not a new trend. For years, it has served as a mutually beneficial way for groomers to deliver their services quite literally to customers’ front doors. So, what happens when the customer’s front door is 200 above the ground? Taria Avery, owner of Philadelphia-based Avery’s Mobile Pet Spa, seems to have cracked that particular nut. Completely undaunted by Philly’s vertical geography, Avery is carving herself a niche among residents of high-rise luxury condominiums in her area.

 There’s Honey Boo Boo, Snooki, NeNe Leakes, Russell Hantz and, of course, that unavoidable clan fronted most notably by the ubiquitous Kim Kardashian. Such is the state of the world today that the most famous TV stars have become so by being themselves—at least, supposedly. But an article that has popped up on several websites recently said the true darlings of reality TV today are smallbusinesses.

One of the grooming industry’s own is making quite a splash these days. Celebrity groomer Jorge Bendersky, also known for his association with Forever Stainless Steel, is creating buzz with his body art for pooches.  Several media outlets have picked up on a story about Bendersky and his designer pet “tattoo” service that is catching on with his upscale New York City clients, and it has got people talking.

Kids and pets—they go together like peanut butter and jelly, like Laurel and Hardy, like milk and honey. So much so, that there is even a holiday to commemorate the special relationship between children and animals—April 26 is National Kids and Pets Day. While this may be intuitive to most in the pet industry, the evidence of this link continues to be validated by bonafide researchers who are empirically proving what many have always known in their hearts. News stories are popping up fairly frequently on how pets can help children in many ways.

The countdown has begun. In just one week, groomers from all over the world will converge at New Jersey’s Meadowland Exposition Center to dazzle attendees and competition judges with their fierce technical skills and creative brilliance in the 2013 Intergroom Competitions.
Groomers will compete in a variety of classes and will seek to snag one of many high honors, including Groomer of the Year, International Groomer of the Year and Rising Star of the Year. Competitors will also showcase their talents in the Extreme Makeover, Creative Challenge and Feline Fantasy competitions.

We would like to say it was on purpose, but it just happened to work out nicely that our April/May issue cover cat is donning an orange towel. And if you don’t know why that is such a cool thing, for shame.Orange is the official color of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the organization is calling on its supporters to “Go Orange for Animals” this month to raise awareness about animal cruelty in honor of National Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.

 We just wrapped up the cover story for the April/May issue of Grooming Business, and the interviews we conducted revealed some interesting trends in the cat grooming industry.It should not be news to anyone in the pet industry that cats have typically received little attention from groomers, particularly in contrast to dogs, who are often the darlings of the grooming world.