Since the pandemic began, there has been a huge spike in new pet parents across the country.
According to the 2021-2022 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association, 70% of U.S. households — about 90.5 million people — own a pet.
One shop owner says he has more clientele than ever before.
Gabriel Feitosa owns a grooming shop in San Diego and says he now has a monthslong wait list for the services he offers.
"Everybody adopted a dog in the pandemic," Feitosa said. "I had clients that went from one to three dogs. So the business definitely grew throughout this pandemic."
He also says the pandemic has given him more time to be creative with his customers.
Now Feitosa has started grooming unique designs onto owners' furry friends. The world-renowned dog groomer has competed in countries like Brazil, Chile and Argentina, winning awards and creating dozens of unique designs after discovering his passion as a kid.
It has taken many years for him to perfect his craft, learn the best shampoos to use, what cut works well for each breed and which dye to apply to a dog's fur. He says each design can last three to six months.
"The coolest thing for me about the grooming is being able to connect with the dog," Feitosa said. "Because over time, we develop a relationship with them."
As cool as it would be to have your dog groomed to look like a Pokemon character, one of the things he stressed is for pet owners to avoid trying to do these types of designs on their own.
He says: Leave that to the professionals.
