Pet Care in Boulder City: Three Decades of Professional Pet Room and Groom

# Pearl Johnstone

​[00:00:00] 

​

[00:00:41] **Jill:** We are pleased to be able to visit with Ms. Pearl Johnstone. I am so excited to introduce you all to her. She is with Professional Pet Room and Groom, and just, a wonderful lady who truly cares about our local pets. And so thank you so much for being here, Ms. Pearl. Thank you, Jill. And so you have been in [00:01:00] business here in Boulder City almost as long as I have been with the Chamber.

How long have you been in business? 

[00:01:04] **Pearl:** May of '95. 

[00:01:06] **Jill:** Oh my goodness. Yeah. That's incredible. And have you always been a groomer or, had a pet boarding location? 

[00:01:13] **Pearl:** I have always been a groomer. Our, pet boarding started about 20 years ago. 

And, I did photography for a while, but- ... I burned out on that.

[00:01:25] **Jill:** If I remember, when you guys, first opened, you had a photography element to the grooming and were you even boarding at that time? 

[00:01:33] **Pearl:** No. 

[00:01:34] **Jill:** No. Yeah. 

[00:01:34] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:01:35] **Jill:** And so I can imagine, though, that can be a little stressful because people are expecting you... There's a huge expectation from the owner. 

[00:01:42] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:01:42] **Jill:** And there's very lack of, I don't know, some kind of ability for the pet to understand what it is you want from them.

[00:01:49] **Pearl:** Yes. Yeah. And especially a stranger- 

[00:01:52] **Jill:** Yeah ... 

[00:01:52] **Pearl:** trying to bring out that pet. 

[00:01:54] **Jill:** Yeah. I can only imagine. So yeah. I've never watched one of those sessions, but- 

[00:01:57] **Pearl:** Yeah ... 

[00:01:58] **Jill:** I know I had heard quite a bit [00:02:00] about them back then. 

so tell us a little bit about what all does Professional Pet Room and Groom, what all do you do?

[00:02:06] **Pearl:** Okay. we have, two major groomers, and one is myself, and I'm a nationally certified master groomer. And another is Mary, and she's been grooming eight years, and she's been with me four. 

[00:02:22] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:02:23] **Pearl:** So she's totally awesome and the sweetest person you could even think of touching your pet. 

[00:02:29] **Jill:** 'cause if you think about it, you don't want anybody...

Somebody's gotta have the right personality. 

[00:02:33] **Pearl:** Oh, definitely. Right? 

[00:02:35] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:02:35] **Pearl:** Definitely. And our, newest employee is a retired vet tech. 

[00:02:41] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:02:42] **Pearl:** And, Becky, she just, she- brings out the character of the shop. 

[00:02:51] **Jill:** Oh, fun. 

[00:02:52] **Pearl:** She's one of those that just, if anything starts to go wishy-washy, she just adds in the laughter. 

[00:02:59] **Jill:** Oh, that's awesome.

And 

[00:02:59] **Pearl:** it's [00:03:00] so much fun. 

[00:03:01] **Jill:** You know, and that makes it a joy to get up and go to work. 

[00:03:03] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:03:03] **Jill:** And it also puts behind you the fact that you still have to do the bookkeeping and the taxes and the payroll and- 

[00:03:10] **Pearl:** Yes ... 

[00:03:10] **Jill:** all of that extra stuff just kind of melts away when you're really enjoying your 

[00:03:14] **Pearl:** work. Enjoying your work, 

[00:03:15] **Jill:** yeah.

Yeah. And- And enjoying the people around you. 

[00:03:17] **Pearl:** One thing I have always done is I enjoyed working with animals. And, from the time I was 17, I knew I was going to be working with animals. 

[00:03:27] **Jill:** Crazy. 

[00:03:28] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:03:29] **Jill:** Such a love, and you've developed such a rapport also with the people, though. The, the parents sometimes can also have a personality that you have to learn to cope with.

[00:03:38] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:03:39] **Jill:** But,I think you have mastered that, and I think if anyone sees how well you treat their pet, they just will love you as well. 

[00:03:47] **Pearl:** Yes. So it, that is the one first section of our business, is the grooming. The second is the boarding. 

And as I said, we've been doing it 20 years. we have, large dog [00:04:00] runs.

They are, four by, eight foot. 

[00:04:04] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:04:04] **Pearl:** And our medium runs are four by six. 

[00:04:08] **Jill:** Okay. 

[00:04:09] **Pearl:** And our smallest dogs, dog runs are four by four. '

[00:04:13] **Jill:** Cause that's really all they need, and 

[00:04:15] **Pearl:** they- That's all they need, but that's a lot more than they get in a lot of places. 

[00:04:18] **Jill:** Well, I would imagine, too, they probably like that because I have known small dogs to kind of like their hideaways, right?

Yes. They like to tend to be in smaller spaces. It must be a- 

[00:04:28] **Pearl:** Definitely ... 

[00:04:29] **Jill:** keeps them feel safe. 

[00:04:30] **Pearl:** And we have some, owners that like to bring their own bedding. 

[00:04:34] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:04:34] **Pearl:** And that's more than welcome, as long as it's something that's not gonna be shredded in the morning. 

[00:04:40] **Jill:** That's always an 

[00:04:41] **Pearl:** issue. That does happen.

and we do have a lot of bedding that's available that I like to size to the dogs that are wherever they're at- Got it ... to make them as cozy and comfortable as possible. We allow treats. We allow- ... toys. When I happen to go on [00:05:00] vacation, Becky, our vet tech, 

[00:05:03] **Jill:** is- 

[00:05:03] **Pearl:** she's in ... she's stand in and she does great.

[00:05:07] **Jill:** Oh, I bet. Yeah. I bet she loves it. And, you know, having her skill set is probably also great for you 'cause maybe she identifies or has identified some problems, issues that you can then share with the owner. 

[00:05:18] **Pearl:** Most definitely. I would say because we do teeth cleaning- 

[00:05:22] **Jill:** Oh, 

[00:05:23] **Pearl:** right ... or teeth brushing- 

[00:05:24] **Jill:** Yes ... 

[00:05:24] **Pearl:** excuse the...

she does notice cracks in the teeth- ... and little things like that, that we can take pictures of and send the- 

[00:05:33] **Jill:** ... 

[00:05:33] **Pearl:** owner home with it to think about. 

[00:05:36] **Jill:** What they need to do next. 

[00:05:37] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:05:38] **Jill:** Yeah, I really appreciate that. And so,you had the pleasure, I don't know if it was your pleasure, it was my pleasure, to deal with one of my Chows.

And she was not a happy camper and- you know, she had been a rescue dog, so we didn't really know a lot of her previous history. But unfortunately, we were so grateful that we had,the actual vet right next door because there was a collaboration [00:06:00] so that- 

[00:06:00] **Pearl:** Yeah ... 

[00:06:00] **Jill:** she could be put to sleep so that you could do the brushing and inspection and clean her ears and nails and all of that- Yeah

stuff that she just was not going for- Yeah ... but needed to have done. So I was so grateful for your services and so- 

[00:06:12] **Pearl:** Yeah ... 

[00:06:13] **Jill:** thank you for that. Will you please tell me, so this is something that you know I have been obsessed with since you brought it on, please tell me about Theraclean with micro bubbles and enzymes.

I just am totally obsessed with this. 

[00:06:26] **Pearl:** Okay. the dogs are down in the bubble bath and the machine puts out the micro bubbles. We put the enzymes in the water. 

And what I noticed when I first found Theraclean at the trade show, they had me... they asked me how long I'd been grooming for one thing.

And they say, "You have arthritic hands?" I'm like, "Yes." And they say, "Okay, well, go ahead and put your hands in the water here. I'll turn it on and [00:07:00] it, they'll feel better." 

[00:07:03] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:07:03] **Pearl:** And, I did that, put some cream on afterwards, which we do bathing of the dogs afterwards, and I had a good week. 

[00:07:16] **Jill:** Isn't that crazy?

[00:07:17] **Pearl:** I was like, "Oh my God, I gotta share this with my animal community." 

[00:07:22] **Jill:** Yes, absolutely. 

[00:07:23] **Pearl:** but between, elderly dogs' joints, skin issues. 

The micro bubbles get the enzymes into the pores, pull out all the allergens or infection. 

Yes. Yeah. It's, it's- 

[00:07:44] **Jill:** You don't wanna call it healing, but 

[00:07:47] **Pearl:** it's almost I won't call it healing, but it aids in the medical work.

[00:07:51] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:07:51] **Pearl:** so say you have a dog with a skin infection or allergy problems and they have a special shampoo. 

You can put as many special [00:08:00] shampoos on top of everything and let it sit for as long as you want, rinse it off, it's done nothing. 

[00:08:06] **Jill:** Oh, that's too bad. 

[00:08:07] **Pearl:** Okay. You microbubble it. You pull all the crud out.

You shampoo everything. It gets in the pores. 

It helps the skin. 

[00:08:18] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:08:19] **Pearl:** And then you rinse that off. And- 

[00:08:22] **Jill:** And is it always yucky water? 

[00:08:24] **Pearl:** oh my God. I will say that the worst water I have seen, besides just dirt, is if a dog has a yeast infection. 

[00:08:36] **Jill:** Oh, yeah. 

[00:08:37] **Pearl:** The yeast floats on top of the water. 

[00:08:40] **Jill:** Really? 

[00:08:41] **Pearl:** You can see it.

[00:08:43] **Jill:** Disgusting. 

[00:08:43] **Pearl:** Yeah, and it's just a, a little formed white blobs. 

[00:08:51] **Jill:** And so how do you rinse them out so that they don't get that back in their skin? 

[00:08:55] **Pearl:** we take them right out of the TheraClean, they're going right into a medicated shampoo. [00:09:00] 

[00:09:00] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:09:00] **Pearl:** So they've had, depending on the size of the dog- 

[00:09:04] **Jill:** Okay ... 

[00:09:05] **Pearl:** 15 to 30 minutes in a TheraClean bath.

[00:09:08] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:09:09] **Pearl:** Okay? It's 

[00:09:10] **Jill:** like a jet spa for them. 

[00:09:11] **Pearl:** Oh, God yeah. 

[00:09:13] **Jill:** Oh, man. 

[00:09:13] **Pearl:** And then they'll have their medicated shampoo for as long as it's recommended, generally 10 minutes. 

[00:09:20] **Jill:** Okay. 

[00:09:21] **Pearl:** And then that's all rinsed off, and then they go into their normal grooming, drying, blah, blah, blah. 

[00:09:26] **Jill:** So why don't we have that for adults?

humans should have TheraClean, 

[00:09:32] **Pearl:** shouldn't we? Yes, and I am pretty sure they're still trying to work on having the, medical... I'm trying to think of it. Anyway. 

[00:09:41] **Jill:** Medical community 

[00:09:42] **Pearl:** or? Yeah, the, them ex- go through and test it all- Oh, got it ... for humans. 

[00:09:48] **Jill:** Got it. 

[00:09:48] **Pearl:** if that's ev- 

[00:09:49] **Jill:** FDA approved. 

[00:09:50] **Pearl:** That's it.

they're still working on that, but, I do know that, some places in Japan do use it- Oh, [00:10:00] 

really? ... 

on humans. In hospitals, especially for debriding. 

[00:10:04] **Jill:** Oh, yeah. Can you imagine? 

[00:10:06] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:10:06] **Jill:** And keeping all of the yucky germs and the stuff that gets passed around from patient to patient. 

[00:10:11] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:10:11] **Jill:** Wow. I'm- Yeah.

That's incredible. I've told you forever I'm impressed. 

[00:10:14] **Pearl:** I have to tell you one more story. 

[00:10:16] **Jill:** Okay, I love it. 

[00:10:17] **Pearl:** Okay. it wasn't, three weeks after we got our first TheraClean. 

[00:10:21] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:10:21] **Pearl:** And I was cooking bacon, and I had it spit, and it got up my forearm. 

[00:10:26] **Jill:** Oh, no. 

[00:10:27] **Pearl:** Bacon burn. 

[00:10:28] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:10:29] **Pearl:** I went straight to work, turned on that TheraClean machine, stuck my arm down in that, put a, a relaxing, 

[00:10:38] **Jill:** Music or?

[00:10:40] **Pearl:** Not music, enzymes- 

[00:10:41] **Jill:** Oh ... 

[00:10:42] **Pearl:** into it, and left it there for five minutes. 

By the end of the day, I had no marks on my arms. 

[00:10:49] **Jill:** Really? 

[00:10:49] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:10:50] **Jill:** The burns? So the skin- 

[00:10:51] **Pearl:** it just subsided. 

[00:10:53] **Jill:** Oh my gosh, that's really incredible. 

[00:10:54] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:10:55] **Jill:** Okay, I'm, next time I get a burn I'm gonna call you and run over. 

[00:10:58] **Pearl:** Okay. [00:11:00] 

[00:11:00] **Jill:** We're gonna test this theory, Ms.

Pearl. Test it. I just love it. I think this is awesome. So your pet community, your guests, the people, customers and clients that come in- 

[00:11:09] **Pearl:** ... 

[00:11:09] **Jill:** you allow for, Do you, here's a question. Do cats get into TheraClean? Yes. Do cats like it in TheraClean? 

[00:11:16] **Pearl:** Yes. Really? And I have recently posted, three major posts on Facebook- 

[00:11:22] **Jill:** Okay

[00:11:22] **Pearl:** showing, cats in TheraClean. 

[00:11:24] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:11:25] **Pearl:** And they're just s- sitting there going... 

[00:11:30] **Jill:** They probably love it. Well, you know, it's,

[00:11:33] **Pearl:** I, 

[00:11:33] **Jill:** I'm gonna tell you my adopted, a cat that adopted me story- 

[00:11:37] **Pearl:** Yeah ... 

[00:11:37] **Jill:** later. We don't wanna take up your special time, but, I, so she's a feral cat that just- Yeah ... comes in my house, so I don't know that I could pick her up and bring her to you- 

[00:11:46] **Pearl:** but I could only imagine how clean she needs to be from just being on the streets her whole life. Yeah. Oh, goodness. Yeah. All right. tell me a little bit, so speaking of animals on the streets- 

Yes ... 

[00:11:56] **Jill:** tell me about one of your special projects and programs that [00:12:00] you do, in working with the animal shelter.

[00:12:02] **Pearl:** Okay. for many years now, probably 10, I've worked with the animal shelter and, made our shop available if they have dogs or cats that need grooming care, and that's kind of normal. 

[00:12:20] **Jill:** Yeah, I would imagine. 

[00:12:21] **Pearl:** Yeah. And, I donate my time. 

[00:12:25] **Jill:** Oh, goodness. 

[00:12:26] **Pearl:** and I propagate African violets- Yes ... and sell them to help fund my shop to donate my time to the shelter.

[00:12:36] **Jill:** And I am an African violet junkie- Yes ... and so very, very grateful for all you do. And I have 

[00:12:41] **Pearl:** some minis coming up. 

[00:12:43] **Jill:** Oh, very cool. Yeah. Can't wait to see them. 

[00:12:45] **Pearl:** Yeah. That'll 

[00:12:46] **Jill:** be great. 

[00:12:46] **Pearl:** Yeah. And then also recently I have extended that a little bit, that if somebody comes to me with a dog that needs to be groomed that they had just adopted within, like,two weeks- 

[00:12:59] **Jill:** [00:13:00] Okay 

[00:13:01] **Pearl:** I give them the same as the shelter.

[00:13:05] **Jill:** Oh, that's great. 

[00:13:06] **Pearl:** I do need proof- 

[00:13:07] **Jill:** Yeah ... 

[00:13:08] **Pearl:** and so on and so forth. But I will take care of that pet. 

[00:13:11] **Jill:** Oh, that is amazing. 

[00:13:12] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:13:13] **Jill:** And you know what? Such an incentive for more people to go to the shelters and check out what we ha- And sometimes there aren't a lot of dogs there, and then other times there's just a ton.

So something for everybody to keep track of. Yeah. And I'm glad that they post those pictures and things- Yeah. Oh, yeah ... and share that information. 

[00:13:27] **Pearl:** our shelter's awesome. 

[00:13:29] **Jill:** They really are. We have, we're very- 

[00:13:31] **Pearl:** It really- 

[00:13:31] **Jill:** We're very blessed with what we've got up 

[00:13:32] **Pearl:** there. We are. We are very blessed, and I love their new commercials.

[00:13:36] **Jill:** I guess, yeah. our pets are also blessed, right? We don't think about that, but they've been fabulous. We had, that same chow get out, and we did not know exactly what, what had happened to her. She had, a fence had blown down in the wind. She escaped. We didn't even know it had happened until a neighbor called us.

And the animal control found her up at one of the water towers. She had somehow laid down [00:14:00] by one of the water towers. She was covered in cactus and just a mess. And so I was so grateful for the shelter for helping her and getting her taken care of while, till they found me. Thankfully she was chipped, so that was a good thing.

so tell me a little bit more about, I would imagine you have aha moments every day, but have you... What has been your real aha moment in your many years of business here in Boulder? 

[00:14:23] **Pearl:** God, there's so many. 

[00:14:25] **Jill:** I can only imagine. I would imagine, you know, just knowing that you are helping so many people- 

[00:14:31] **Pearl:** Yeah

[00:14:31] **Jill:** whether it's a senior or a little girl coming in with her puppy. I would imagine there's a lot of those special moments. 

[00:14:36] **Pearl:** Well, recently, I had one of my older clients call me, and they had, fostered a cocker spaniel. 

[00:14:46] **Jill:** Oh, goodness. 

[00:14:47] **Pearl:** Okay. And, but- The owner of the cocker spaniel is a homeless fellow- and blind. Oh, [00:15:00] goodness. And they weren't living in good conditions, and she took on the dog, and he's trying to get himself back. Okay. And I took that dog on, and, took all the fox tails out of its feet. Oh. And it wasn't too matted, thank God, but got her all cleaned up so she can care for the dog easier.

[00:15:23] **Jill:** Oh, yes. 

[00:15:24] **Pearl:** And, I... It was just my way of helping that fellow, too, that hopefully he can get his feet under him. 

[00:15:31] **Jill:** Yes, and hopefully he has his friend back. 

[00:15:33] **Pearl:** Yes. But 

[00:15:33] **Jill:** you know what? Of all... He's got so many things to worry about. 

To take that little bit of concern off of his mind, I'm sure he feels so much better.

[00:15:41] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:15:41] **Jill:** That is great. Yeah. thank you for doing that. I appreciate you. Have you had any funny professional experiences? Have there been any times that, s- maybe something that, I don't know. All I can think of is a pet pooping in the Theraclean tub or something. I don't know. I would imagine you probably had some funny [00:16:00] experiences.

[00:16:00] **Pearl:** yes. we've had a few dogs accidentally poop in the Theraclean. You had to mention that. 

[00:16:06] **Jill:** I'm sorry, but I thought- Yeah ... about that because they relax. 

[00:16:09] **Pearl:** They do relax. 

yeah. And we have more than one Theraclean machine. 

[00:16:15] **Jill:** Thank goodness. 

[00:16:16] **Pearl:** Yes. And at one point in time we didn't. We just started with one, and, found out we needed more than 

[00:16:23] **Jill:** one.

[00:16:23] **Pearl:** And, now we're up to three. But if something like that happens, we thoroughly rinse the dog down, switch over to another machine- You can start all over, yeah ... and get them started 

[00:16:35] **Jill:** again. There you go. 

[00:16:37] **Pearl:** It's I don't know how funny that is, but, 

[00:16:39] **Jill:** No, but it happens and- 

[00:16:40] **Pearl:** It happens. 

[00:16:41] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:16:42] **Pearl:** Yeah. I think a lot of my funniest things are with our boarders. Oh, really? They're characters. Oh my God. it's learning a new kid every day. 

Every time you walk in, you can be walking into a different personality- Yeah ... with the same animal. 

[00:16:59] **Jill:** [00:17:00] And they're probably, a little different around you than they are even with their owners- Yes

[00:17:03] **Pearl:** because 

[00:17:03] **Jill:** they're in a 

[00:17:04] **Pearl:** different- some of them are. 

Yeah. there's cer- I realize there's different ways of having boarding facilities. 

But for me, hands-on- 

[00:17:13] **Jill:** ... 

[00:17:13] **Pearl:** means a lot. We physically walk our dogs twice a day. 

[00:17:18] **Jill:** I saw you walking a black doggy yesterday when I was at- 

[00:17:21] **Pearl:** Yes ... 

[00:17:21] **Jill:** Roger's hardware store.

[00:17:23] **Pearl:** Yes. And it, depending on how hot our season is or how cold our season is- ... our walking times change. 

we're coming up onto the 5:00 AM walking. Right now I'm at 6:00. 

[00:17:36] **Jill:** Oh, goodness. 

[00:17:37] **Pearl:** and right now we're doing a 7:30 walk at night, but it will go through to 

[00:17:42] **Jill:** 8:00. 8:00. 

[00:17:43] **Pearl:** but having that hands-on walking, having that one-on-one with each other.

Having the sight of what is coming out of the pet to know how they are internally. 

[00:18:00] Because we don't want them to be upset. 

[00:18:03] **Jill:** No. 

[00:18:04] **Pearl:** So if you see the color of the urine or the softness of the poop- 

[00:18:11] **Jill:** Yeah ... 

[00:18:11] **Pearl:** you know we're starting to get into a problem, and we have to change things up a little bit. 

[00:18:16] **Jill:** Oh, interesting that you're that in tune.

[00:18:18] **Pearl:** yeah. 

[00:18:19] **Jill:** Wow. 

[00:18:19] **Pearl:** Yeah. And we do have an inside potty run. 

for those animals that are a little bit more, anxious throughout the day- 

[00:18:29] **Jill:** Or susceptible ... 

[00:18:29] **Pearl:** we can, or susceptible, we can give them potty breaks. 

[00:18:33] **Jill:** Got it. 

[00:18:34] **Pearl:** So we're not just twice a day. Yeah. That's all your dog gets. 

[00:18:39] **Jill:** we- and I would imagine, too, that you're trying to make sure that they have a positive experience so that- Yes

when they have to come back, 'cause a lot of pet owners have jobs or something comes up, they have to take care of a family member, they need somebody reliable. And so- Yes ... they want you to have, provide a good experience so they can feel good about bringing them back. 

[00:18:56] **Pearl:** Yeah. And a lot of our [00:19:00] dogs will run up to me or run up to one of the girls away from their parents to come in to go on vacation.

[00:19:08] **Jill:** Oh, I love it. 

[00:19:09] **Pearl:** So to me, that's the ultimate. 

That's the ultimate. I try to get the owners to bring their own Familiar bedding 

[00:19:19] **Jill:** ... 

[00:19:19] **Pearl:** a familiar scent, even if it's a T-shirt from Mommy that- Yeah ... has Mommy's scent on it. 

[00:19:25] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:19:25] **Pearl:** and familiar treats. because during the day, 

[00:19:31] **Jill:** As you interact with 

[00:19:31] **Pearl:** them

as we interact with them, we do small treats. We try not to give everything the owner says, but- 'cause 

[00:19:38] **Jill:** they spoil them. Yeah, 

[00:19:40] **Pearl:** You're feeding a little bit more ... they spoil them. We try to keep it, and so we can spread it out through the day a little bit more, too. 

[00:19:45] **Jill:** Right. But- That is awesome.

And so do you have a lot that are just there, like, daycare because their parents are working? 

[00:19:52] **Pearl:** We are not that type of daycare. 

[00:19:55] **Jill:** Our- So it's more night. 

[00:19:56] **Pearl:** Yes. we do [00:20:00] daycare on the days we're open. 

[00:20:01] **Jill:** Got it. 

[00:20:02] **Pearl:** Which we're only physically there grooming Friday through Monday. 

[00:20:07] **Jill:** Oh, I actually didn't know that.

That's right. 

[00:20:09] **Pearl:** Okay. 

[00:20:10] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:20:10] **Pearl:** we can't really do the work care because- That's 

[00:20:13] **Jill:** right ... 

[00:20:13] **Pearl:** we're open on the weekends. But it really helps the people going to the dam and doing tours. Oh, We can do daycare over the weekend while they're visiting- Got it ... blah, blah, blah. 

[00:20:24] **Jill:** I love that. So I know you've told me before about doing different competitions, grooming competitions.

Yes. And the educational side and keeping your skills up and learning new skills and about new tools. Tell me a little bit more why you think that is such a valuable and important part of your position, your profession. 

[00:20:43] **Pearl:** Okay. Well, if I did not keep my hands into all the new stuff with- ... our grooming, I would never have been introduced to Theraclean.

[00:20:56] **Jill:** That's true. 

[00:20:58] **Pearl:** And I [00:21:00] don't go to every show that comes up. There's one here once a year. I don't go every year, but I like to go around at least every two years- ... and see new tools. 

[00:21:11] **Jill:** Yeah. 

[00:21:12] **Pearl:** And probably the biggest thing that's come up with me with tools, I had a English Cocker show dog come to me, and I used to do English Cocker show grooming.

[00:21:26] **Jill:** Oh, yeah. I think I remember. 

[00:21:28] **Pearl:** And, I am grooming her dog now, and I keep it up in between for grooming, and they introduced me to some new shedding blades that are really good for Cocker type coat. 

[00:21:40] **Jill:** Oh, interesting. 

[00:21:41] **Pearl:** And then I've kind of expanded upon that, that, I found another one that is a little larger for other types of coats- that is pretty similar to what they showed me, and that is just awesome. Yeah. Yeah. To make your tools, the tools need to make your job [00:22:00] easier and- Oh, definitely ... 

[00:22:01] **Jill:** easier on the pet, too. 

[00:22:02] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:22:02] **Jill:** Yeah. Oh, that's awesome. 

[00:22:04] **Pearl:** And the quieter the equipment, the better, and they're really come out with some new stuff.

[00:22:10] **Jill:** I would imagine that there's always got a, everything evolves. E- 

[00:22:13] **Pearl:** everything does. 

[00:22:14] **Jill:** There's new things that are out there and new ways to interact with pets. And, not that you're, you have to worry about it, but I mean, there's so many different types of pets that- Oh, yeah ... people have nowadays, right?

[00:22:24] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:22:25] **Jill:** Pet chickens and, you know, weird things that, emotional support lizards- Yes ... and, there's lots out there. 

[00:22:32] **Pearl:** Yeah. Probably the most unique thing I've done since I've come to Boulder City is I have cut some rabbit nails. 

[00:22:42] **Jill:** Oh. 

[00:22:43] **Pearl:** there was one rabbit that, actually had its tooth down in its bottom- 

[00:22:50] **Jill:** top tooth stuck. I cut it, because I could not leave that rabbit like that. Oh, goodness. That just makes me sad. But, actually, the owner of that [00:23:00] rabbit worked for me for six years afterwards. 

Oh, there you go. 

[00:23:03] **Pearl:** So there you go. Yeah. I, yeah. 

[00:23:04] **Jill:** That's awesome. 

[00:23:05] **Pearl:** And then guinea pigs. 

[00:23:06] **Jill:** Oh, yeah. 

[00:23:06] **Pearl:** I, yeah. I used to do birds and bird clipping and stuff, but I've really gotten away from- 

[00:23:13] **Jill:** Really?

birds. 

[00:23:14] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:23:14] **Jill:** I had forgotten about you doing that. That's great. 

[00:23:16] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:23:17] **Jill:** So,may I learn a little bit more about Pearl? So what was your first job, Ms. Pearl?

[00:23:26] **Pearl:** I was working in a bookstore, which was a photography studio and photography, processing. 

[00:23:35] **Jill:** Okay. A bookstore with a photography studio? 

[00:23:39] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:23:40] **Jill:** That's an interesting combination. 

[00:23:41] **Pearl:** Yes. you have to consider small town. 

[00:23:43] **Jill:** Yes. 

[00:23:44] **Pearl:** Yeah, the, the businesses all s- clumped together. Yes. 

[00:23:47] **Jill:** That's right. And where are you...

You are originally from? 

[00:23:51] **Pearl:** Palmerston, Ontario. 

[00:23:53] **Jill:** Oh, my goodness. We have a Canadian amongst us. Yes. That is awesome. 

we're very glad that you are here in the United States, 'cause that might be something [00:24:00] people really don't know about you, that you're from Canada. 

[00:24:02] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:24:03] **Jill:** And how long have you been here?

[00:24:05] **Pearl:** I've been here since I was 17 years old. 

[00:24:09] **Jill:** Wow. Very good. Yes. And where did you live when you were 17? 

[00:24:13] **Pearl:** actually in Las Vegas. 

[00:24:14] **Jill:** Oh, really? So you moved from- ... Canada straight to Vegas? 

[00:24:17] **Pearl:** Straight to Vegas. almost landed in the Texas area, but then we ended up coming to the Vegas area. 

[00:24:23] **Jill:** Very good. 

[00:24:24] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:24:24] **Jill:** And so is that where you went to school?

[00:24:26] **Pearl:** I quit high school. 

[00:24:29] **Jill:** Okay. 

[00:24:30] **Pearl:** I went without for quite a while, and then I opened my business in Boulder City, and I got my GED. 

[00:24:36] **Jill:** That is amazing. Congratulations to you. 

[00:24:40] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:24:40] **Jill:** See how successful you are as an entrepreneur. Yeah. that is incredible. Well, that is awesome. Okay,one of my favorite questions to ask people, what's your favorite book, or what are you reading right now?

[00:24:52] **Pearl:** I love Terry Goodkind. 

[00:24:55] **Jill:** Oh, yes, didn't we all? 

[00:24:56] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:24:57] **Jill:** And- Such a neat human. 

[00:24:58] **Pearl:** Yes. Yeah. And it's [00:25:00] sad he's no longer with us. 

[00:25:01] **Jill:** I know. 

[00:25:02] **Pearl:** But I keep reading his books over and over. I slip them in between everything else. 

[00:25:07] **Jill:** Isn't that interesting? Yeah. You have a fallback. 

[00:25:09] **Pearl:** Yeah, I do. 

[00:25:10] **Jill:** Yeah, that is awesome. Yeah. Yeah.

He's such a good man. and I'm glad that, to know other people that loved him as well. 

[00:25:16] **Pearl:** Yes, and I actually met him. 

[00:25:18] **Jill:** We... Excuse 

[00:25:20] **Pearl:** me. He lived here. 

[00:25:20] **Jill:** Yes, he did live here. Yes. and he did quite a few book signings and was- Yeah ... at several events, 

[00:25:25] **Pearl:** And he was a client of mine for a while. 

[00:25:27] **Jill:** Oh, very good.

[00:25:28] **Pearl:** Yes. 

[00:25:28] **Jill:** How exciting is that? I'm sure his pets were all the better for it. 

[00:25:32] **Pearl:** There you go. 

[00:25:33] **Jill:** So what lesson have you learned from your mom or dad? Do you still use any of those lessons that you learned way back then today? 

[00:25:42] **Pearl:** Keep looking forward. 

[00:25:44] **Jill:** Yeah. Ooh, love it. 

[00:25:45] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:25:47] **Jill:** Yeah, you 

[00:25:47] **Pearl:** know- Something's always out there for you

[00:25:49] **Jill:** parents always leave such a legacy in their children- And so sometimes you can just take those one-sentence things. That is awesome. Keep looking forward. 

[00:25:58] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:25:59] **Jill:** I love that one. [00:26:00] That's a great one. And so I know that you have been a longtime Chamber member, Chamber supporter. what has been your experience?

What would you like to share with others about the Chamber? 

[00:26:11] **Pearl:** I love having the contact with the city. 

And the Chamber has helped me in keeping contact with the city easy. 

[00:26:21] **Jill:** thank you. 

[00:26:22] **Pearl:** Yeah. Yeah. I... Going, following you on Facebook. I know I don't go to a lot of your functions. 

[00:26:29] **Jill:** Not needed.

We're here to represent you without that. 

[00:26:31] **Pearl:** There you go. But I, you've seen me wander down here and ask questions. yeah. And 

[00:26:38] **Jill:** bring me my violets. 

[00:26:39] **Pearl:** And bring you 

[00:26:40] **Jill:** violets. 

[00:26:41] **Pearl:** yeah. So- 

[00:26:41] **Jill:** thank you. I appreciate that. So you and I just recently had the opportunity to work on, something that we were very concerned with when you initially brought it to me about additional, permitting and licensing that might be required for you here in the state of, or in the city of Boulder City- 

[00:26:57] **Pearl:** Yes

[00:26:57] **Jill:** that had been implemented, in [00:27:00] other county jurisdictions in other areas. Yes. And so, you know, a simple phone call helped us resolve that and learn that is not something here in Boulder City. So- 

[00:27:09] **Pearl:** Yeah. 

[00:27:09] **Jill:** So 

[00:27:09] **Pearl:** far ... 

[00:27:09] **Jill:** you... Exactly. Yeah. So you are, very correct, the idea that you can bring issues or concerns to the Chamber, and we do want to help resolve those issues, especially when it's an added burden to you, added, It was an educational requirement or something- Yes. Yeah ... and it just, it didn't make a lot of sense for any of our groomers or boarders, daycares, any of that going on with pets here in town. 

[00:27:33] **Pearl:** So,thank you for bringing that to our attention- Okay ... so that we could help make sure that wasn't an issue for anybody else in town as well.

[00:27:39] **Jill:** Yeah. Well, I truly appreciate you, have loved getting to know you. Thank you so much for all my African, violets. Can't wait to get to, see my little babies. Yes. That's gonna be fun. So,thank you for all you do. Thank you for loving our pets here locally, and, we sure appreciate you. Thank you for being here.

[00:27:55] **Pearl:** All right. Thanks, you. 

​[00:28:00]