room Expo 2006 in Hershey, Pennsylvania opened Miguel Valera’s eyes to the possibilities of pet grooming. At the time, he worked in Miami as a vet tech and was doing pet sitting on the side.

Valera says, “I wanted to return the pets clean and with fresh haircuts as an all-in-one service that would set me apart from the other pet sitters. I bought a videotape to learn to cut pet hair, and my first client was the building maintenance manager.”

While he says that first haircut wasn’t the best, it gave him a start. In pursuit of improvement, Miguel bought more training tapes and searched for in-person training classes.

“I discovered Groomer to Groomer magazine and Groom Expo in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I told the veterinarian I worked for that I wanted to attend. She was surprised, but offered to pay for my travel and training if I signed a non-compete for a couple of years. We negotiated for a year, though I stayed for seven,” he shares.

Venezuelan-born Miguel Valera now runs a thriving pet grooming and training business in the resort mountain town of Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba, Argentina. Pet Groomer Boost and Pet Groomer Boost Academy provide the core of Valera’s business. He’s won multiple grooming awards from expos in Australia, Spain and more, and even has his own scissors line.

Valera says, “Groom Expo opened my eyes to this industry’s size, depth, and diversity. From mobile grooming to the types of tools, it inspired me to be the best I could be in the industry.”

Unlike most of the attendees, Valera commuted to the venue by bicycle; a bicycle he rented from a local boy…

“When I arrived at Hershey, I saw the event location was far from my hotel. But I met a kid with a bike and offered to rent it from him. He said, ‘OK, but you have it back before 8 p.m., or my dad will be mad at me.’ So, I rented it for $12/day,” Valera continues. “I bicycled in with the cars for the valet parking at The Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. I asked the valet to watch the bike because I had to return it to the kid. He laughed, but he held it for me each of the four days.”

In 2009, Valera returned to Venezuela where he had an established dog grooming business until 2017, which is when he moved to Argentina.

Pet grooming in Argentina is a growing industry, but, as an immigrant, his career has not come easy to him: “Most of the other established groomers who compete are native to Argentina and are in the capital, Buenos Aires, which is eight hours away. As an immigrant, it’s not been easy for me, but nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it, and Argentina has been good to me. Overall, there are not a lot of dog grooming competitions in Argentina, and you can find training, but it is not very common,” Valera says.

These days, he and his wife groom in their shop with two assistants. “One’s a bather, and one’s a trainee for grooming. We see 10-12 dogs a day if everyone’s working, or a maximum of six if it’s only me, because I prefer to give quality over quantity,” he shares.

“I have an app, Pet Groomer Boost, available on Android and hopefully soon on iPhone,” Valera continues. “I have a line of scissors, and I give dog grooming training both in-person and online through Pet Boost Academy. It all started in 2006 at Hershey. That’s a life marker for me.”

His shop and training center are both in Villa Carlos Paz, which is a popular tourist area. “We have a beautiful, modern location with a grooming salon and training facility. I can train six to eight people maximum because I want them to have hands-on experience. I can offer morning and afternoon training courses on Saturday if I have enough demand.”

Valera says his favorite part of pet grooming is customer satisfaction. “We specialize in different types of breeds and haircuts, and get great feedback from our clients. We want to give excellent service to every client, every time,” he says.

Valera concludes by describing what sets him apart as a groomer: “I have dedicated myself for 22 years to continue to learn and innovate within my industry, and offer quality over quantity.”

Find out more about Miguel Valera by following him on Instagram @petgroomerboost.