ith a population of less than Texas, spread out over a land mass equal to the U.S. mainland, Australia has a unique idea of what “just up the road” means. In fact, Australians have a unique interpretation of a lot of modern concepts. While many of us don’t take pride in being the home of the initial development of the labradoodle “breed,” we do have a lot to be proud of as a pet care industry.

From innovation in grooming equipment and products to producing some of the world’s best competition groomers, judges and educators, a new generation of Australian groomers has a lot to look forward to. Standing on the shoulders of giants, pioneers of the industry have paved a solid path for the rest of us to tread.

Even though the local pioneering has been happening here for a good many years, most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have realised the need for locally sourced and manufactured products, equipment and supplies. With very few ships or planes allowed entry to the mainland for nearly a year, brands that we’ve come to depend on from Asia, North America and Europe were stripped from the shelves as quickly as toilet paper and dried pasta. No one knew when the next delivery would be, and no one wanted to be caught short. In turn, this created a phenomenal opportunity for Australians to build and expand their product lines.

But what is the current situation of our much-loved international brands? Well, fear not, because slowly but surely, some of the 40-foot shipping containers are making their way back, and they’re full of hydraulic baths, electric tables, dryers and clippers, and the distributors, retail suppliers, groomers and pet owners could not be happier. With a local industry that values the highest standards, it’s good to have the confidence to be able to toss out the blade that has been sharpened 15 times, knowing that a replacement is easily accessible once again.

Sherie Williams-Slattery, who owns a fully staffed dog grooming business and works out of her beautiful little cat-exclusive salon as a solo groomer, shares this of the current supply situation: “Pre-COVID-19, most suppliers had lots of readily available stock. The only wait I had was one or two days shipping from the supplier to me. Now, some suppliers only do pre-orders of imported items. Some wait times can be up to months long.”

Some very sought-after imports from overseas (that you won’t find in a shipping container) are international grooming educators and speakers. From judging grooming competitions to teaching at both demonstration and hands-on events, there’s a lot to be gained for not only the groomers here, but the speakers as well.

One groomer that has graced our shores multiple times over the years is Danelle German, founder and owner of National Cat Groomers Institute. While the flights from her home in South Carolina are unenviable, the experiences she has had here have been unforgettable.

“My first trip to Australia in 2011, where I presented cat grooming to the industry, I found Australians to be very eager and receptive to learning new things,” Danelle shares. “During my many subsequent visits, presenting at various industry events, I was shown gracious hospitality. The positive reception to what I was teaching was very encouraging. It has been amazing to witness so many Australian groomers take what they have learned and build successful cat grooming businesses. Aussies are some of my favorite people on the planet.”

With the airports open again also comes the tsunami of Australian groomers flooding out of the country to the international competition and education scene. Not only will you hear more Australian accents coming from seminar halls and private education events; you will also find us wandering the aisles of trade shows, competing with hired dogs (often met for the first time the week of competition) and taking notes as seminar attendees. We have a thirst for knowledge, and the few who are able to travel for education are bringing that experience back to the many.

Mitchell Waygood, a retired member of GroomTeam Australia (2017-2018), remembers what the world of grooming travel was like before the pandemic, and he shares this of his more recent experiences: “I think the level of skills has improved in Australia over the last few years. Most judges here are phenomenal groomers. I have competed locally and internationally and find them to be pretty equal.”

There is just so much more to be gained from attending an event in person—getting to ask and answer questions live and see the finesse, textures, patterns and results achieved up-close. That’s not to say that the great plethora of online events are not also appreciated by the greater grooming community.