The Alison Rogers Experiences

Two of our members kindly took the time to share their experiences after our recent seminar with Alison Rogers - many thanks for sharing. Scroll down for written reviews .

Attending the Alison Rogers demo was a memorable experience , not only because it was held in a nightclub but also because it was the first IPDGA event without the wonderful, ever-smiling Mary Toland. Although I didn’t know Mary personally I felt the loss of her presence greatly and I’m sure her friends and fellow committee members were all feeling very emotional that day. I thought Alisons words about Mary were so lovely and heartfelt and of course Karinas talk about the ‘Spirit of Mary Toland Award’ had many of us shedding a tear or more. I’m sure Mary would be so proud that Alison came to Ireland and that all the committee worked so hard to make it such a success.
It was a super demo, the little Cavachon who started off as a ‘she’ but was actually a ‘he’ looked so cute with his hair clips and bandana. I’m not sure he was too impressed though with his girly accessories!!! I really liked Alisons tip for trimming the ears and I’ve tried it myself since and its worked very well.

Being a massive comb attachment fan (don’t think I could groom without them!!) I found it amazing to watch Alisons scissoring skills and watching her scissor that first Bichon was really like watching an artist at work. She transformed that dog in such a short time but remained chatting and relaxed and was able to keep us amused with some mad client stories which I’m sure we could all relate to. 
In the comb attachment VS scissor it was hard to believe that she could scissor a Bichon so quickly and perfectly but they are her speciality breed so I think Karina was at a disadvantage from the start!!They were both great sports though and both dogs looked beautiful when finished. It was very entertaining and fair play to them both.
Alison was an absolute pleasure to watch grooming, she has a lovely relaxed way of handling the dogs and she was also very funny which put us all at ease. Next time she comes over, and I hope there will be a next time, she will have to do her infamous ‘scissor dance’ for us!!
Thanks to everyone that was involved in organizing this event, it was a great venue, great food and brilliant demo.

Ashling Harding of Celtic Canines 

It's always a bit daunting when you start something new. You ask yourself the usual questions trying to nearly talk yourself out of going but , I got dressed got into the car and headed to my first IPDGA seminar. At the door I was greeted with a big smile and told "what a cool name I had" and , a conversation ensued making me feel immediately more comfortable. In I went and wandered around the stalls and shops chatting to anyone and everyone. Then with a loud honk the event was starting. We took our seats and the founder members began to speak of Mary Toland who tragically passed away. Their words were so beautiful and heart felt you couldn't help but get emotional and ,in tribute to her memory an award was created, Which I thought was a most wonderful sentiment.
After a minutes silence Alison came out and we were down to business. She started with the grooming of a cavachon, a dog we all see regularly. She gave some wonderful tips like twisting the ears and tails to create a line for you to work off and, her way of shaping the legs by working from outside to inside and front to back all of which I have used and found extremely useful. Next we were onto a king charles and I have to be honest when I seen him I thought "sure he's grand what's she gonna do with him" but how wrong I was. She showed us how to hand strip so the colours weren't bleeding into each other making his markings more pronounced. She also showed a very simple method of creating a beautiful padded foot a tip i have also since used with wonderful results.
Then we were on to the main event, the bichons. The manner by which Alison explained how to stop, take a look at the dog and, use their body structure to ensure you make the right cuts in the right places to make your dog look balanced and natural was extremely helpful to me. and others around me. I could hear sounds of eureka on either side of me. Last but not least we had the dual..... comb attachment v scissors.  This was also great for me as it thought me how to get the same results but with comb attachments. The banter between  Karina and Alison was infectious and kept us all giggling. In the end the scissors won and both dogs looked amazing.  I left the venue full of information and with a sense that no matter what day of the week or what time of the year I have an extended family out there always willing to help me succeed.

Aideen Bright  of Brights Barks.



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