We began grooming together - side by side - in August 2008,
and got m
arried shortly after in September.
Since then, we have focused our efforts on providing excellent grooming services as well as retail delivery to our customers. We have also begun to educate ourselves on canine nutrition in order to further help our customers.
Many people think that it is a horrible idea to work in such a small space with your spouse, BUT we loved it!! We actually got along better during that 14 months than we ever had before. Now that we each have our own vans, we make it a point to still schedule a few days a month to work together. The Fairy Dogmother has given us both the opportunity of a life time. We have found a career which we are both passionate about and devoted too. We feel fulfilled every day.
In mid-2009, we moved to a home that finally enabled us to start our own furry family! We adopted our Beagles from DAWS.... Parker came home on Memorial Day, then Penny on Halloween.
ABOUT CORRIE
I began grooming in November 2007 and opened The Fairy Dogmother in January 2008. I have been in love with animals my entire life. I've had almost every pet you can think of... including fish, reptiles, rodents, and of course cats and dogs.
As a child, I wanted to become a Veterinarian. As I grew up, I realized that the profession would be too heart-breaking for me. I went to college for marketing then entered into the real estate field, and as you all know, that's not a great place to be right now! I was laid off, which forced me to think more seriously about what I really want to do with my life. I felt that I was missing something fulfilling, and realized that it was not having animals in my life. My family tells me that they always knew I would end up working with animals; that I just have a special connection with them.
My family bred Brittany Spaniels during a large portion of my childhood. We even hand-raised and bottle fed a litter of 10!
I do have family dogs that don’t live with me: Brittany (the last of the above mentioned Brittany Spaniels), Shadow (Black Lab), and my dog-in-law – husband's parents’ dog -- Tyberius (Black Lab - Dalmatian Mix). [**update - all of the above mentioned family members have passed on and are dearly missed]
ABOUT ANDREW
I have loved animals all of my life. As a young child I grew up in a cat household and we had two cats Pumpkin and Kitty Kitty. Through the years our family grew and we added, Peanuts, Maxine, and Trible. I loved my cats but like many young boys I always yearned for a dog. You have a hard time playing fetch with a cat! My brother and I always pestered our parents for a dog, like so many other kids we promised to walk the dog, wash him and feed him. My parents probably knew better, and avoided getting a dog until we were older. The magic day happened in the spring of 1998! I was awoken by my parents groggy eyed like most high school kids and looked down at this little puppy. The first words out of my mouth were “how cute!” If you look at the photo you can see why. We struggled for days to come up with a name for the newest member of the family. After watching the history channel and seeing a special on the Roman Empire, my brother had decided on naming him Tyberius - we call him Ty. The story of how we adopted Ty is rather long so next time I’m grooming your dog if you interested and have a few minutes ask me and I would love to tell you. In a nutshell, he had been abandon on Main Street in Danbury. We still have Ty today.
Like my wife, I have a passion for animals. I have had the pleasure of having many different types of pets: cats, dogs, fish, snakes, hermit crabs, hamsters, birds, and of course all of the other animals that come with living around wetlands. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that my life would take me in the direction that it has. I have a degree in History from WCSU. After college I worked in the hospitality and sales fields but never felt truly fulfilled. I had been looking for a career that I could feel passionate about, but nothing ever seemed to fit. Corrie was laid off in late 2007 and it was the best thing that had happened up to that point. We had discussed other jobs together and I had mentioned that now would be a great time to find something she really loves. I stood by her 100% and helped where I could along the way to open The Fairy Dogmother Mobile Grooming. Little did she know… I was interested in pet care myself! After six months of unimaginable growth I had the opportunity of a life time to partner up with Corrie and further grow our business. Despite what people say about spouses working together, our relationship has never been stronger. I have no regrets and I can finally say I feel fulfilled. Having the opportunity to work with animals is a dream come true!