About me...

One of my earliest childhood memories features me begging my mother to give our huge, hairy sheepdog mix some ground beef so he’d sit still long enough for me to brush him. As a kid my toy box was riddled with stuffed toys I had combed until they were bald. For my 8th birthday my best friend, Emily, gave me a professional dog-grooming book. I thought it was a rather odd gift, but read it cover to cover. That dog-eared volume has a treasured place in my bookshelf to this day.

In my early 20’s I convinced a patient and talented woman, Diana Rutherford, to teach me her trade. She gave me an excellent start, and I continue learning to this day. I consider myself to be among the most fortunate of people, I spend my days doing work I love.  ♥♥♥

When I am not grooming I share my heart and home with my best friend and husband, Chris and my mostly fabulous teenage daughter, Rachel.  Under our roof you'll also find Tiger Lilly the bad brindle boxer, Poppy and Smooch the pugs and Dazzle the cream Standard Poodle.

Our real home is nestled in a sunny meadow in rural Maine. My goal with this web "home"  is to share my enthusiasm for learning with other pet professionals.  Welcome! I hope you enjoy the information on these pages.

The fine print:

Daryl Conner is a certified Petcare Dermatech Specialist, Master Pet Stylist, Meritus.  She is a frequent contributor to Groomer to Groomer, Pet Age and Dog World magazines and co-editor of the NEPGP newsletter.  The proud recipient of the 2005 Cardinal Crystal award for Journalism and the 2006 Cardinal Crystal award for Congeniality, Daryl is also an educational speaker at trade shows across the country.