Bingo was a gift from my sister. She was moving with her kids to a condo which didn’t allow dogs in the building. My sister had adopted Bingo from a shelter. The people at the shelter said she had lived on the streets and was probably abused.
Bingo was easily startled and didn’t like going on walks. She was afraid of everything, and didn’t particularly like to be petted. She didn’t wag her tail. All she wanted to do was lie still like a wet, unmoving mop, all day, everyday.
When I took Bingo to Collar & Comb in Katipunan for a “spaw” treatment, she was scared of the groomer at first. But she came out smelling and looking like a million bucks and poked her nose into the legs of the people at the spaw, which meant she was feeling friendly. “We get a lot of reviews that the dogs are very comfortable with our groomers. We take pride in that,” said Collar & Comb co-founder Tamara Hernandez, who had opened the first Collar & Comb branch in Ortigas with Toni Dionisio a year before.
Toni Dionisio and Tamara Hernandez of Collar & Comb
Collar & Comb Katipunan
I bought Bingo a new bed, which she was scared of at first. Every evening I would sit on her new bed and coax her to sit beside me. She eventually got used to sleeping in it.
Several weeks later, she started to get up more during the day and find another spot to splat down on. She became less lethargic. I don’t recall exactly how long it took, but she eventually started begging for food from the table, wagging her tail and then, running on her walks.
My other dog, Luke, a Pomeranian, never had Bingo’s problems. Luke is confident, fierce, and doesn’t have deep traumas. He expects affection and asks for it boldly. I have to remind Bingo all the time that she doesn’t need to be jealous of Luke. When I call Luke, Bingo comes and pushes him out of the way with her nose. Luke tries to play with Bingo, but Bingo ignores him. Luke doesn’t care.
Luke
Dionisio of Collar & Comb lived in the US and learned how to groom her Chow Chows herself. When she moved back to Manila, she partnered up with Hernandez, who is also a makeup artist. Hernandez stresses that Collar & Comb also gives recommendations to customers, who sometimes aren’t aware that their pet’s hair may look cute a certain way but actually needs to be cut because it’s matted. “We want to personalize the experience according to your needs and those of your pet.”
Because Bingo is an asPin, I have to tell her everyday to become comfortable with being loved. Groomed or not, she is beautiful.
Next up for a spaw day at Collar & Comb is Luke, who’ll probably get the zoomies as soon as he’s done.
Collar & Comb Katipunan is located at Unit 101, Golden Crescent Mansion, #90 Rosa Alvero St., Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City. For bookings and inquiries, call tel. no. +63 977 218 8440 or (02) 8711 1046. Visit @collarandcomb.ph on Instagram or Facebook.
