WORKING -- Julie Fox

-- Story by Andrew Glazer; photo by Sean Hiller

SHE IS

Shaving spaniels.

PAMPERED PETS

On Wednesday, Fox’s clear blue eyes were focused on Bentley, a

well-behaved springer spaniel, as she ran clippers over his

brown-and-white shaggy fur. Bentley, looking relaxed and presumably

feeling pampered, stared at three golden retrievers getting their yellow

fur blown dry.

“He’s been coming here for years,� said Fox, 33, who has clipped and

trimmed dogs for more than seven years at Dutch Touch in Costa Mesa.

“Most of our customers are regulars.�

RUFF RIDERS

Dutch Touch is part canine “Romper Room,� part beauty salon. Dogs that

aren’t in a blow-drying kennel or sitting on one of three elevated

grooming tables wander the floor, sniff Fox’s leg, kick dirt in the

outside yard and bark at one another.

Fox said Dutch Touch is similar to a beauty parlor for humans.

“It’s really a very social place,� she said. “Some dogs come here each

week. They get to know each other. It’s really something to look forward

to.�

When the dogs are on the table, Fox clips their nails, trims their

bellies and heads and, once a week, passes them to an in-house dog

dentist for a teeth cleaning.

DOGGIE BEDSIDE MANNERS

Fox excels at building a rapport with her canine clients, said her

boss, Linda Wolter.

“When I’m hiring, I don’t care so much about cutting skills,� she

said. “I want to find people who love the animals.�

The special relationship Fox has with the dogs she grooms is obvious.

“Some owners tell their dogs at breakfast, ‘It’s time to go see

Julie,’ � Wolter said. “They can’t calm down until they’re here.�

Fox talks to her customers in a quiet, soothing tone. She even owns a

small menagerie: a pit bull and a cocker spaniel, two cats, two

cockatiels, a finch and a tank of fish.

WAGGING TRENDS

Fox said dog-grooming techniques, like hairstyles, are subject to

fickle trends. The appropriate cut for a poodle, for instance, may change

from year to year. Fox keeps up by reading grooming manuals and talking

to other professional groomers.

“I’m pretty good at picking up on this stuff,� she said, admitting

there’s always room to improve. “I’m good at bodies, but need some work

trimming heads.�