Postcards from a Pasadena Pup Pageant

The pictures you see below, captured by Skyler Dahan, are odes to enjoyment, camp, and unabashed kitsch—and to attentive, very careful preening, which is its personal kind of enjoy. They’re also fraught with moral queries inherent to their topic matter, mainly about the (im)equilibrium of electricity amongst domestic pets and individuals who invest in and home them—particularly relevant now, amid a claimed canine possession growth. Do puppies, even breeds for whom regular maintenance is a fantastic convenience, truly like staying groomed to this degree? Is their affability and persistence merely a functionality of their “duty,” an try to be sure to their masters, even at their very own soreness? It’s challenging to know what’s authentic vs . learned—and canine can’t just explain to us, which is aspect of the difficulty. The innovative groomers we spoke to appreciate their animals, and are specific they get pleasure from the method, a likelihood for in depth bonding. They plump up pillows on grooming beds, give minimal massages, and make certain there is time for pee breaks. They perceive their puppies as active collaborators.

“I arrived into this with a neutral approach, and tried out not to think about [the ethics of dog grooming],” states Dahan. “It was when I was at the expo that I started experience sympathy for the canine, due to their stark obedience and poised posture. I’m quite sure they really don’t fully grasp what is going on—that this is entirely for the owner’s pleasure. But eventually, becoming an observer in this house I could see that the owners genuinely confirmed passion and appreciate for their canine.”