5 day forecast
Dog groomer made poodle into Steeler fan
Share with others:
In her career as a nationally certified master dog groomer, Justine Cosley has beautified cats, dogs and even a guinea pig. But her "Roethlispoodle" was the only one to make the cover of Groomer to Groomer magazine.
Ms. Cosley, who started her career as a veterinary assistant, adopted a 45-pound standard poodle named Silas in 2003. Her husband, Kevin, cringed when the frou-frou dog came into his life.
"Just make him look manly," Mr. Cosley pleaded.
The result was Roethlispoodle, which landed Silas on the front of the March 2005 issue of the groomers magazine.
Ms. Cosley did not use spray paint to turn Silas black and gold.
"The yellow was all done with a product called blo-pens, a child's marker that's nontoxic," she said.
For the black, she used semi-permanent dye. Silas was slowly transformed during regular, 15-minute grooming sessions.
"My dogs are so used to being on the grooming table," she said, adding that she slowly sculpted his fur and added the color.
In the photo, Silas is wearing a muzzle that was so loose that she had to hold it on. The dog had it on just for the 10-minute photograph session. Because the muzzle was made for a Great Dane, he could easily open his mouth.
Now 10, Silas is a retired show dog. He has also been made to look like a cowboy and Gene Simmons of the band KISS. Ms. Cosley usually works only on cats, at her Munhall business, Cat Around Town. She is a certified master feline groomer, too.
"Silas and I went to New York in April to help promote 'Extreme Poodles,' a show on TLC. ... Silas got to walk in Central Park. We stayed in a posh hotel on Fifth Avenue."
First Published September 8, 2010 12:00 am
