I have 2 Bichons--one has a very easy coat to groom, the other one is like sheep's wool. Very kinky and tight. I tried several clippers, namely Wahl and Oster. But I did not spend a lot of money on either one. When I figured up how much I had spent on the useless ones I found that I had spent almost as much as what a good one would cost. Then I decided to bite the bullet and spend a little more money, so I got another Oster but I spent about $149.00 for it. I ordered it from one of the pet catalogs. I must say, it works like a charm even though the kinky coat takes a lot of patience to groom. Even with the more expensive clipper I still, at times, have to scissor her off first to get to the bottom of the kinks. But it was well worth the money. Couldn't get anything done with the cheap styles. Good luck, it is well worth the extra money if you can see your way to go that route. Lot less exasperation, saves time, etc. etc. etc. Better for the pets too.

Wow, seems a lot for checkup and shots. At this age its mostly about comfort - doesnt hurt to start asking around now re: who you might want to have for end of life issues & palliative care (meaning no heroic measures, just keeping your girl comfortable & content). May or may not be your usual vet. A good vet and/or assistant should be willing to talk to you by phone so you can decide who you want to make an appt. with. A good vet also has good communication skills, will be able to give you various options and help you make decisions, and know that their job is to help you the human as well as the animal patient. My own dear vet mustve spent an hour with me on the phone while I cried and tried to decide if it was time to euthanize my old kitty ( who died at age 22). When she was about 18 or 19 my vet advised not continuing with shots (except rabies which is required by law) since she didnt go outside and apparently, the immunity does last beyond 1 year. When you weigh that against the possible complications and side effects in a geriatric cat, we made the choice to not continue. She was probably totally blind (dilated pupils) and deaf, and yowled at night but still loved to be petted and included in the family life. Got her a cushy heated bed for her arthritis, where she spent most of her time like a granny in a rocking chair- still miss that old girl!

You maybe can find a more obliging groomer. Many salons max out their groomers so too much time can't be spent on any one client's dog. Yes they stand up and sit down and move around but geriatric dogs are part of the territory, and need to be accommodated. We had a groomer who understood this and a hefty tip for that accommodation helped grease the machinery. Grooming is a very important part of an aging dog's health program to keep their skin integrity up and ears cleaned and nails they don't wear down as quickly, under control. That being said, if a groomer doesn't want those issues I'd not want to take them there anymore anyway. I'm sorry for getting so upset but my daughter had a grooming business and because she was so patient and gentle to special needs animals she had more business than she could handle. If it is a matter that it's stressful or too much for the dog, that's a different issue. And, at sixteen it may well be. BTW she's a lovely girl. We had to eventually do our own grooming for our 16 year old Mini schnauzer. A brush was our best friend and he enjoyed it. We let him assume a puppy cut too and let his hair grow longer and just watched out for those areas where matting might occur like his behind from toileting and trimming his eyebrows so he could see and his moustache so his mouth would stay clean. His ears could be handled with a washcloth. We didn't bath any more than necessary and then with castile soap. My DD who doesn't groom professionally anymore did come over occasionally and scissor trim him. Although a really good professional quality clipper with sharp blades and a long guard attachement on it is still an option if you have patience with the dog changing position and just work around it. It's all about the dog's comfort and style isn't important. Hope you can sort it out.

I have two standard poodles and a miniature poodle who are groomed, bathed, nails clipped, anal glands done and blown dry every 6 weeks. She charges me 40 for the big dogs and 29 for the mini, and I tip 5.00 per dog. I don't have any outrageous poodle doos on them, just longer hair on legs, body shaved close, and a top knot and tail knot.