Regional Industry & News

ALEXANDRIA — When you think about de-stressing, perhaps you imagine something like a spa day.

Pet owners know there’s no stress relief like getting your cat or dog’s nails trimmed — by someone else.

Brandie Schlosser runs Critter Companions , a boarding, grooming, and soon-to-be-training facility near Miltona. She’s been volunteering to clip cat and dog claws since last December at the Pro-Ag Country Store in Alexandria’s Pet Nail Trim event. The event is held multiple times a year, and the next session is scheduled for this Saturday, August 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 806 22nd Ave E in Alexandria.

As a professional groomer, Schlosser knows that nail trims can be particularly stressful for the animals and their humans. In an ideal world, she says, folks would start working with their animals from the time they’re six weeks old or so, to get them used to having their paws handled.

“Right away you need to be touching those paws. And if you do not touch those paws and keep on touching those paws, then they get the aversion of, this is my paw; you are not allowed to touch it. So that's why it gets to be a hard thing. Then people just all of a sudden just grab them and then they clip them. And then if they're not, you know, it's hard to see those [nail] quicks. I can attest I have quicked some dogs because all of a sudden the quick is right there. Then they get that aversion to that hurt and don't want it anymore.”

“Quicking,” an animal involved nicking that quick, an area of an animal’s claw that has a blood vessel and nerve inside. On clear or white claws, it’s easy to see the pink core of the quick, but on black or opaque claws, it’s a lot more difficult, especially if the claw you’re trying to clip is attached to a struggling animal.

And some dogs, in particular, really don’t like their feet being touched.

“If you think about it, their feet are like our hands,” says Schlosser. “We don't want to injure our hands or have anything that's scary come in contact with our hands. It’s the same thing with them. It's just building up that trust with the person and building up that ‘OK, nail clippers are not going to hurt me and it's perfectly fine. Everything's good.’”

And although cats can be challenging to handle in some situations, many take to having their nails trimmed much more easily than dogs. And there’s the added advantage that instead of needing specialized tools, you can frequently trim with with a human nail clipper.

“Even as a kitten, you should get that kitten so that they're OK with water, they're OK with nail clipping, they're OK with everything,” says Schlosser. “Years ago, you declawed your cat if it was an indoor cat, but that is no longer an option. You still need to get those nails trimmed because they still grow needle sharp. And as long as you've worked with your cat, it's a very quick process. You just sit them down on your lap, you extend the claw – clip, clip, clip – and it's done. So it's not as traumatic for a cat, it seems like.”

In Minnesota, declawing cats is still technically legal, although many veterinary clinics no longer perform the procedure . In 2024, a new state law took effect preventing landlords from requiring that cats be declawed as a condition of living in the property. As recently as this year, a bill to make the practice illegal in Minnesota stalled in committee.

So when do you know it’s time to cut your losses (no pun intended) and go see a professional?

Schlosser says, when you’re not comfortable with trimming the claws yourself. “If you're starting out stressed, don't even do it,” she says. “Because the dog is going to feel it. If you nick (the quick of the nail) every single time; no, you’re not going to be able to. A lot of small dogs or they have very, very long claws because they just don't wear them down and then they start curling back; I wouldn't even try to attempt that unless you are really good and know what you're doing. When the claw is curving back onto the paw, a lot of times you do have to quick it, just to get that claw to come off that paw pad. And I don't recommend an owner doing that just because you want that trust with the dog and you start losing that trust if you keep on making them hurt.”

On the other hand (paw), the Pro-Ag Country store events are win-win-win, anyway you look at them.

Not only do the animals get a professional trim, Schlosser and the community benefit as well. Pro-Ag donates the minimum $5 fee to Douglas County Toys for Tots , Lakes Area Humane Society , Bailey’s HOPE , and Outreach Food Shelf .

Called in as a last-minute substitute, Schlosser, who already volunteers for 4-H, was completely on board.

“I like to volunteer. I like to get the word out, and I like to help people and their animals. [Then] they asked if I could stay with it. And I said, sure.

“I admit that it's free advertising for me. [But] I'm helping the community and I'm helping the people, and I'm helping those dogs and the cats that come in. It's something that I'm passionate about. I love to volunteer my time. My husband comes with me and he helps me out.” Schlosser says, as time permits, her daughter does, too.

And while she’s not saying she can’t trim other pets, it might be a good idea to give them a heads-up in advance, so she can have the right tools on hand.

Schlosser says her first event was in December of last year, and they called her the night before. So she might be forgiven for arriving the next day not completely prepared.

“It was Santa Days and a goat came in,” she laughs. “So I'm like, ‘Do we have to trim goats, too? I didn't bring that clipper. Did I need to, though?’”

The Pro-Ag Pet Nail Trim event is walk-ins only, and first come, first served. There’s a minimum $5 donation for nail trimming, and if you’d like more information, you can call the Pro-Ag Country Store at (320) 763-5445.