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Colorado Springs Native Takes Exotic Approach To Mobile Pet Grooming Business

At a pet shop on South 8th Street in Colorado Springs, Jennifer Piccin-Shaw extracts a blue-headed pionus parrot from his cage and gives him a kiss.

"Hi, handsome," Piccin-Shaw says. Blue, the parrot, seems to agree with her assessment.

Piccin-Shaw gently swaddles Blue in a small towel and places him in her lap, speaking to him in soothing tones. The parrot knows what's coming, and he's not looking forward to it, but he likes and trusts Piccin-Shaw. So he doesn't make a fuss as she turns on a small, rotary tool that resembles a miniature sander and begins to trim Blue's nails.

"Not every bird needs their nails trimmed every month," says Piccin-Shaw, a mobile animal groomer. "Some birds, I see on a monthly basis because as soon as I trim their nails to soften them, they go home and start chewing on them to re-sharpen them."

Conventional pet groomers aren't hard to find. A dog or cat owner who wants their pet's fur washed or trimmed can go to any number of pet shops. But what does someone do if they need similar care for a guinea pig, a turtle, a lizard or a South American parrot?

Perhaps they turn to Piccin-Shaw, a traveling exotic pet groomer with more than 30 years of animal care experience ranging from zookeeping to research to veterinary tech work.

"I've loved animals for as long as I can remember," said Piccin-Shaw, whose first word was "dog."

"I do all the exotics — birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, lizards — a bit of everything. I love dogs and cats, but exotic animals are my thing."

A native of Colorado Springs, Piccin-Shaw earned a bachelor's of science in wildlife biology from Colorado State University before taking a job at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, working with everything from gorillas to lizards to rhinos.

In the ensuing decades, Piccin-Shaw worked at veterinary hospitals, research facilities, retail stores and wholesale providers, developing a keen sense for what she likes — and what she doesn't.

For instance, she doesn't groom dogs or cats.

"I'm just not comfortable with it," she said. "Give me the biggest macaw or the biggest iguana, and I'm fine. But dogs and cats? Nope."

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About four years ago, after seeing that there was a market for her particular niche in animal care, Piccin-Shaw opened Jen's Exotic Pet Services. As her business has grown, she has broadened the radius of her grooming events to include Westminster, Parker, Lakewood, Golden, Commerce City and Colorado Springs.

Business ebbs and flows according to the varying needs of pet owners, she said. But he has built a solid customer base, and on Sunday afternoon, the animals kept on coming. Some owners stuck around to watch her work, while others roamed around the pet store.

As she works, she sits inside a portable grooming pod that she can zip shut to keep skittish birds from flying from her grasp.

"In some of the stores I groom at, there are 15- or 20-foot ceilings," she said. "So I needed to come up with a solution where I wouldn't have to worry about chasing them around a store. This way, I don't have to wrap them so tight."

Piccin-Shaw's services aren't limited to grooming. She also does boarding and pet-sitting, and she holds occasional workshops on animal care and behavior (though she is considering transitioning to virtual workshops). On Sunday, as she trimmed the nails and beak of a white-bellied caique, she gave pointers on how to help the bird learn to fly.

"Try a few practice landings on a bed or a couch," she told the owner. "Flying is easy. Landing is the hard part."

Piccin-Shaw said she enjoys everything about the job she created for herself, from handling the animals (which she calls "kiddos"), to building relationships with their guardians.

"I love interacting with the animals in this manner versus hospitals or zoos," she said. "And I like being able to answer questions for their owners. You don't have a lot of exotic veterinarians out there, and with the internet, there's a lot of misinformation floating around."

Customers said they value the peace of mind that comes with being able to trust the care of their exotic loved ones to someone with a genuine affection for unconventional animals.

"She's a godsend," said Brett Guthrie, Blue's owner. "If she leaves the country, we'll follow her."

Hand Raise The Sky

Kevin Pittman built a nice little recording studio for himself in a steel barn near his wife Harriet's dog boarding business in Charles City, where they live. "I had a little [sound] board and a tracking room," the 61-year-old singer/songwriter says with a laugh, "we did some sessions in there, produced two albums by Jimmy Catlett, but then the dog business started to grow and I got kicked out."

Pittman relocated the gear to his house, in his now-grown son Will's old bedroom. "I'm crammed in there now, setting my amp up in the living room and stuff. That's how I recorded both of these records."

Chased out by the canines, competing with household hum, Pittman has managed to record two excellent and sonically varied pop/rock/R&B albums, aided by long distance drummer and co-producer Kim Haynie. First there was "Victrola Mouth," in 2019, and now "Sundog," released in September. The two albums showcase its creator's uncanny gifts for melody and arrangement, traits honed from years performing in bands like the Dads and the Wit Lincolns. The homegrown "Sundog" may be one of the best records of the year that you won't hear Pitchfork Media or Rolling Stone raving about.

"People will hear his music and smile and mention the Beatles influence," says Haynie, who grew up with Pittman in Reedville, on the very tip of the Northern Neck. "But he's also been influenced a lot by soul music. Smokey Robinson, Sly and the Family Stone. I mean, growing up, we were watching 'American Bandstand' but we were also watching 'Soul Train.'"

"Sundog" is rife with standout tracks, such as the power pop rave-up, "Gumdrop Blue," the slinky R&B workout, "Gas Station Sleep" and "Hand Raise the Sky," a soaring anthem that features striking George Harrison-esque lap steel guitar parts from Pittman's longtime pal and collaborator, Stephen McCarthy.

"Kevin gets great ambient, atmospheric sounds in his home studio," says McCarthy, texting from the road on tour with the Long Ryders. "I first met him when he joined the Dads in the 1980s. [The late] Bryan Harvey called me and said, 'You need to come check out this guy.' He's a talented singer-songwriter and it's great to hear his soulful voice [again] on this new album."

Following the dream

From his cramped setup, Pittman would send audio tracks via Dropbox back and forth to Haynie, who has his own home studio in Greenville, South Carolina. The process allowed the musician to try this and embellish that. "It was all Kim's doing," remembers Pittman. "He said, 'I want to learn Pro Tools, send me some stuff to work on.' This is how this whole thing started. We got a few songs in and he said, 'we need to release this.' I said, 'Aw, who would care?' He said, 'Just put it out.'"

"Sundog," like "Victrola Mouth," is being released independently on Pittman's own 50lb Records label. "The easiest part of this is writing songs and recording," he says. "Releasing it is basically like putting a note in a bottle and throwing it in the ocean. That's what it's like to do it yourself. This time out I have more information but I'm still a babe in the woods."

Pittman, who works by day as a consultant for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), has enlisted the services of a publicist to push the new record, but he has no touring band, and he and Haynie aren't aggressively chasing fame the way they did 30 years ago, when the duo, and bassist Rob Morse, moved to Los Angeles and got involved in a series of frustratingly thwarted big label deals as the Wit Lincolns.

"We told our families that we're essentially selling everything we own and moving to L.A., and everyone's jaws hit the floor," Haynie remembers with a chuckle.

Kevin and Kim grew up together in Reedville, which Pittman describes as a "fishing village," the two were in a four-piece high school band called Nightshift. Pittman, the son of a propeller manufacturer, had learned the guitar from his older brother and was greatly influenced by the sounds of the '60s, most importantly the Beatles.

"In our house, we had a big old Zenith stereo with great bass," Pittman recalls. "We had 'A Hard Day's Night,' 'Something New by the Beatles,' maybe a Monkees album, 'Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison' and Glen Campbell. That was kinda it. That's all I listened to. I didn't know there was other music out there." Years later, he heard Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album and decided that he wanted to write songs. "I was a pretty basic guitarist, and I was limited in what I could sing, but I knew I could write songs. And that's the album that really inspired me. It set off a spark."

In the early '80s, Pittman attended Randolph Macon College and Haynie went to University of Richmond. By that time, Nightshift had morphed into the Indicators, a new wave band that concentrated on covers of the Police, the Ramones and the Clash plus a few Pittman originals. One day in Spring 1983 they had the chance to open up for the Dads, one of the most popular bands in town. "I was a big fan. But I had no idea at that time they were a three piece because they had parted ways with their guitarist, Mark Lewis."

The Dads, including bassist and lead songwriter Bryan Harvey, came to watch the Instigators' soundcheck. "They were there to check me out, looking for someone who could sing. Bryan came up and said, 'Hey, we're going to propose to you.' They were older. I mean, I was 19 and they were all 26. They had touring experience and had been in the studio. For me, it was like going from high school to a 400 level college class."

As one of the top acts booked by East Coast Entertainment, the Dads played across Virginia and up and down the East Coast. "They were booking us constantly and that's how we made money, playing all of the time," Pittman says. "Finally we got a showcase deal at the Bitter End in New York, and got the go-ahead to do a record through CBS."

That record ended up fracturing the group. Under the direction of veteran producer Paul Leka (Left Banke, Lemon Pipers), who recorded the band in his Bridgeport, Connecticut studio, it was a match that looked good on paper. "But it was a terrible record," groans Pittman. "Unfortunately, when we got there, Paul just had so many other things going on, he was just really distracted ... The result was this thin, balls-less album. It was always a regret because we were a much better band than that."

Near misses with fame

After the Dads disbanded, Pittman finished school and then hooked back up with Haynie to form the Wit Lincolns. After performing around Richmond for a year, recording a demo and snagging a track on the local AIDS compilation, "Rock For Life," the Lincolns were inspired by Harvey's success in Los Angeles with percussionist Johnny Hott in House of Freaks to make a move west.

"The Wit Lincolns were a little more rough-and-tumble than, say, the Dads," says Haynie. "A little more like a modernized version of Creedence Clearwater Revival." At first, the trio's sound made an impact, Pittman recalls. "As soon as we got to L.A. We played a few shows and our demo tape got into the hands of Tom Werman, who had produced Cheap Trick and had just hit the jackpot with Mötley Crüe. It was the time of the hair metal bands. But he was looking for something different, more organic."

The Wit Lincolns signed a nine-month production deal with Werman and he arranged a series of industry showcases for them at Frank's Garage, Frank Zappa's place. "We played a couple of China Club shows," Pittman says, "and then Geffen [label] showed interest. I remember our lawyer said we'd get an offer in the morning but it never came." Geffen executive Gary Gersh, soon to sign Nirvana, had commissioned a five-song demo from the group. "But ultimately Gary did not like my voice. You can't get past that."

"It was a big roller coaster for about three years," Haynie says today. "One week, it would be like 'we're getting signed' and we'd be on top of the world but it would never happen. We had so many near misses."

They next caught the ear of super producer Jimmy Iovine (Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks), who had just formed a new label, Interscope. "He pretty much funded us, and allowed us to use the studio and make a demo," says Haynie. "But then passed." Producer Paul Fox was next. He had just finished co-helming XTC's "Oranges and Lemons" album. Despite some initial promise and some interest from the Charisma label –"we really got on well with Paul," Pittman remembers – that connection fizzed too. "They went with a new version of the Knack instead of us," says Haynie.

The group limped back to Richmond and broke up, and Pittman at first lived with McCarthy. "We had a songwriting partnership for about a year, maybe 20 songs or something," McCarthy recalls. "We called ourselves the Sky Chiefs and did three recording sessions in a year-and-a-half and had some friends from Austin and L.A. Come in and play on it. Wes Freed did the cover art."

The material was never released because of McCarthy's then-growing involvement with the band Gutterball, featuring Bryan Harvey and Johnny Hott of House of Freaks. At a special in-store acoustic performance at Plan 9 Music last month, Pittman and McCarthy performed a few of those old Sky Chiefs songs. "They are too good to be sitting on the shelf," says McCarthy. "We are making plans to get them out in 2024, thirty years after they were first recorded."

Until Bryan Harvey and his family's tragic murders in 2006, Pittman stayed in touch with his former bandmate. They even performed together again in a high-energy funk and dance band, NrG Krysys. "Bryan was great, like a musical older brother to me. I'd always taken counsel with him. We connected in the Dads and it grew into a relationship that went beyond the band."

Pittman recorded a rudimentary solo album called "Burlap" that explored some different sides of his music. He describes those early '90s songs as "completely self-indulgent, like Leon Russell meets Tom Waits meets carnival music. It was freeing to just do what I wanted, regardless of whether it was going to be popular." It's an aesthetic he carries to this day. "I'm going to make some kind of music. It may just be me recording it myself and putting it online. But I'm going to make it."

Without a band to perform live, It's been hard to promote "Sundog," he says. It's a problem familiar to do-it-yourself music makers in this age of streaming, compounded by the singer's belief that his dense, carefully arranged songs don't translate well to solo acoustic performance. Pittman has just released his third single from the album, the impossibly catchy "Right Smart Good" and is currently navigating the world of music videos from his cramped home studio.

"I taught myself how to edit with Final Cut Pro. I know I'm out of my depth and that it's not my passion but, these days, if you put music out, you gotta have something to go along with it."

For more on Kevin Pittman and "Sundog," visit his website.

Dog Mom Shocked That Pet Boarding Costs More Than Her Vacation

Pet owners are complaining of one cost associated with their animals that has blown out of proportion.

Sydneysider Amy Indrawan was quoted $3,000 (about $1,900 USD) for her french bulldog and beagle to get "pet boarded" while she went on a three-week holiday.

"I find now pet boarding places are charging more than childcare in some instances," she said.

The average cost of childcare feeds was between $30 to $50 ($20-30 USD) a day after the government rebate, according to the latest data from the Australian Competition and Consumer and Commission.

Meanwhile, pet boarding for dogs can cost in excess of $100 (about $64 USD) per day over the Christmas period.

Amy Indrawan was quoted $3,000 (about $1,900 USD) for her french bulldog and beagle to get "pet boarded" while she went on a three-week vacation.Supplied

Ms Indrawan said she was quoted a day rate but then she had to pay extra money for the dog to be walked, or for it to be cuddled or taken for a swim.

"Once you add up all the add ons it is really expensive," she said.

"I shopped around at some of the pet boarding places and the costs have gone up so much.

"I couldn't afford it and honestly it's like paying for a holiday for the pets on top of the holiday I booked for myself."

There has been a massive uptick (52 percent) in the number of Airtasker users looking for pet sitting services over the past six months, according to the company's latest data.Shutterstock

With her trip fast-approaching, Ms Indrawan said she checked on Airtasker and was able to find someone to mind her pets at their home for just $700 ($445 USD).

"People were offering to pet sit my dogs at their own home while some were willing to pet sit at my house or even just check in, take them walks and feed them," she said.

"I've used Airtasker on three different occasions and all three times I have found someone reliable and trustworthy to look after my fur babies and what I love most is I can determine how much I am willing to pay for pet minding."

The busiest month for pet minding tasks were posted in the January school holidays.Shutterstock

Pet sitter Nadiana Albistur has been offering up her services on Airtasker for three years and said she has noticed a rise in people looking for people to care for their pets as the holidays approach.

"It's starting to get busy with people wanting to go away on holidays," she said.

"They want their pet to have company while they're out. It's so unaffordable to send pets to boarding places. I think it's why people go to Airtasker."

There has been a massive uptick (52 per cent) in the number of Airtasker users looking for pet sitting services over the past six months, according to the company's latest data.

The busiest month for pet minding tasks were posted in the January school holidays.

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