Rose Etienne, a 17-year-old apprentice, has been practicing her talents for two years at Boby salon, the only animal grooming salon in Montbéliard. After winning gold in the departmental then regional event, the Alsatian of origin will aim for the supreme title of learning in October.
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20:00 | updated at 16:21
A kiss here, a lick there, Lewis seems to love being petted. With a rare docility, the airedale – the largest of the terrier dogs – lends itself to the sharp scissors of Rose Etienne, a 17-year-old apprentice who has been practicing her talents for two years at Boby salon, the only grooming salon for animals of Montbéliard whose boss, Christiana Detté, has a title of champion of France (among others). This to say that the young Rose could not dream of a better school. Exactly.
Lewis and Christiana Dette. Photo ER /Lionel VADAM
A gold medal in Mulhouse
Rose Etienne has just won the gold medal at the regional competition for the best apprentice in France (MAF) in Mulhouse. This medal is worth to him to be selected at the national final which will be disputed in October in Alsace. Gold that sends stars in the eyes as much of the work-study apprentice educated at the CFA craftsmanship in Mulhouse, canine and feline grooming sector, as of her boss “really proud that Rose’s work has been rewarded among the 11 candidates running.
“Since my college years, I knew that my future life would be devoted to animals”
You don’t follow this path by default: you have to have a real passion for animals. This is the case of Rose Etienne who has two loves in life: one for Rhapso a royal poodle, the other for Hop , a Yorkie. “From my college days, I knew that my future life would be devoted to animals in general, grooming in particular. The most difficult thing was to find an apprenticeship master”.
In competition, stress, a running clock, a demanding jury of experts…
It was in Switzerland that the young girl from Pfetterhouse, in Alsace (close to the Swiss border), had the opportunity to follow an internship before joining Montbéliard where Christiana Detté welcomed her as an apprentice. Two years later, she therefore rubbed shoulders with the MAF regional competition. “The two-hour test consisted of practicing a baby haircut, a bit like a teddy bear, on a shitzu and a Lhasa apso,” she says. “The cut must be aesthetic and harmonious. It’s stress because we are in competition with a clock that is ticking, a demanding jury of experts, the fear of doing the wrong thing”. The discreet Rose Etienne made the difference. At the end of her apprenticeship, she hopes to land a job in a salon in Alsace or Switzerland.
During the competition that won a gold medal for the young apprentice. Photo DR
Under the sharp blades of these ladies
With their scissors and their clippers, their epilators and their cosmetic products, groomers are ultimately similar to hairdressers except that they do not focus their attention on a head and hair but on the whole body of a furry animal enjoying differently to pass under the sharp blades of these ladies. “Some dogs are quite apprehensive. Others are delighted to be petted, hand out kisses, or fall asleep altogether, feeling well I suppose, during the grooming. It is very rare to have to muzzle a dog,” explains Christiana Detté, who loves the poodle, her favorite breed. In 20 years of profession, has she ever been bitten by a dog? ” It could happen. Just small bites in ”Leave me alone” mode. Now don’t think only big dogs sink their fangs. Often the little ones. Lively and tall, the elegant and flirtatious Lewis doesn’t mind having his hair stroked for two hours!
