Can a dog groomer make a fair living in Maine? (Portland: crime rates, day care)

[KodakMoment]

We are considering a few parts of the US and the topic of moving to Maine always comes up. Is a safe part of Maine at all affordable for younger people? As for me I work as a dog groomer, does anyone know what a pet groomer makes around Maine? Is there a very pet friendly area anyone would recommend?

[Elcarim]

This is outdated, but may give you an idea.

About.com: http://stats.bls.gov/oes/2002/oes_me.htm

Also check out salaries.com

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by Flyinfur

We are considering a few parts of the US and the topic of moving to Maine always comes up. Is a safe part of Maine at all affordable for younger people? As for me I work as a dog groomer, does anyone know what a pet groomer makes around Maine? Is there a very pet friendly area anyone would recommend?

Dog grooming seems to be a growth industry, at least in the midcoast region, if the problems I'm having getting an appointment are any indication. (The appointment is for our dogs, not for me, although my wife might have a different view of that!)

"Safe part of Maine": I think you'll find that, compared to just about any urban area in America, all of Maine qualifies as safe. Maine consistently is among the five states with the lowest crime rates in the country.

The Portland area and the southern coast have the highest rents/home prices, but I'm not sure what you would call affordable.

[Elcarim]

The safety issue is a funny one to me. When I see people on these boards complaining about the crime in a particular town, I get on and check the current crime stats and compare them to Texas. The worst crime areas in Maine don't hold a candle to our crime rates here. I think just about anywhere in Maine you settle, you'll be fine.

Case in Point:

Crime in Houston by Year

Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Murders 241 230 267 256 278 272 334
Rapes 748 813 945 892 768 908 872
Robberies 8,350 8,256 9,921 11,212 10,985 10,182 11,128
Assaults 12,178 12,192 12,286 12,598 11,957 12,065 11,653
Burglaries 24,744 23,254 25,108 26,905 26,522 27,110 27,541
Thefts 66,068 67,102 69,371 73,445 72,032 74,752 72,476
Auto thefts 19,445 19,864 24,089 23,939 21,451 21,563 20,408
Arson 1,735 1,642 1,758 1,696 1,553 1,255 1,262
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 325.2) 659.5 621.1 659.8 678.5 652.2 653.3 659.6


Crime in Portland by Year

Type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Murders 0 1 3 1 2 3
Rapes 59 39 42 51 35 39
Robberies 56 68 60 101 94 100
Assaults 95 92 85 89 123 125
Burglaries 516 473 636 676 523 536
Thefts 2,120 2,233 2,547 2,191 2,332 2,261
Auto thefts 23 110 152 169 156 173
Arson 19 25 26 30 16 12
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 325.2) 326.6 313.4 357.4 371.5 353.9 365.0

[stephenw]

Originally Posted by Elcarim

The safety issue is a funny one to me. When I see people on these boards complaining about the crime in a particular town, I get on and check the current crime stats and compare them to Texas. The worst crime areas in Maine don't hold a candle to our crime rates here. I think just about anywhere in Maine you settle, you'll be fine.

Case in Point:

Crime in Houston by Year

Type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Murders 241 230 267 256 278 272 334
Rapes 748 813 945 892 768 908 872
Robberies 8,350 8,256 9,921 11,212 10,985 10,182 11,128
Assaults 12,178 12,192 12,286 12,598 11,957 12,065 11,653
Burglaries 24,744 23,254 25,108 26,905 26,522 27,110 27,541
Thefts 66,068 67,102 69,371 73,445 72,032 74,752 72,476
Auto thefts 19,445 19,864 24,089 23,939 21,451 21,563 20,408
Arson 1,735 1,642 1,758 1,696 1,553 1,255 1,262
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 325.2) 659.5 621.1 659.8 678.5 652.2 653.3 659.6


Crime in Portland by Year

Type 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Murders 0 1 3 1 2 3
Rapes 59 39 42 51 35 39
Robberies 56 68 60 101 94 100
Assaults 95 92 85 89 123 125
Burglaries 516 473 636 676 523 536
Thefts 2,120 2,233 2,547 2,191 2,332 2,261
Auto thefts 23 110 152 169 156 173
Arson 19 25 26 30 16 12
City-data.com crime index (higher means more crime, U.S. average = 325.2) 326.6 313.4 357.4 371.5 353.9 365.0

Houston is about as bad as Atlanta. And Portland is like NOTHING. Try having no murders in the city of Atlanta (or Houston or New York or LA or Miami or any other city) for a year - I'd say maybe it'd work if no one went outside, but allot of families end up murdering each other anyway.

And what exactly is the difference between a Robbery and Burglary?

[Trident]

What is the difference between robbery and burglary?
Robbery is the taking of something of value from a person by force while burglary is the unlawful entering of a premises to commit a crime therein, usually theft. Robbery is commonly known as a "holdup" or a "stickup" and burglary is known as a "break in" or "breaking and entering."

Anyway. I didn't want to hijack your thread. I would assume dog grooming business would work in the Portland area. Americans spend crazy money on their best friends.

[warpedg]

Originally Posted by Flyinfur

We are considering a few parts of the US and the topic of moving to Maine always comes up. Is a safe part of Maine at all affordable for younger people? As for me I work as a dog groomer, does anyone know what a pet groomer makes around Maine? Is there a very pet friendly area anyone would recommend?

I just moved from the central/coastal area to southern Maine. I have a cairn terrier and I just recently had to find him a new groomer. Where I used to live the groomer there charged $25 for a basic shampoo/clipping. Down here in Freeport, the charge was $35 for the same services. Both shops were in private homes and both were always busy. The one here in Freeport has an additional groomer on staff and the one I had before was run by a single woman.

My old groomer had little competition in the area but there was some. Down here, Im not sure about the area competition. I do know that both shops are booked usually weeks in advance.

Hope that helps some....

[AlisonL]

Pet Smart in Portland does dog grooming. Not sure about any others in the area. Used to do my Lhasa myself. Now I have Labs so there is no need.

[American girl]

In the Ellsworth area you sometimes have to wait a month, or more, to get into a dog groomer. Sometimes your dog looks handsome when you pick him up and sometimes he looks like he's been run over with a lawn mower. I'm not sure if you can make a living at it. That always depends on how one describes "living" You can't base a big decision like this on annecdotal evidence or the thoughts of just one person. In my opinion there is a market here for a good facility that boards animals, provides good doggy day care and grooms dogs and cats.

[mollysmiles]

In our town we have Ben's Dog Wash, a self service doggie bath place that provides tubs and shampoos, conditioners, brushes...and an extra hand! They also sell dog products--quality leashes, collars, treats, bandanas. They're very nice and will even help with nail cutting. I have a Lab and a Corgi, so we don't need a groomer, but I do know that Maine has a large percentage of pet owners. It seems that you could do very well if you choose a more populated area .