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Allen County Edition Ed E Reaching Fort Wayne And Surrounding Counties
Vol. 34, No. 4
Dogs make Lynn Swager’s whole life: whole %\ 9,1&( /$%$5%(5$ )HDWXUH :ULWHU Actress and writer Elayne Boosler once said, “My fashion philosophy is, if you’re not covered in dog hair, your life is empty.” That quote could apply to Lynn Swager, whose life since childhood has evolved around dogs. Swager was raised in Fort Wayne with five sisters, a brother and “always with a pet dog,” she emphasized. “For as long as I can remember,” she added, “I’ve always wanted to work with dogs.” She attended Southwest Allen County and Fairfield elementary schools, graduated from South Side High School and already had begun grooming dogs. She enrolled at IPFW for two years, but was unable to satisfy her longing to study and work with dogs. So, she registered at Newberry Junior College near Boston where she earned a canine science associate’s degree. After returning to Fort Wayne, in 1982 she began working at the Waynedale Grooming Salon at 2715 Lower Huntington Road and in 1989 she purchased the business. Swager estimated she and Patrice Reider, her associate for the past 20 years, groom as many as 18 dogs and an occasional cat a day from listings of nearly 400 customers. The salon’s hours cover five days a
week from before 8 a.m. to about 5 p.m. and some Saturday mornings. Not only do both groomers care for canines throughout the week but both then show dogs many weekends. Swager currently owns three dogs, all Doberman pinschers: 9-year-old “T,” 5-year-old Storm and 5-month-old Carat, “spelled like the diamond,” Swager added. The Doberman is a mediumlarge breed of domestic dog that originally was developed around 1890 by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, a tax collector from Germany. “I like them because they are sleek and powerful, possessing both a magnificent physique and keen intelligence — one of dogkind’s noblemen,” Swager related. This incomparably fearless and vigilant breed stands proudly among the world’s finest protection dogs. A well-conditioned Doberman on patrol will deter all but the most foolish intruder. In addition to managing a grooming salon and showing her dogs, Swager also enjoys participating in dog obedience training classes as often as three nights a week at RIJU Dawg Skool held at the Candlelite Apartments Clubhouse, Fort Wayne. “Dobermans have an incredible sense of smell,” Swager said as she described working with her dogs to identify scents impossible for Continued on page 3
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