Since most of the animals I groom belong to professional working families, I have keys to let myself in to take care of their pets. My own dogs either snooze in the van or in a folding x-pen. In the back of my van, I carry a huge tack box, a Clipper Vac, and two grooming tables - one small and one large. I also have an extension cord on a plastic reel that accepts up to four plugs. In all but the most severe weather, I just back my van up to a garage or carport, unload my table, and work without ever unloading my tools.
Larger animals go into the bathtub, and in fine weather some dogs get an old-fashioned hose bath.
But if I were to name one personality trait that has enabled me to adjust to grooming outside of the comforts of a shop, it is that I am terribly flexible. I don't mind adjusting from bathing dogs in sunken Jacuzzi tubs to wedging myself into tiny, cramped shower stalls. The pet owners provide the towels, and after the bath I wipe the area up and head back outside to give the dog a quick walk and finish the job. My life has become richer than I ever could have imagined - rich with new friends who started out as customers, and rich with the constant companionship of animals. Ten years ago, necessity caused me to begin a way of working that would keep food on the table.