Dog guru Jonathan David was already a star stylist before he signed on
for Animal Planet’s canine competition, Groomer Has It – he’s primped the
pooches of A-listers like Ralph Lauren, Kevin Kline, and Ivana Trump. But
the series, airing Saturday nights at 9 p.m. on the Animal Planet network,
lets the sexy New Yorker bring out his competitive side.
It’s also allowed him to get his message out. A firm believer that a dog’s
health and grooming go hand in hand, Jonathan David has become a champion
for canine healthcare, nutrition, and general fabulousness.
photo by Eli Hue Photography
Mel Sulivan: Congratulations on
making it to the finals of Groomer
Has It!
Johnathan David: Thank you! It’s
been quite a journey.
MS: With other similar style competition
shows out there such
as Project Runway and Make Me
a Supermodel, what made you
decide to do a show like this?
JD: Well, the first thing was obviously
the $50,000 prize money. The
second: I’m a huge reality TV fan.
When I saw there was a show being
done about my profession I jumped
at the chance.
MS: So how did you come to be
involved?
JD: A friend of mine saw a posting
on an Internet site. She contacted
me and when I read it I immediately
sent an e-mail. I got a response the
very next morning and we started
the audition process.
MS: Let’s talk about how gay
men are presented on television.
Is there a glass ceiling mostly
confining gay men to certain
roles on TV?
JD: I’d have to say I think so. Gay
culture has slowly made its way into
the mainstream but only within a
context that the general population
feels comfortable with, like hairstylists
and designers. It’s almost as
if the message is that it’s okay to
be gay if you fit the stereotype but
if you’re a gay person that doesn’t
scream ‘homosexual’ on the
outside than that’s where it gets
uncomfortable for some because
they can’t see it.
MS: What was the hardest challenge
for you?
JD: Honestly, the challenges were
pretty easy for me. I’ve done so
much in this field and nothing was a
real surprise. The most challenging
thing for me was dealing with
so many big personalities. We all
wanted to be the star.
MS: How did the contestants get
along? Who was the best sport?
Worst?
JD: For the most part, we all got
along pretty well, considering we’d
never met before and we had one
bathroom. There were a few tense
moments but we kept it cute. The
best sport was probably Jasper; he
was very non-confrontational. The
worst was Will; he seemed to throw
a fit about everything.
MS: Was everyone portrayed the
way they are in real life?
JD: Editing is a tricky thing. Obviously
if you hear it, it was said but
not always in the context it seems.
Basically, don’t judge reality contestants
by what you see.
MS: What are the worst and best
things about being in strangers’
living rooms across the country?
JD: The worst is that I had no control
over what people actually got to
see and hear and sometimes I was
depicted kinda badly. The best thing
is that it’s given me the notoriety to
speak about important dog-related
topics such as nutrition and proper
care and people will actually listen a
bit more closely now.
MS: You’re taping a new show for
Animal Planet?
JD: Yes! I taped a few segments for
a show called Dogs 101 coming out
this fall. It’s basically an encyclopedia
of dogs for TV. I’m one of the experts,
along with a vet, a trainer and
some breeders that do commentary
about different dogs, their personality,
trainability and history.
MS: Where do you see yourself in
five years?
JD: Wow, the possibilities are
endless. I just released a shampoo
and conditioner line for dogs called
NYCanine. Everything in the line is
made with rooibos tea, an amazing
herb that does wonders for the skin.
Groomer Has It airs Saturdays at
9 p.m. on Animal Planet. For more
information on Jonathan David, visit
www.NYCanine.com.