Irina “Pina” Pinkusevich found her calling as a dog groomer after immigrating from Ukraine in 1989 and working part-time as a bather. She honed her skills at some of New York’s finest grooming salons before stepping into the competitive grooming scene in 2006. Pina quickly made a name for herself, winning prestigious titles like Best In Show, Best All Around Groomer, the Lynne Carver Award (twice), and the Liz Paul Memorial Award. She also triumphed at the Winner’s Circle Jackpot in 2011 and earned the World Dog Show’s World Champion Award. From 2008 to 2013, Pina was a proud member of GroomTeam USA, competing internationally and helping her team win a Silver and two Gold medals.
Beyond her achievements in grooming, Pina is celebrated as a judge, instructor, and speaker. In 2014, she was honored with the Cardinal Crystal Award for Judge of the Year and the Barkleigh Honors Award for Up & Coming Speaker of the Year. As a National Certified Master Groomer (NCMG) with the National Dog Groomers of America, she also served as a Certifier for many years.
Pina’s passion for education brings her around the world for conferences, seminars, and workshops, including the PM Mastery Series with Ann Martin. In 2021, she launched Niira to provide top-notch, affordable grooming tools. Her journey with Groom Haüs began at its inception, and in 2024, she officially joined as Education Director and co-owner.
Pina is also deeply involved with Kiyara Poodles, Kerryfield Kennels, and Krizma Kennels, where she has bred and co-owned numerous champion Poodles and Kerry Blue Terriers. Her dedication to excellence and education has made her a beloved, well-known, and respected figure in the grooming community for good reason.
workingpeony –
Highly informative course that was both well-structured and engaging. The knowledgeable instructor made the learning process enjoyable, and I now feel more confident in applying the skills I learned.
Rachel Tebbenham –
This webinar was the reason for me signing up as trying to grow my toy poodle for comps and was 100% worth it!
Karolina Pielichowska –
Great course! Everything explained step by step with lots of helpful tips and details.
Lauren Kolitz –
Great info and techniques
Rachael Phillips –
My first Groom Haüs & Pina Webinar and I was not disappointed. So much really important information, it makes me realise after 15yrs of grooming i still have so much to still learn.
Rachel Amano –
This was a great class! I groom my own pet miniature poodle and love these classes to help improve my technique.
Jacqueline Lavallee –
Amazing course! Learned a ton of amazing information and everything was very clear on the details!
Lindsee Lee –
Phenomenal as always. Production value is top knotch, you can see so many amazing up close details. Even though they talk about specific trims Pina also discusses prep for curly coats and how to handle curly coats for scissoring. Then how she uses the dog’s habits to find a trim that fits it’s life. Always amazing tips from Groom Haus!
Sara Mock-Mason –
Packed with great information and detail!