Barbara Lawlor, Nederland. It’s hard to tell your pets that they are okay when they see hair flying around the room, when they hear a high power vacuum cleaner suck up the clumps of dog and cat hair, and when they have to be locked up in a kennel while they wait for their turn.
Although it is a bit early this year, the shedding season is upon us. The cooler breezes have inspired four-legged creatures to shed their undercoats and prepare for their winter coat.
After a busy, complicated summer, the Nederland Feed and Pet Store has recently opened their grooming shop. It has been a dream Adam and Abby Pause have shared since they hung their first shingle at the Feed Store.
“Abby says she learned the grooming business when she was 16. At first she brushed out the hair, but as she became proficient at making the hair fly, she included the other chores of grooming into her fluffing up process. By the time she left high school she owned a business in her home town.
She then began working at the Green Bay Pet Company where she learned basic clips, later moving to Colorado and settling in Gilpin County.
Making pets more comfortable and helping them to look great, was becoming her career goal.
In May of 2017, the couple took over the shop that used to be Dr. Fix It’s car repair shop and almost immediately they were running a successful business. In May, Abby decided to make the jump and turn the space they rented, next to the feed store, into a grooming studio.
“The timing was perfect. We changed the two-bedroom living space into an office, bathing room, drying room, with two tubs, all on the first floor.”
Last year Rosa Reyes helped Abby run the shop and is now working in the Log Cabin Grooming shop. “I didn’t want to miss a beat, this is a perfect fit.”
Last week Rosa began helping Abby. On an average day, the women work on eight to 10 dogs, rinsing, drying, trimming, cutting nails. When one dog is mostly dry, he or she is put in a room with a massive power dryer where they are allowed to walk around while the moisture get sucked out of their coat.
“The dryer lifts the hair and removes the dirty undercoat. If your dog is dirty underneath, it is difficult to get them clean. The dryer makes a huge difference.”
Teamwork also helps the women with their number of dogs, as one washes, one scrubs, one trims, and they keep the line of dogs moving. The grooming business brings in extra income and Abby and Rosa enjoy the hard labor. They lift 100-pounds, and sometime even get into the tub with the furry friends and keep the hair and dander down by constantly vacuuming and cleaning.
Grooming appointments may be made by calling, 303-258-3535.
