When customers are happy with the job done by Devon Smith or
Coleen Coronado, they wag their tails. At Country Groomers that’s
the best response possible.
When customers are happy with the job done by Devon Smith or Coleen Coronado, they wag their tails. At Country Groomers that’s the best response possible. Their motto, “Warm Hearts for Cold Noses,” is just one of the many ways Country Groomers shows true caring for the animals they groom.
The shop was opened by Donna Smith in 1994. Her daughter Devon Smith and son-in-law Eddie Howell bought the shop in August 2000. Coleen Coronado, who’s been grooming dogs for about four years, is shop manager.
“I used to bring my poodle in to Devon’s mom,” she said. “I was training horses at the time and Devon’s mom asked me if I wanted a job. I started off washing dogs and eventually learned to groom.”
An animal lover, Smith has been following her mom’s footsteps since she was little.
“Before she owned her own shop, my mom worked at Pet Pals,” she said. “Ever since I was 7 I used to walk to Pet Pals after school and help my mom. During the summers I’d stay all day.”
Smith graduated from high school ahead of her class, then moved to Las Vegas where her sister is a groomer and trained with her. When her mother decided to retire, Smith and her husband bought the shop.
“We don’t run our shop like an assembly line. We run it like a hair salon,” she said. “Coleen and I each have our regular customers. We check them in, groom them then check them out. They’re with us the whole time. A lot of people say they can’t believe how happy their animals are to come to the groomer. Animals sense everything. Our environment is very calm.”
Both Smith and Coronado are Certified Animal Hygienists. They’ve attended special classes that feature everything from safety to types of products to use.
In addition to grooming all breeds of dogs, Country Groomers offers nail painting, specialty clips, toenail trims and ear cleaning as well as shampoos, nail trimming and soft-paw services for cats.
Monthly dental cleaning clinics are offered at Country Groomers by Barbara Sargent of Poochie Smiles.
“She’s great with the animals,” Coronado said. “Besides cleaning their teeth, she does homeopathic massage. She’s amazing to watch.”
Coronado, a recent recipient of Pet Friends’ “Pet Lover of the Month” award, has her own special touch with animals.
“They brought in a rescue cat that was in really bad shape,” Smith said. “It needed a bath but no one wanted to touch it because it was so out of control. Coleen agreed to give it a try. I’m not usually a cat groomer but this was a two-person job.”
Coronado said the cat was so neglected that it couldn’t relieve itself.
“His anal and urine areas had been caked shut with feces and urine,” she said. “After we finished bathing him and everything was clean, he started loving life. You could see the change in him. He was crawling on the desk as if he was saying ‘Thank you, thank you.’ Pet Friends fell in love with him too.”
While neglect cases are distressful, Country Groomers has a lot of fun stories too.
“During the 4th of July last year, one of our customers wanted his poodle to look cool,” Smith said. “We gave him a mohawk and dressed him in pants and a T-shirt. When his wife came in to pick him up she was shocked. Her husband hadn’t told her what he was planning on doing.”
That’s the kind of personal attention animals get at Country Groomers.
“Everything we do is one-on-one,” Smith said. “They’re loved and cuddled with a lot of baby talk. We don’t rush any job. We take the time needed to make this a happy experience for all our customers.”
Country Groomers is located at 1 South Street. They operate on an appointment basis and are open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 636-7666.
