We feel that the Holistic approach is the only way to go.
So we will run all aspects of HoliDog Inn Room and Groom with that in mind.
It is all about the dog and the experience they get. We love each and every dog we work with, just as if they were our own family members. We aren't satisfied if they aren't happy and having a good time!
Meet the Owners
Clifford & Stephanie
Though they are not native to Shawnee, Clifford and Stephanie got here as quick as they could. They have been involved with dogs in one way or another for almost 25 years. They have owned their own breeding kennel from which they showed their dogs in the conformation ring, competed in obedience and taught competition-style obedience, including the local 4-H chapter. Stephanie has been grooming for as many years.
After they decided to leave the competition world behind, Stephanie began grooming for the general public. She brings with her years of show grooming experience, which gives her a different perspective than groomers fresh out of grooming school. Stephanie believes very strongly that the bottom line is, it's all about the dog. Stephanie is Shawnee's first holistic groomer. She is dedicated to her grooming style even though she cannot do as many dogs in a day as some other shops do. This allows her to be hands-on from beginning to end with every one of her four-legged clients.
She receives the dogs personally and delivers them personally to their owners. She expects the same out of all her groomers. There are minimal dogs in the grooming salon because the schedule is designed for the groomers to begin on your dog at its scheduled appointment time. This eliminates almost all required crate time. Crates are used in the grooming salon for safety reasons only, NOT for drying! Every effort is made to call the owner so that they arrive around the same time the groom is complete, again eliminating additional crate time.
Dogs are not allowed to walk around in the grooming salon because it creates a stressful environment for the dog on the table. After all, they can't get down and run around as well. Holistic grooming is all about the experience the dog has while being groomed. Negative attitudes and rough handling of a dog are simply not tolerated!
If a groomer has a bad attitude, they will get a bad attitude right back from the dog. It's common sense. Stephanie will tell you upfront they may not be perfectly straight on their first groom if they have ever been hurt during grooming, but they will leave happy. Forcing a perfect haircut is just not worth it. Once they begin to realize that they will not be harmed when they come to her or her groomers, it's like a little miracle happens, and they begin to like being pampered!
Clifford and Stephanie both share a deep passion for dogs. They have a Standard Schnauzer named Dooney, and a Miniature Schnauzer named Coach, that have taken over as their children. They believe that dogs, much like children, would prefer to be with others and are allowed to run and play throughout the day whenever possible. They believe that when owners have to leave them to go out of town, they should be pampered just as if they were still at home. This is how they came to combine Stephanie's love for dogs and grooming into an all in one boutique style establishment for grooming, boarding and daycare.