06/04/2026
🐾✨ Meet This Little Fluff Ball ✨🐾
These photos may look like a cute little white dog with a fresh haircut, but when I look at him, I see something so much bigger.
I see years of trust.
I see patience.
I see consistency.
I see relationship building.
And honestly, I see exactly why I do what I do.
I've been grooming this sweet boy since he was a puppy, and from day one, grooming was hard for him.
He was extremely clipper-sensitive. The sound, the vibration, the entire experience was scary. We don't know exactly why. Maybe he wasn't exposed to grooming early enough as a puppy. Maybe he had a bad experience somewhere along the way. The truth is, sometimes we simply don't know.
What I did know was that forcing him through it wasn't the answer.
Those first few appointments were almost entirely hand-scissored. It took longer. It wasn't the easiest way. It certainly wasn't the most profitable way.
But it was what he needed.
Appointment after appointment, we worked together.
Little victories became bigger victories.
Trust slowly replaced fear.
And today felt like one of those victories. ❤️
Today I was able to grind all of his nails without any fuss. We still couldn't shave out his paw pads, so instead I carefully scissored them.
Is he perfect?
No.
But he's comfortable.
He's trusting.
And that's what matters.
At one point while I was on maternity leave and while my son was going through some health challenges, he was groomed elsewhere. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the other groomer. They did their best.
But for a dog like this, routine matters.
Familiarity matters.
Trust matters.
When I saw him again, it felt like we had gone all the way back to square one.
I'll admit there were moments when I wondered if we would ever get back to where we were.
But we did.
And today, I honestly believe we were even better than before.
The reason we've had success is simple:
⏳ Time.
This groom takes me roughly two hours, but I schedule three.
Not because I need three hours every visit.
Because I want three hours available if he needs them.
If he's having a bad day, I don't have to rush him.
I don't have to force him.
I don't have to choose between his comfort and staying on schedule.
I can simply meet him where he is that day.
Unfortunately, that's not how every grooming salon is structured.
When I first entered this industry, I worked in environments where dogs were booked every hour, on the hour. It didn't matter what the dog needed. It didn't matter how anxious they were.
The expectation was simple:
"Get the dog done."
Looking back, there are things I did early in my career that I'm not proud of. I wasn't a bad groomer—I simply didn't know there was another way.
I was taught that speed mattered more than relationships.
I was taught that every dog was a dollar sign.
The more dogs I completed, the more money I made. The more dogs the salon completed, the more money the salon made. Keeping prices low meant moving dogs through as quickly as possible.
But over time, I started noticing something.
The days when I wasn't rushed were always my favorite days.
The days when I could slow down and truly work with the dog in front of me were the days I went home happy.
The dogs were calmer.
The grooms were better.
The experience was better for everyone involved.
And I realized something that changed my life:
I didn't want to spend my career fighting with dogs just to earn a paycheck.
I wanted to build trust.
I wanted to create positive experiences.
I wanted to genuinely love what I do.
That realization changed everything.
Eventually, I became so burned out, stressed, and heartbroken that I left the industry for a period of time.
When I came back, I promised myself I would do things differently.
Today, after over 25 years in this industry, I am building a business around one simple belief:
🐾 Every dog deserves to be treated as an individual. 🐾
Not every Bichon should take the same amount of time.
Not every Doodle should fit into the same schedule and price.
Not every puppy, senior dog, rescue dog, or anxious dog should be expected to behave exactly the same.
Because they aren't the same.
They're individuals.
And when groomers are given the time they need, something amazing happens.
The groomer is less stressed.
The dog is less stressed.
The owner feels more confident.
Everybody wins.
It's not about packing as many dogs into a day as possible just to get by.
It's about slowing down.
It's about stepping back.
It's about focusing on the individual dog standing in front of us.
That's why our grooming is priced by the hour rather than by breed or size.
Every dog is different.
Every dog has different fears.
Different personalities.
Different needs.
Different challenges.
Different strengths.
We aren't creating cookie-cutter appointments.
We're building relationships.
In fact, it's right there in our name:
❤️ Reba's with A Personal Touch Pet Salon LLC ❤️
That philosophy is the entire reason I started this business.
And after years of dreaming, learning, growing, struggling, and rebuilding, we are finally in a space where we can truly provide the personalized experience that every pet, every client, and every groomer deserves.
Dogs absolutely pick up on our emotions.
They know when we're rushed.
They know when we're frustrated.
They know when we're stressed.
But they also know when they're safe.
They know when they're being heard.
And they know when someone is willing to be patient with them.
That's why our mission has never been about simply giving haircuts.
It's about creating an experience that works for the pet, the owner, and the groomer.
Because when all three are successful, that's where the magic happens. ✨
This little guy reminds me exactly why I do what I do.
It's not about the groom.
It's not about the haircut.
It's not about how many dogs I can fit into a day.
It's about the relationship.
It's about trust.
It's about helping a dog realize that grooming doesn't have to be scary anymore.
And sometimes, that means more than the perfect haircut ever could. ❤️🐾
✨ Cultivating relationships, not just appointments. ✨
