01/23/2026
Dear Chelsea’s clients ❤️
By now most of you know I have not been able to be at the shop. To the people who have reached out, I apologize. I feel that I do owe everyone an explanation. I kind of mentally/emotionally shut down when things get really bad. I can usually pull it off and put on a happy face but this time I just couldn’t. I am a very private person and not big on sharing everything going on in my life. I barely ever use social media. I actually deactivated my Facebook for a bit because I just didn’t know what to tell people yet. I promise I was not ignoring anyone on purpose.All the messages got overwhelming especially since I didn’t have an answer of when/if I could return to work.
Long story short, I was in a car accident last year and nothing has been the same since. I had an L3-S1 spinal fusion. My healing was going well but the type of surgery I had needs more than 6 months of healing, especially since grooming is a very physically demanding job.
Trust me, this is not where I thought I would be right now. I thought eventually I would be opening a grooming school or move to a bigger, more convenient location.
During my healing process I have had plenty of time to work on myself. So that got me thinking, when I opened the shop in February 2020, 6 years ago i had to shut down a few weeks later because of covid.
2021 bought a house 🏡
2022 got married ❤️ 💍
2022 I needed a c5-6 fusion because I couldn’t feel my right arm/hand due to a pinched nerve and bone spurs.
2023 I had to have a surgery to remove endometriosis and a large cyst on my o***y.
September 2024 I had my son 🥰(my greatest accomplishment)
2025 hit by someone DUI at 2pm on a freaking Tuesday. Totaled my car. Thank goodness my son wasn’t with me.
2025 L3- S1 spinal fusion
The reason I bring some of these situations up is not for pity, I did not ask for a lot of this. No sane person would. Yes, I’m “young” and “look healthy” and I am healthy, I just have some obstacles to deal with and I need some more time. I don’t know why this stuff happens to me. I am just trying to deal with it the best way possible. but my point is I always came back earlier than I should have. I tried to never let it affect my business. So I never let myself fully heal because I was worried about my clients and keeping dogs on a proper grooming schedule and basically just trying to keep everyone happy.
Pleaaaaase do not think I never cared about your pets. The problem is I care too much. If I start talking to clients and coming into the shop I know I will end up doing more than I can because I have a hard time saying no or watching other people groom my dogs. It sucks everyday knowing all the dogs I took care of and worked with over the years are now being groomed by others. I truly do have a special bond with each and every dog in my care. Over the years I’ve seen my clients more than I have seen most of my family! Ive seen a lot of your own children grow up and get drivers license and go to college. Clients getting married and starting families. Going through break ups. Becoming grandparents. Family drama. Adding new pets to the family. It wasn’t just about the money or the perfect groom. I’ve heard about some of the best and worst times in your lives. So I owe the same to you. Especially since I probably won’t see a lot of you.
With that being said I have decided to close Chelsea’s paw spa. I’m not saying this is the end of my grooming career but I have other priorities right now that need my full attention. And if I ever want to fully get back into grooming again I need to fully heal. So I have decided to hit pause. I need to focus on my family and my health. I hope you can respect and understand my decision. It was not an easy one to make. That shop was like my baby when I opened it. Nothing else mattered but the doggos 🐶❤️
Deanne is taking over with Paws and Claws pet grooming.
Everything will stay the same other than the name and phone number and I will not be there. All appointments booked with Shelly or Deanne remain the same.
412-257-8727 is the new phone number.
I would have sent out a letter to each and every one of you but I don’t have addresses. Also I am truly sorry to the dogs that have horrible anxiety for grooming and I was “their person” for grooming. I think about them all the time. Honestly It breaks my heart knowing I can’t help them right now.
So If you read all of this and dont completely hate me. if I’ve ever groomed your pet please leave a picture of your dogs in the comments so I can print it out and put it on a poster.
