Katie's Pampered Pets

06/17/2025

I have openings this week for meet and treats for new clients! I understand that leaving your babies with someone new can be worrisome, for both you and your pup. My goal is to remove as much of that worry as possible. During the meet and treat, you'll be able to ask any questions you may have, observe the workspace, and see how your pup responds to me and the grooming process as I assess their comfort level with handling and various grooming tools. You'll be provided with a much more accurate estimated price and time needed. Most importantly, however, is that your pup will have the opportunity to become familiar with me and the space in a low pressure setting. This can help set your pup up for success in grooming! Call or text today!

04/12/2025

I cannot say enough good things about Wiregrass Horse Rescue & Sanctuary!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1586LcMWam/

Enter your photo, cast a vote, or reserve a day in the calendar! You can also visit our website for detailed information here: https://wiregrasshorserescuesanctuary.org/2026-calendar

How It Works:

Photo Contest-Individuals can enter a photo of their horse for a $5 donation. The contest will run from April 1, 2025 until August 1, 2025. Link Here: https://www.gogophotocontest.com/wiregrasshorserescueandsanctuary
The Public can vote ($1 per vote, unlimited voting)
The Top 12 photos will be featured as “Horse of the Month” (Month cover page) in our 2026 calendar
Reserve a Day to Honor a Pet
For a $10 donation, individuals can reserve a day in the calendar to feature their pet’s photo on a specific date

How your business can help:

We are seeking sponsors to support this fundraiser and, in return, offer your business visibility across multiple platforms. Sponsors will receive:

A business card-sizes ad featured in our photo contest online for 4 months
Placement in our printed calendar
Recognition on our website and social media platforms
Sponsorship Packages:

1 Month – Black &White text $150, Color/Logo $200
3 Months - Black &White text $425, Color/Logo $575
6 Months -Black &White text $850, Color/Logo $1,150
9 Months - Black &White text $1,275, Color/Logo $1,725
12 Months - Black &White text $1,700, Color/Logo $2,300

If your company is interested in becoming an official sponsor for our 2026 calendar, please let us know. We would love to have you as a partner in this meaningful project You can click below to become a sponsor or email us at: [email protected]

04/12/2025

I have openings next week for new client meet and greets! What's a meet and greet and why do I do them? Glad you asked! A meet and greet is an opportunity for your dog (and you) to meet me and check out my space. In the spirit of Fear Free, it's a great chance to minimize stress for your baby. Many dogs find new places and new people to be intimidating, sometimes downright scary. Even super social pups can be over excited and overstimulated. By allowing them a chance to get all their sniffs in prior to their grooming appointment, it helps to relieve that anxiety (and yes, excitement can be a symptom of anxiety). It gives them a chance to meet me and explore the space with little to no pressure. This way when they come in for their grooming appointment, they're already familiarized with me and the space.

Meet and greets aren't just for the dogs benefit, though! It gives us a chance to chat, for us to get to know one another a bit. After all, you need to feel comfortable with me as well. It's a big ask to ask someone to trust you with their baby, I get that. I'd want to get to know the person I'm leaving my dog with. The meet and greet gives us both the opportunity to ask any questions we may have. We chat while your pup roams and investigates uninhibited. We can discuss your pups likes and dislikes, any triggers he or she may have, what your grooming goals are, health or mobility issues, etc.

The meet and greet is also beneficial to me. Once your pup has had a chance to get in all the sniffs and has shown signs of settling after the initial excitement, I'll take the opportunity to assess their comfort and stress levels with different parts of the groom. You get to observe your dogs comfort with being on the grooming table, having his different areas handled (the feet are a big one), how he reacts to the dryer, the sound and feel of the clippers (no blade attached, of course), the feel of the dremel. This gives us a guide to setting realistic grooming goals, and can point out areas that we, as a team, may need to work on both at home and in the shop. All of this helps me to determine where your baby would fit best in the schedule. Is he extra nervous, will I need to schedule time to allow him to dry under fans instead of with the dryer? Is he going to need extra breaks? Maybe your pup is older and appreciates a short nap after the bath and blow dry. Is he reactive around other dogs, so would need to be scheduled as an only dog appointment? Is he super relaxed and chill so can fit pretty much anywhere? I take all of these into account when I schedule, so that your pup can have the best experience possible.

I firmly believe that the role of a groomer in a dogs life is an important one. Your pup will generally spend more time with their groomer than they will with anyone else outside your family and close friends. We groomers get to know your pups likes, dislikes, we're often the first to notice a new growth or abnormality, coat change or even change in behavior. It's important that you find the groomer that you're both comfortable and happy with and trust. The meet and greet is just the start to hopefully a long relationship. If you'd like to schedule yours, just call or text 334-447-9399.

Send a message to learn more

04/10/2025

Stolen from another groomer
I keep seeing people in local groups ask if there are any dog groomers who aren’t “crazy expensive.” And I totally get it. Money and finances are personal and important. But I want to gently reframe that question a bit.
What if instead of asking for a cheap groomer, we started asking if there are groomers who are trained, experienced, and continuing their education?
Because here’s something a lot of pet parents don’t know. Dog grooming is an unregulated industry. That means literally anyone can start grooming without any real training, certification, or knowledge about animal safety. (Isn't that scary?!)
Your dog is a living, breathing animal. One that moves while someone is working on them with sharp tools. Skill matters. Experience matters. Education matters.
There are some incredible groomers out there!
The ones doing it the right way.
They’re getting certified, investing in continued education, and going to trade shows and local classes. Some are even part of the Local Professional Pet Groomers Association, which means they’re holding themselves to a higher standard of care and professionalism.
Prices will always vary based on time, experience, and quality. And that’s okay. But when it comes to your dog’s safety and comfort, it’s worth considering more than just the cost.
It’s time we normalize asking things like:
•Are they experienced
•Have they invested in continued education?
•Is their salon clean and calm?
•Do they understand dog behavior and safe handling?
In the long run, choosing the right groomer isn’t about saving money.
It’s about making sure your pet is in the safest hands possible.
Not the cheapest price that may end up at a vet's clinic, Or worse!!

04/07/2025

Fear Free Grooming. What is it? How is it different than "traditional" or "regular" grooming? There can be a lot of confusion or misunderstanding about what Fear Free is vs what it isn't, both for pet owners and pet professionals. I hear it a lot from other groomers in some of the online grooming groups, "Oh so you have to ask permission from the dog to do it's nails?" or "I'd never groom a dog without restraints, it's not safe!" "If you stop when he starts fighting, the dog wins" "Just put a muzzle on them and get it over with". Pet owners sometimes think that Fear Free = zero stress, that somehow there is some magical way for their dog to suddenly accept grooming with little to no effort. That their dog that was previously strongly averse to grooming will suddenly become cooperative and accepting. Neither of these things are true.

Fear Free is a process, it's valuing your pets freedom of choice, closely watching their body language for signs of stress, listening to them when they tell you their stressed or afraid. It's working to manage their stress levels instead of just pushing through to get it done or turning it into a competition. This may mean incorporating treats, breaks, play time, switching up tasks (trimming the nails on one foot and then switching to brushing for a few minutes if the dog finds nail trims overly stressful, for example), incorporating training or even breaking the grooming up into multiple appointments if the dogs stress level is to high. I'll often stop a groom for a few minutes and engage the dog in a game of fetch or just let them nap or play with a toy to decompress when they start showing signs of rising stress before continuing the groom. I incorporate training into grooming, teaching them to use the ramp to get in and out of the tub, on and off the lowered table for example. Teaching them these skills helps to build their confidence and helps to build a bond and trust with me. Often times the pet owner is sent home with some homework, tips on what they can do at home to help desensitize the dog in between appointments.

Restraints are still used for safety purposes, but it's the absolute minimum restraint required. A loop across the chest as a safety measure to keep a dog from accidentally stepping off the table, or from jumping out of the tub. Maybe a hammock for the pups with limited mobility. Sometimes prescription meds are suggested for dogs with extreme stress levels.

Fear Free is a team effort between the pet owner, the groomer, and sometimes the veterinarian. The ultimate end goal is for the dog to be relaxed and even cooperative for grooming. Some dogs get there faster than others, some dogs learn to enjoy it, some dogs simply learn to tolerate it. Throughout the process, Fear Free is about meeting each dog where they are, on their time frame, as opposed to demanding cooperation or submission.

Send a message to learn more

03/15/2025

Sweet Walter came in for his first ever grooming appointment today. He did so well!! His family has done an amazing job in preparing him for grooming, so instead of being frightened and stressed, he was happy and playful. I schedule puppies for mini groom sessions for the first time or 2, we work up to full grooms. The first appointment or 2 are all about building trust and desensitizing to the bath, dryer, clippers, etc. I like to take my time with puppies so they learn to trust me and become comfortable in the shop. This means play time is scheduled into the appointment. Best part of the job! We had a great time with table training and a short game of fetch. I can't wait to see him again in a month.

03/10/2025

Hey everyone. With the influx of new clients recently, I felt like I should post an introduction. My name is Stacy (our namesake, Katie, is my daughter), I'm 48 yrs old and have had a lifelong passion for animals. I purchased the business back in 2015, and what a journey it has been! I'm an occasional foster for WAG - Wiregrass Animal Group and volunteer for Wiregrass Horse Rescue & Sanctuary when time allows. I've been involved in rescue of some sort or another pretty much my whole life, and I'm proud to say we've rescued, fostered and rehabbed numerous dogs, cats, horses and even a goat once. I'm passionate about animal care, and believe it is our duty as caretakers to educate ourselves and provide the best care we possibly can.

I've always found myself drawn to the animals that no one else wanted, the difficult cases, the frightened ones, the ones that need that extra time and work. Through my work with abused horses, I learned about positive reinforcement, consent based training, confidence building, and a whole lot of other things like how fear and stress affect the learning process.

I started applying these concepts to the dogs I work with. We slowed down, focused more on creating a calm, quiet environment as opposed to a busy, loud salon with multiple dogs in and out all day. The dogs responded. They were calmer, more at ease, more willing to accept what we needed to do to complete their groom. I took it a step further and became Fear Free certified. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a previously frightened dog that required medication, being muzzled or multiple people and or restraints to safely grooom now happily walk in, no longer requiring medication or muzzles or even restraints.

I'm still learning every day, I'm a firm believer that learning is a lifelong endeavor. I'm excited about where this journey will take me next, and all the people and pups I will get to meet along the way and the things I will learn from them.

03/09/2025

Sweet Mya recently splurged on a rejuvenating deshed spa day, because, let's be real, she's the real queen around here. Mya lives for the attention and her mom is just thrilled to have less Mya fluff floating around the house. I was pretty stoked about the perfect weather, too - who needs a messy shop? Check out that white powder on the dryer hose - it's like a snowstorm of dander, dust, and dead hair, all courtesy of Mya's luscious locks. The pre-bath blowout is just the beginning of this fancy, multi-step process to keep the shedding to a minimum. To schedule your pups own spa day, just text 334-447-9399.

03/09/2025

Got an active pup on your hands? Need a way to keep them busy, mentally stimulated and engaged while also providing you with a bit of entertainment? Get yourself one of these. I like to block off my hallway and watch the fun.

good

03/05/2025

Sweet Amber was spayed today, courtesy of Daleville Animal Hospital and WAG - Wiregrass Animal Group. Poor girl also tested positive for heartworms, so that will be her next hurdle to overcome. If you'd like to donate towards her care, you can do so by clicking on the link for WAG. You can also apply to adopt in the same place.

03/05/2025

Shedding season is here! Let me save your sanity! Text today to schedule your pup's appointment! 334-447-9399