Natalie's pet grooming and boarding

07/22/2024

We finally got our website up and running!!😁
We want your feedback so please take a minute and check it out and let us know what you think!

Our Mission Statement: Our objective is to provide a safe, clean and healthy environment, to always have the pet's best interest at heart, and to always be a voice for them.

07/19/2024

Hey to all my beautiful clients out there..
Wanted to make a post about some changes lately.
As most of you know, we have been doing price increases since November. This has been a necessary step with all the price increases that I have incurred with running the shop.( Lord knows EVERYTHING has gone way up in the last several yrs🙄)
And also as most of you know, I haven't taken on any new clients in over a yr for full service grooms. This is to enable space for my already established clients. I can still take on baths, mini grooms and maintenance grooms for new clients, just not full service. But now I have needed to go down to a 4 day work week, Mon-Thurs for the most part. So with that being said, my schedule was already full and now it's even tighter. Hence why we have gotten stricter about no shows and last minute cancellations, that we now charge for in order to honor the next appt. And also for confirmation of appts. We absolutely understand that stuff happens with life, just as it does with myself and my team. But if you have to cancel, reschedule or don't confirm an appt with me, I may not have an opening until your next scheduled appt that I have already put on the books to ensure a spot. If I haven't "seen" your pup in months, I may not be able to get them back on the books unless I get a cancellation.
I also have a "groomer in training" with me.
We are back in full swing of the expansion for Daycare and Boarding. And looking at opening up Daycare on Saturdays (which may be pre-paid, non refundable reservations. We want our clients well taken care of and that entails scheduled employees)
Wanted to say thank you once again to all of our loyal clients and that we appreciate you letting us take part in the care of your pups. For letting them bless our hearts in a way that impacts us for life♥️

07/11/2024

Faith and her "butt scritches"🥰

07/10/2024

Lucy Belle had a moosesss😁 Daisy was just there for the luvins🥰

07/10/2024

Teddi - bear♥️

07/10/2024

🥰

07/09/2024

🥰🥰🥰

07/08/2024

I want to give a shout-out to a nail client of ours and a friend of mine, for helping out tremendously with our cat population outside the shop, the pregnant mama I have at the house trying to give a safe space to for delivery and our DC pups some treats. This took a huge stress off of me for a while😁♥️Thank you Tiffany Brooks (and her friend Bobby)🥰

07/08/2024

One of my clients dogs. Lost since July 5th.
Owner contact 478-279-1203
Please share in Milly area and surrounding

07/05/2024

A little before holiday videos🥰

07/03/2024

Last of the pics of my team.
Princess thought "all" the pics were about her😂 (she still needs a home btw♥️)
Thank you for all the comments and support for the "meet and greet"🥰

07/03/2024

Had time for a photoshoot today🥰
Some of these faces crack me up😂♥️

07/03/2024

🤦🏻‍♀️Getting caught up on posting😁
Chance and Scotty🥰

07/02/2024

Pretty Girl wants to remind everyone to PLEASE have your pups secure for the 4th of July chaos of fireworks and guns. Be safe✌🏻

07/02/2024

❓Do you know me❓

This beautiful boy was found off of Brown's Crossing in Milledgeville.

Please share to help him get back to his home!

*Proof of ownership is required for reclaim.*

07/01/2024

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

06/29/2024

Had some help today on renovations...
Thank you Kylie, Princess and Pretty Girl🥰

06/28/2024

Some of the behind the scenes of what it takes to get pics of these furballs😂

06/27/2024

And for those that think I'm a ghost in the back...Heyyyy👋🏻
I am the owner and groomer here at Natalie's.
I have been chasing down dogs and cats since I was in diapers to sn**ch them up and pet them😁 In my early 20's I was told I should be a dog groomer. That was ludicrous to me. I didn't want to cut hair🙄 In 1993, I decided I liked the idea, and took off back to my home state of Fla with a 1 yr old for grooming school. 8 months later we returned to Ga, after completing school, an emergency appendectomy, a car repo🤦🏻‍♀️and the tragic death of one of our dogs.
I owned my own grooming and boarding for about 12 yrs. Unfortunately due to medical issues arising from all the dematting and hand sc******ng I was doing, I ended up with carpal tunnel and tendonitis and had to close my beloved shop. I couldn't stay away and was miserable in everything else I tried to do. So 9 yrs later I jumped back in and have been back to my passion for almost 10 yrs. 2 1/2 yrs ago opening my own place back up, this time adding daycare to the mix. It's a lot of work, mentally and physically to run a business and to be the only groomer. But I have a loyal team that I have learned to rely on and trust over time.
This job is not glamorous. None of us get to "play with puppies" all day. I have been pooped and peed on. Vomited on. Had a**l glands shot on me🤢. Gas passed in my face. Been bit more times than I can ever keep count of. And even had my face chewed up. I have spent the night with sick boarding dogs. Endured multitudes of phone calls of passed on pups. Some not so peacefully. I have worked running a fever, worked with migraines and also in tears from my own life events. But this is truly where I am supposed to be and I wouldn't trade it for any other career.
Not everyone can handle my directness or bluntness. I also have a resting bitch face that doesn't help🤦🏻‍♀️and a sarcastic sense of humor, but you can bet your life that I have a love for the dogs that pass thru my doors every single day. And THEIR well being and safety is my number 1 priority.
My favorite part of the job is when I get a chance to interact with my pups off the grooming table. Their personalities shine thru and it warms my heart to see them happy. I have 4 rescue pups of my own, a sassy 26 yr old umbrella cockatoo and a rescue cat at home. At work we have 3 rescue cats and a senior dog residing with us as part of our work family. Not on purpose, mind you, it just happened🤷🏻‍♀️
I love the beach(or just being on the water in general), music and spending time with my kids outside of work.
My dream for this shop is to see it continue to grow and be a safe and healthy place for pups and employees alike.
Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for the loyalty and support over the yrs and for entrusting your furball hearts into our hands♥️

06/26/2024

Hey y'all!
My next "meet and greet" warms my heart.
My "shy" Shay🫣.
Not gonna lie y'all, everyone that is still with me, was almost fired in the beginning of their employment, at least 3 times. Shay exceeded that😂 I could not for the life of me figure out what this woman was doing trying to work in the animal industry. But when I looked past my frustration, I saw a woman willing to learn and try her best. And that meant something to me. Shay has become invaluable to me. She is my right hand behind the scenes. She has fallen in love with the dogs and wants to learn to groom. She is my sounding board and also my friend. Way to go girl, I am proud of you!
Give a shout out to my girl Shay!

Heyyy my name is Shay and I have been working with Natalie's pet boarding and grooming for 2 years now. I came to work with no experience. When I say I had no experience, I didn't even know how to hold a dog. She took the time to teach me everything. The best part of this job is to see the grooming, before and after on the pups. It gives me a good feeling knowing I'm a part of a family that makes them look and smell good. And that gives them a safe place to stay while their parents are gone/working. I enjoy coming to work to interact with the pups and learn their different personalities. I'm looking forward to many more years with this family and learning new things.

06/25/2024

Next up on our "meet and greet" is our girl Kylie that I feel most of you know already. She has been my manager for about a yr now and was one of my DC/boarding employees before that.
I saw something in Kylie that made me decide that I needed her in management and she has def become my right hand, as well as a best friend. I have watched her grow into this position and form relationships with the pups and our clients and I trust her utterly and completely. Thank you Kylie for taking a chance on me and the pups.
Give a shout out to our girl Kylie!

Hey, my name is Kylie. I’m the manager here at Natalie’s and I’ve been here almost 2 years now. I think it’s a funny story how I got here. So years ago, I had a bad experience working with dogs and I swore up and down I would never do it again. Well in 2022 I moved to Milledgeville to live with my now-fiancée and like most 20-something’s starting out, I was absolutely desperate for a job. My fiancée saw a post Natalie made saying she was hiring for a daycare employee and told me I should apply. I was extremely hesitant but applied anyway because I had experience with dogs and needed a job that badly. I thought it would be a very short term thing and then I would move on to use my Criminal Justice degree. I truly could not have been more wrong. I fell in love with that first group of daycare dogs I met (our OG’s) and the shop/team environment. Natalie took some getting used to for me (my nonconfrontational self didn’t know how to handle her bluntness lol), but now she is genuinely one of my best friends and I’m extremely grateful for that. I love this job for many reasons, but the most is being able to form real connections with these dogs, especially the daycare and boarding dogs where we really learn their personalities and see their quirks come out. The other reason I love this job is the team mentality. We all have our main jobs, but we all do make an effort to help anyone else that needs it. I feel it’s an impressive feat in a workplace to have such trust in your coworkers to always have your back. One of my favorite parts of the day is being able to tell the daycare parent’s stories of what funny things their dogs did that day or what new friends they made. My least favorite part is telling my boy pictured here with me that he’s the reason I’m going to lose my hearing by the time I’m 30😂 After work I go home to my fiancée, our dog (a rottweiler mix), 3 cats, multiple fish tanks, and sometimes some foster kittens thrown in the mix too. I will always take any excuse to talk about fish tanks or show pictures of my babies. My favorite thing to do when I get home are to sit on our front porch and tend to our many, many plants out there (lovingly referred to as “my jungle”). I see myself sticking around here for a very long time. I tell Natalie on a regular basis that she couldn’t get rid of me even if she tried. I hope to eventually become a dog trainer and add that to our list of services! That’s next on my list after we get these renovations finished😂

06/24/2024

So I messed up yesterday🤦🏻‍♀️
Allyssa was supposed to be next up on our "meet and greet" with being the next newest employee, so here she is. She works mostly in bathing but also fills in for daycare when needed. Allyssa falls hard for some of our fur kids and I will look over and they will be on her hip😂 Allyssa has also become an asset to our work family and I'm not sure I could run her off if I wanted to😂😁.
My name is Allyssa.
I have been employed with Natalie’s Pet Grooming for 6 months.
The best part of my job is the interactions we get out of our animals on a daily basis.
They all have such unique personalities.
I enjoy my job because we work as a family. Whatever one lacks, the other will always support. When I’m not working I enjoy spending time with my son & family.

06/23/2024

Next up for our "meet and greet" is Rose, who has stuck by us for a little over a yr in the position of daycare and boarding. Rose pays attention to details and catches things the rest of us may have missed. Has grown so much and works hard every day. Has also filled in sooooo many times when asked to. This position is NOT for the weak😂 and we have been thru a multitude of people in 2 1/2 yrs. Rose has been a huge asset to our work family and genuinely cares about the job and the pups. Heartfelt bio coming, so please take a minute to say heyyyy😊

Hi, I'm Rose. When I first found out about Natalie's is when I saw the shop open with a bunch of people going in and out with dogs. I always thought it was cool that there was a nice little place for dogs to go to be groomed or taken care of at Daycare. Cue a year down the line and I am job hunting for what seems like forever and not getting anywhere. Natalie's always catching my eye, finally I went to apply. At first they weren't hiring yet, but I was told to wait till spring. When I tell you I kept checking my calendar for when spring was supposed to come, I was. April 2023, I was done with waiting and went back and tried again. And Success! Since I joined, I meet all the amazing people I'm working alongside with.
I have two animals, an adorable little male cat named Mr.Beans, and a bearded dragon Gordieo. Both are spicy little meatballs. Beans more so.
To me I love this Job, at times yes, my god It feels like I just came back from a whirlwind of chaos. But I wouldn't trade it in. Every time I watch over, tend to, or bath these little, not too tiny sometimes, balls of energy it's like I get to understand them more and more. I get to watch them come out of their shell and see that they are safe and cared for just as much as the rest. Then seeing them come to life and play just makes it all the sweeter.
Though there are some hobbies I have outside of work. The two most notable ones would be drawing and writing. Growing up, I always had a small passion for writing and drawing on my own time.

06/22/2024

Starting off the "meet and greet"with my newest employee. Kas has a willingness to learn and grow. That is huge in our industry and I am looking forward to seeing great things come from Kas in our boarding/daycare position. And btw, everyone wrote their own bio's 😉 so please take a moment and say HEYYYYY!!

Hey! My name is Kaz and I have been with Natalie’s for a week now! I know it’s not long but it’s been an exciting week to have the honor to watch over so many lovely furbabies! I have a few of my own even. I have 3 cats, a pup of my own and even a green cheek conure who loves to sing his name. I absolutely love working here due to the new knowledge I gain and to explore the amazing personalities of my team who make my work feel like home. To know I can feel comfortable enough to be myself without worry is such a plus! My favorite part of my job is definitely having the honor to watch the furbabies run and play and see their personalities shine brighter than ever. To see their smiles and seeing them have fun is the best thing to experience in my opinion. But outside of work I am a self-taught artist who is learning more and more techniques every day in every way! Art is a love of mine and occasionally playing some video games with friends such as Animal Crossing as I get to explore and be social with those close to me!

06/22/2024

Some news from us to you...
I will be introducing my team to you individually over the next week. Some are more "back of the house" team members, but just as vital to the daily care and well being of our pup clients, as the ones you see more regularly.
It takes a village as they say...
So please look for those posts and join us in a "meet and greet"🥰 I will be posting newest team members to the most seasoned.

We have a lot coming down the line for us and our clients very shortly and thru the coming months.
Expansion has been back on track for about 2-3 weeks now, altho it is going to be done in stages now rather than 2 steps.
We will have more boarding and daycare accommodations as well as flipping the building around somewhat.
As most of you know, our pricing has been increasing since Nov of last yr. This is not due to the expansion as much as it is due to all of our rising costs since COVID invaded. I kept pricing as low as I could for as long as I could. A lot has changed, and so we have to change with it for survival and success as well as not running ourselves into the ground. We love our place and our pups, so failure is not an option. We will keep y'all informed as changes start happening, exciting times coming!
Look for the Meet and Greet shortly♥️

06/20/2024

Happy Pride!

06/19/2024

Please forgive the pic quality..
But we lost another furbabies to the rainbow bridge💔until we meet again Precious.

06/18/2024

Rubee showing off her skills😎

06/18/2024

Abby's teefers😂