I grew up in a pet orientated family. We always got our pets from my Grandma Turner. She was a chairperson and then the President of the Northwest Rhode Island Humane Society. She converted her house into the shelter to be able to provide for the homeless pets! I helped her in my 3rd grade year by walking dogs, riding along to vet visits and spending time with the homeless pets. This is definitely where my love for animals started. As a young adult I started bathing and brushing in a small shop in Cheyenne, WY. After graduating from high school and saving some money, I moved to Eugene to go to college and law school but I got a job at Petco and started training under a groomer with 25+ years of experience. She insisted that part of my training was to go visit a dog show. There I fell in love with Basenjis and the world of showing dogs in conformation!
In 2015 after a few years of showing and breeding Basenjis, 16 years of grooming I decided to bring the grooming salon to my home, with the help of my Grandma Sherman and immediate family I was able to start up my own salon! Since then my main focus is continuing education in grooming. I am Safety Certified through the AKC. I have Pet First Aide and CPR certification, Poodle certification and many other certificates of completion in other areas. I have my Science of Skin Certification which is the first step toward becoming a pet Esthetician Certification, which I just completed! I am officially a Certified Canine Esthetician! I have taught a class in the past for Barkleigh at the NorthWest Grooming Trade Show about customer relations and I was fortunate enough to get my toes wet in the grooming competitions one year.
The Oregon Professional Pet Groomers Association has been formed and I was proud to be a Board member and the VP of this Association for almost two years, it is a huge step in grooming history! I stepped down from the ORPPGA to focus on family during the Covid Pandemic and planning out the huge leap to opening up the salon outside of our home. In April of 2021 we moved into a storefront!
After 24 wonderful years in Oregon, my family and I embraced the opportunity to move closer to loved ones here in Cheyenne, WY. Fulfilling a longtime dream, we’ve settled on a charming piece of property where I’ve created a farm and a dog grooming salon.
With the help of friends and family, we spent months transforming the main section of our barn into a beautiful grooming shop that I’m proud to call my own!
Sincerely,
Maria
Texting is the preferred method of communication. Maria will answer phone calls and voicemails either at the beginning or end of day. Texts, phone calls and voicemails will not be tended to any later than 5:30pm or when maria is done grooming and cleaning for the day. No earlier than 8:00am.