Pet salon opens its doors
Wolfpaw Groomer will provide a comforting and cozy environment for pets. Courtesy Anna Filippelli
For many of our furry friends, a trip to the groomers can be anxiety-inducing, causing many pet owners to tackle grooming their own pets or leaving months between appointments.
Community member Anna Filippelli is hoping to change that with the launch of her new business, Wolfpaw Groomer, a brand-new grooming salon that puts the comfort of our four-legged friends at the forefront.
“It’s one-on-one with the animal, I want to make it a more relaxing spa kind of feeling for them,” said Filippelli. “I have some light music, specific songs for dogs that help to calm them. I’m trying to keep them in a safe, quiet environment where they’ll enjoy being groomed. I’m practicing grooming with patience.”
Filippelli is a lifelong animal lover but decided to try her hand at dog grooming after years of dreaming about having a home-based business.
“I wanted something that would help me ease into my retirement years, and I’ve had animals for many, many years and always wanted to try grooming them myself,” she said. “So, I just decided to base the business in my own basement.”
Getting the best equipment possible was a priority for Filippelli, who renovated her entire basement into the grooming salon, assisted by a grant from the economic development unit at the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake. She installed an electric bathtub that changes height to accommodate different sized dogs, as well as professional tools like scissors, brushes, and soaps.
“It’s quite an expensive endeavour when you start, but there’s a need for this in my community,” she said.
Filippelli will be accepting dogs and cats into her grooming salon, offering a range of services including maintenance cuts and nail trims. She’ll be taking appointments Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will evaluate the possibility of opening for Saturday appointments in the new year.
Prices vary depending on the size of the animal and their needs, but as part of a promotion during the early days of business, Filippelli is offering some cuts starting at $50, as well as cat nail trims for just $10.
Her priority is building a loyal client base that knows they can trust her work - part of that includes showing her care for her clients by completing trainings to continue improving her skills.
Those trainings include a grooming certification, as well as a certification in animal CPR, making her well-equipped to handle emergency situations.
“I’m focusing on doing this with kindness and being patient with the animals,” she said. “It’s all about comfort care and making sure your pet is healthy.”
Wolfpaw Groomer will take on clients looking for regular grooms, as opposed to the types of grooms offered at master groomer businesses, which cater primarily to show dogs or those looking for specific breed-standard cuts.
Customers can expect a more laid-back kind of service at Filippelli’s business.
“We take your dog, and we decide together what you want. Do you want the dog’s hair to be shorter? Do you want it to stay longer? You decide,” she said. “I’m also trying to teach my customers how to take care of their dogs, if they decide they want long hair I’m going to teach them how to look after that.”
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Filippelli sees her business growing throughout the years, and one day envisions offering additional services like boarding to her clients, as well as a shop component where customers can buy tools for grooming and pet food.
“I’m really excited to start getting a client base,” she said. “I’m just so happy to help people take care of their pets.”
