Not everyone can say they love their job and truly mean it. However, when you talk to Andrea, a 2023 Pawsperity graduate, it is obvious her feelings about her work, clients, teammates, and boss are very real. “I am so fortunate to have landed here so early in my career,” she says. After graduating, Andrea went to work at The Salon Furever Pets, owned and operated by a former Pawsperity graduate, Christine, who only hires Pawsperity graduates. When talking about her mentor and friend, Andrea says, “Christine is top tier. She genuinely tries to uplift us.”
Andrea enjoys being part of such a supportive and special team and describes the group of fellow Pawsperity alumni as “tight knit.” Christine includes everyone in part of the operations, including Andrea. There is a lot of pride when Andrea speaks about her responsibilities beyond grooming. “I am so proud of how quickly I have moved up the ladder. I created portfolios for all of the groomers on the salon website.” Being in tune to what is helpful for clients to see and understand from their perspective is something that is central to the salon’s success. She wants clients to get to know who may be grooming their dog.
Andrea understands the importance of her client base and providing highquality service. Her appointments are booked 2-3 weeks in advance. She says, “I don’t want to let my clients down, but it is also gratifying to know they will wait for me because they love my work that much.” She then adds, “When they request me, I feel like a celebrity. It’s so cool when you see people post on Facebook and shout you out and say, ‘I use Andrea and I wouldn’t use anyone else!’”
Training new employees, and acting as the hiring manager, are other responsibilities Andrea holds near and dear to her heart. She remembers all of the great guidance she received from Christine and Jodie, a longerterm groomer who also works at the salon. Time management and tips and tricks are some of the many topics she covers, as well as customer service.
Andrea is also proud to be one of three groomers at the salon who can groom cats. Within a couple weeks after starting, Christine asked if she would help hold cats. From there, she learned how to groom them and now is very competent in doing lion cuts. Working on a variety of pets is appealing for Andrea. The salon has even had many rabbits and a recent guinea pig that have come in for grooming. It is no wonder when she talks about her work she says, “It is like therapy. I feel like I am cheating.”
Outside of working, Andrea tries to keep a balance between her personal and professional life, as well as her family responsibilities. Her son is 18 years old and just graduated high school. Andrea’s demeanor gets even more animated when she talks about her children. “He ran track and did the high jump. I got to go to all of his meets on Thursdays.” She is appreciative of that flexibility in her schedule to have been able to have been there for him. He is now on his way to becoming an electrician and will be moving out of state. She says, “It is a golden opportunity, and it is bittersweet for me.” Andrea also has an active 8-year-old daughter who has been busy with cheer and ballet over the last three years. She is now shifting to an interest in soccer. Recently, Andrea celebrated her birthday with an elaborate themed skating party.
Like many parents, Andrea has little time for herself but somehow has still found a way to learn a new skill to help support her long-term goals. She shares, “I am now studying and trading stocks. I went to a couple courses and have been doing it for several months. My ultimate goal would be to operate my own mobile grooming business.” While still in the growth stage and continually discussing collaboration with Christine, Andrea is proud she has launched and registered Groomus Maximus. She looks forward to where that business may go in the future.
While Andrea’s life is wonderful today, she doesn’t take it for granted. Her journey has not been easy. She doesn’t discuss it often, but her life looked very different not so many years ago. Unfortunately, she got involved with selling drugs and ended up serving five years collectively in state and federal prison because of those activities. As one can imagine, second chances are very real to Andrea. Making the decision to change the direction of her life was intentional and she has worked hard to successfully change her path to get to where she is now.
Pawsperity is honored to have been part of Andrea’s journey. She reflects back on her time at the grooming school, “Relationships motivate me. Leah was my case manager at Pawsperity. She was so genuine. That means something to me, to be able to talk to someone.” She also speaks fondly of the grooming instructors saying, “Amy was like that, too. She’s just so authentic. She doesn’t sugarcoat things and would tell me exactly what I would need to hear, even if I would not want to hear it.”
During school, there was a time when her father was ill and in the hospital. She contemplated leaving school but was so appreciative of how it was handled. She says, “They were so patient. Everybody was very caring and checked in on me.” Andrea also says how helpful the weekly stipend Pawsperity gives to their students was for her to make ends meet while she was going through the 7-months of training.
The other big impact for her was the required life skills classes. She says, “It’s very beneficial and so good to have that knowledge. Some students would complain about those classes, like communication and parenting. People don’t know that even a simple statement of how you say something is very important.” Andrea saw how these classes are linked to not only the professional world, but on a personal level, too. She adds, “Children are so impressionable. Understanding how to address certain situations was very helpful. I applied so much of it.”
Today, Andrea has a family who is thriving, a meaningful career in pet grooming, and a strong network of colleagues, who are like family. She is also deeply appreciative of her adult son and daughter who have both made her a grandmother. “I’m grateful to be able to assist and be an asset to their lives and my grandchildren’s lives.” She no longer dwells on the past and continues to set goals and look toward the future.
Andrea shares, “I never knew grooming was something that I would just totally be immersed in, but I don’t want to do anything else.”
