I have been grooming dogs professionally for 14 years as of fall 2024! 

 

My love for animals started at an early age, and by the time I hit high school I knew I wanted a career working with them. I started out working with horses - Queensbury High School had a program that bussed students to Saratoga and every morning of my junior and senior year I would spend a few hours at the harness track. I started out as a groom learning to care for the horses, and eventually learned how to exercise the horses on the harness track. I worked under paid internship for my final year and graduated with acceptance to Morrisville College to continue my education.

 

Unfortunately, by my second semester at Morrisville I fell very sick. I returned home and found out that the reason I was so sick - was allergies. Turns out I am allergic to many things, among them: horses. The constant exposure made me ill and there wasn’t much we could do about it - medication did not help. So I made the decision to change careers - I attended SUNY Adirondack for a year before I determined that class room learning was not for me. I needed something hands on. 

 

A close family friend heard about a “dog grooming academy” on the radio and passed along the information. I took a tour of the salon, spoke with the trainers and some other groomers, and I found my future!

 

I graduated from Golden Paws Pet Styling Academy (now known as The New York Academy of Pet Styling) in the fall of 2010, after completing 300 hours of training under Certified Master Groomer Michelle Kennedy. Shortly after graduating, I got my first job as a dog groomer at a boarding and day care facility. It was only part time, but it was a foot in the door - I also worked part time at Jo Anne Fabrics, another good fit for me as I also do various crafting hobbies. 

 

In 2014 I had the opportunity to join Petco as a full time Pet Sylist and I jumped at the chance. I started working at the Colonie store in mid 2014 and eventually transferred to the Queensbury store, which was a lot closer to home! I have been with Petco ever since. Over the years at Petco I worked with a wonderful team of groomers and floor staff. I steadily built up a loyal clientele that I’m very grateful for, and worked on honing my skills and building my education. 

 

So in mid 2022, when the chance to open my own grooming salon practically fell into my lap, I took it - I decided it was time to leave the world of corporate grooming and get to work on opening my own shop, which has always been my goal from day one. And so - The Trendy K9 was born!

 

Thanks to my training and my years of real life experience, I am now able to groom all sorts of dogs. Large dogs, small dogs, short haired or long haired. I can work with puppies and older pets, and pets who might need a little extra assurance. I can do breed specific styling, I can do quick and easy summer shave downs, I’m even working on some creative skills! I can de-shed the fluffiest of pets and even help get rid of fleas! Every day I work I get the chance to work on something different, and I have enjoyed every minute of it.

 

When I’m not at the salon, I’m either at home with my (now) three Standard Poodles or we’re all out exploring the great Adirondack Mountains, working on some training skills in the park, or playing at the dog beach in Lake George!