Meet Your Merchant: Puppy Cut Groom Shop offers more than a bath and a cut

It's all for the love of dogs that they do it.

Kathleen Harmer and Cass Carrion opened their dog-grooming shop, Puppy Cut Groom Shop on Winnie Lane, two months ago, and they couldn't be happier.

"It's hard work, it's time-consuming, and it's like trying to give a 2-year-old kid a haircut every day and expecting them to sit still. And it's cleaning up pee-pee and poo-poo," said Harmer. "But we do it because of our love of animals."

The business partners have worked as dog groomers in the community for nearly 10 years, and they worked together at PetSmart, where Harmer was Carrion's supervisor. Their love of canines soon brought them together as friends, as well.

After attending grooming school, both women became qualified dog groomers.

"Some people have never bathed a dog before, and you have to learn about different blades and safety and different breed cuts, like a schnauzer cut, and all that," Harmer said.

"In Nevada, most people just want their dogs to be comfortable; they don't want a show cut, but we can do those, too," she said. "One of the things we love is that people in this community love their animals - they're like their children. That's what has kept us going in this economy."

Carrion agreed that there's nothing better than doing what you love.

"We get to work with animals - they're so fun," she said. "It's rewarding to get to come to work and do what you enjoy doing every day."

Carrion said the majority of the dogs they work with are good-natured and well-socialized.

"They're a lot like kids - they're better for other people than they are for their parents because they don't quite know what they can get away with when they're with someone else," Carrion said.

"Their owners will say, 'You're going to need to muzzle them,' but it turns out the dogs are kissing us the whole time we're working on them," she said.

Among the amenities provided at the Puppy Cut Groom Shop are a play yard and pole.

"We have a fenced side yard so they can play, and what we call a stripper pole, because what dog doesn't like to pee on a pole?" Harmer asked.

"We also have an open policy here where no one is kenneled unless requested by the owner or if the dog is dog-aggressive," she said.

Grooming times vary for services - anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours. Costs vary from about $25 to $30 for smaller breeds, and $35 to $55 for larger dogs. For the giant breeds, they'll give customers a quote once they see the dog.

Both women have their own dogs at home: Carrion has two beagles, and Harmer has two dogs and a cat.

"I will probably die of a hairball," Harmer said, laughing.

"I think our love of dogs shows through to our customers, and our customers are wonderful," she said.

Carrion agreed.

"Our customers know we really enjoy what we do, and all the dogs want to come in here and play," she said. "We're here to serve, and we'd love to meet as many customers as we can."