BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2024 AUGUST 14, WEDNESDAY) Blair pet owners, mark your calendars: Furry Land’s mobile pet grooming service is coming to town on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Owner Page Thomas, with 15 years of grooming experience, is bringing her fully-equipped grooming van directly to your homes, offering a unique blend of convenience and professional care.
The Mobile Grooming Advantage
Thomas explains the nuances of mobile grooming: “Mobile grooming has quite a bit more overhead than shop grooming would have. I have to fill up my water tank. I run off of generators. I’m constantly having to be plugged into electricity. There’s also a huge convenience coming to the pet parent home – people pay for convenience.”
Despite slightly higher costs, Furry Land offers comprehensive services. “I am a full-service groomer,” Thomas says. “Included with their price is, you know, they get their bath, their haircut, any shedding they might need. I clean their ears, brush their teeth, do their glands, and clip their nails.” She adds, “I also cannot take as many appointments in mobile grooming as I would in a shop, so I do have to charge accordingly for that as well.”
Comfort for Pets
The at-home service is particularly beneficial for pets unaccustomed to travel. Thomas elaborates, “A lot of pets do not like leaving their homes. Most of them usually in their life never even leave their homes. You have to put yourself in their shoes – coming into a grooming shop can be a scary situation. It’s my job to make your animal as comfortable as it possibly can be, and what more comfortable can it be than coming to your own home?”
Handling Challenging Behaviors
For pets with behavioral issues, Thomas’s experience is invaluable. “The most challenging animal behavior that I encounter is fear,” she explains. “An animal can act in any way or lash out in any way if they are fearful. As a groomer, I am here to not only groom your pet but help train them as well in grooming situations.”
She adds, “There are a lot of fearful dogs out there. I’m coming at them with sharp, vibrating objects, loud dryers, water – it can be nerve-racking. But with a good approach and knowledge of the animal that you’re working with, you can get any dog to be able to tolerate and or even enjoy grooming. Those are some of my favorite dogs to groom – the more challenging ones – because it is so rewarding to see them turn their behaviors around after a few sessions. You can see a light change in their eyes. It’s so rewarding.”
Safety First
Safety is a top priority for Furry Land. Thomas details her approach: “Safety measures in place – specific ones are making sure that the dog is always on a lead if the van is open. I never take my hands off of your pet typically, and I do checks on my van every single night to make sure that everything is running correctly. We call them circle checks in Furryland.”
Eco-Friendly Operations
Environmental considerations are also important to the business. Thomas notes, “My mobile grooming van is powered by generators. It is a Mercedes – Mercedes is known to be a sustainable brand – and I dump the gray water in appropriate areas.”
Building Community Relationships
Thomas is excited to serve the Blair community, recognizing the importance of word-of-mouth in smaller towns. “Dog grooming a lot of times is word-of-mouth. If you do a good job, people are going to tell other people about you, and that’s how you get a lot of your clientele,” she explains. “I want to bring the salon to smaller towns that don’t have enough population to open up a dog grooming salon, so I am going to come to certain towns on certain days and just go to people’s houses and groom in that town for the day.”
She adds, “Facebook has been a huge tool for me. It’s easy to share pictures of the clients that you’ve groomed and other people to see that and say that’s something that I would like for my pet. And right now, I’m doing door hangers – just old-fashioned door hangers.”
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Thomas has ambitious plans for expansion. “We are going to take the metro area by storm. I’m only gonna hire the best groomers, the most caring groomers. It is definitely quality over quantity when you are working with people’s pets. We are going to let it grow organically and add vans as need be. I know that this is going to be a huge industry here, and I’m excited to be able to be one of the first to bring it here.”
A Passion for Pets
Thomas’s love for animals shines through in her work. “Animals are truly my passion. They are the reason that I live, and making them glamorous – that makes my life better,” she enthuses. “I love every single pet that I groom as if they were my own. I couldn’t imagine leaving my pet and not feeling comfortable, so my goal is to bring this salon to you, make your animal as comfortable as possible, but also make your animal as cute as possible.”
She further explains her approach to customer service: “Not everybody is going to be satisfied 100% of the time. That being said, I do have a rigorous check-in process. I go over everything with you with your pet. I want to ensure that your animal is getting the haircut that you want to get within reason.”
Booking and Promotion
Thomas emphasizes the importance of being responsive and engaged with the community: “You have to be very interactive, make sure that you are talking to clients right when they message you. You’re part of your local groups and commenting on people’s dog photos, going to the dog park, handing out business cards.”
This visit offers Blair pet owners a chance to experience professional grooming services in the comfort of their own homes. Furry Land aims to bring a new level of convenience and care to pet grooming in our community, with Page Thomas’s passion and expertise leading the way.
As a personal note, when I spoke with Page she was grateful for the chance to come to Blair. She said she’d like to be here many more times. Her gratitude and excitement are exactly what Blair needs more of.
Contact Page Thomas At:
Furry Land Mobile Pet Grooming
Email: Page.brooks@furryland.us
Phone: (531) 344-6724
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/furrylandomaha
