Dog Days of Summer

Long, hot summer days filled with sunshine, water and fun. Humans and pets alike enjoy all the recreational opportunities that can be found in North Park from sand to water and mud. This time of year is the best, and our pet companions enjoy the great outdoors as well. That is evident by the embedded matt their coats become from frolicking in our outdoor playground. That’s when I call Steph to the rescue… Grooming by Steph to be exact.

My Australian Shepard/Rainbow mix and Bloodhound become a hair care nightmare once summer comes with seed heads embedded in their coats, muddy dreadlocks hanging from their bellies and the dirt colored tint to their fur from rolling in the fields. Stephanie Gonzales is my summer savior in pet care for keeping them looking healthy and clean.

“I have always had a deep love for animals and wanted a career doing something with animals. I started my business just by doing my own dogs. My whole life I have enjoyed grooming my pets; a bath was always the first thing my dogs got when I brought them home. Then, I had a couple friends ask me to do theirs for them too and I realized how much I loved it!” Stephanie shared about her in home pet salon.

Stephanie attended grooming school after finishing high school and has built a reputable business in Walden caring for local pets. Her services in a standard groom include a Bath, Brush, nail trim, Sanitary trim (butt, tummy, eyes, and pads of feet) clean ears, and dry. You can also get a shave down, a trim, or a breed standard cut.

When asked what is the most rewarding, yet challenging thing in her business, “Puppies are the most challenging, and also the most rewarding, part of my job. It is such a lengthy process getting a new puppy used to grooming. It is a scary thing for them at first! But, after some time passes and I have been continuously working with a puppy, it is so rewarding to see the trust and familiarity with the whole grooming process in them!”

Her services are mostly for dogs, but she has had a few regular cats on her table. “I’ve had a few requests for rabbits but have never done one yet. I would be willing to try!” She does not offer pet boarding, but someone in North Park

should!! “My dogs do not like to share..”

Stephanie and her husband raise one son who also attends North Park School District. For fun they go camping and fishing. “But we mostly just work! Haha.” “I love doing business in North Park because I have lived here for just shy of 20 years. I love being able to provide a needed service to my community, and I get to do it from home!”

I can personally recommend Grooming by Steph, as she has cared for our geriatric dog now for years and does so with care and kindness. He’s a big mess every time he goes to the salon, but Stephanie greets him with a smile and shows love and compassion for his old bones, taking her time and making him feel young and handsome again.