Today we’d like to introduce you to Brianna.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I decided to start my own journey by creating H.O.P to bring an all-in-one stop for most dog lovers. My name is Brianna I am a dog groomer, trainer and K9 handler. From a young age I have shown interest in all types of animals! I would take care of any animal in need even the snakes and bugs. Ever since I can remember I always had some kind of creature to take care of and learn about the proper care. I started working professionally at 14 at a local exotic pet store that also offered dog grooming. This shop gave me the opportunity to get hands on experience with a lot of different types of animals- reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish, farm animals and typical pets. I would pick up any stray dog that I would see and try to find their home and if they didn’t have a home I would do everything that I could to find them their forever home. I would rescue exotics in need and rehabilitate them with the resources I had. From there I knew I wanted to work in the animal industry. At 16 I started working for the Omni Hotel at Amelia Island in the nature center taking care of and doing educational tours of the animals in our care and the different species around the island. 2018 I graduated high school at 17, I decided to work at our local Pet paradise and get more hands-on experience with dogs by doing kennel work, daycare and bathing. At this time, I earned my associate’s degree at FSCJ and got interested in learning how to dog groom! 20I9 I went to PetSmart to learn the trade by going to their grooming academy and was able to get my foot in the grooming world. While at PetSmart I got my first German Shepherd Iris who was the one that got me started in dog training. After finishing my two-year contract, I decided I wanted to push my knowledge with grooming and branch out to work in mom-and-pop shops in order to get more experience. After years of grooming, I decided I wanted to try something new and do better for my girl Iris by reaching out to a local dog training company that was right up the road from me called Foundation First K9. I apprenticed under the owners Chuck and Tammie learning dog behavior, body language, obedience training, detection work and protection work. These dogs I worked with were very different from the dogs I groomed, and it got me hooked. Through the years I have continued pushing my education within the field of grooming by learning how to hand strip wire hair dogs, do breed standard cuts, carding and hand scissoring. With dog training I have successfully trained detection dogs, service dogs, rescue dogs with behavioral issues, sport dogs and pet dogs. I will never say I know everything because I want to give the best services I can and with that, I will always be continuing my education.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Without the help from my local dog community, friends and family I would not have been able to start this journey. The hardest part was to be able to take the next step and start my own buisness.
As you know, we’re big fans of House of Paws LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Because I have versatile knowledge with dogs from Training to Grooming I am able to handle most breeds physical and mental needs. Because I run a private 1×1 dog salon each baby that comes in gets my full attention without having to wait around in a kennel. This means less stress for your dog, less time in the salon and a personalized experience.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
What worked best for me is to join local communities from obedience clubs to different sport organizations! From there you make different connections and learn different perspectives and figure out what works best for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.houseofpawsallaboutdogs.com/about-the-owner
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house.of.paws.llc?igsh=MTJrZDd5OWs1Y2ZqOQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14XPhJKdqAa/
