All Paws Pet-Salon is now located at 1479 N Main Street, Palmer, MA. Parking in rear
Individualized pet grooming by appointment to help minimize waiting and relieve pet anxiety!
We relocated to: 1479 North Main St., Palmer, MA
Unfortunately, COVID exacerbated LaKiesha's MS symptoms, and now she is experiencing debilitating burning pain and muscle stiffness throughout her body, preventing her from doing the only work she’s ever known – grooming animals.
I started a GoFundMe Campaign to try and help LaKiesha cover her living expenses as she attempts to heal herself. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lakiesha-battle-debilitating-ms-diagnosis
LaKiesha has always been drawn to animals. She got into grooming as a teenager and found her passion by helping animals look and feel their best. She graduated Norfolk Aggie in 2005 and attended the Florida Institute of Animals Arts where she graduated in 2006. She worked in several salons before moving back to MA and opening her own in Auburn. She did all the grooming herself and was one of very few groomers who enjoyed working with cats and rabbits too. LaKiesha treated every pet with kindness and compassion. She worked through her initial MS diagnosis and worked through significant pain these last few years.
Unfortunately, we had no way of knowing LaKiesha's MS was going to spiral out of control just as she was buying her “Dream Home” earlier this year. She invested her life’s savings into renovating her new home in Palmer to accommodate her busy grooming salon on the first floor, only to have to suspend business while she is sick.
If you’re not able to contribute to the GoFundMe campaign right now, I would encourage you to send LaKiesha a get-well card or words of encouragement, especially if you were one of our clients. It would mean a lot to her to know that her hard work meant something. Cards can be sent to: LaKiesha Sciarra, 1479 N Main Street, Palmer, MA 01069.
Be sure to comb any long-haired pets frequently to help prevent any matting (fur that gets knots). Make sure to use a steel-tooth comb and not just a brush. Do not bathe a matted pet as the matting will tighten and become significantly worse and wet fur will increase bacteria under the matting.
Here's a link for more information on how to prevent matting.
Regularly trim your pet's nails to avoid any discomfort from overgrown (or ingrown) nails. Dog's nails have a "quick" that will continue to grow out and only a Vet can clip into the quick to trim it back. A cat's nails will grow into their pads if not clipped regularly - and this is extremely painful.
Here is a link for further guidance on how to clip a dog's nails.
Here's a link for guidance on how to clip a cat's nails.
For safety reasons we are only able to groom friendly temperament and well socialized pets (canine, rabbit or feline).
If your dog is aggressive (towards people, food or other canines) please seek the services of a Trainer to eliminate that behavior before putting a groomer at risk of a preventable injury.
If you have a feline that you are not able to pick up and handle without being scratched or bitten, please see your Veterinarian for advice and/or sedation/anti-anxiety medication.
We are not equipped to handle aggressive clients of any kind.
If you are ever unhappy with your pet's grooming, please let me know (respectfully and constructively) what I can do different next time.
If your pet's coat had matting and you feel I cut your pet's fur too short, please understand that matting starts at the root closest to the skin and I may not have had any choice given what blade could get under the matting to remove it.
Brushing DOES NOT prevent matting. Please know that you need to use a steel tooth comb and comb completely through the fur (root to tip) in order to prevent matting. Having to shave a pet is never a Pet Stylist's desired grooming - I don't get to do my best work when I have to remove matted fur. Regular grooming can help prevent matting and by working together we can keep your pet's coat in better condition.
PLEASE NOTE: With respect to matting, a pet's temperament may cause us to alter what we feel safe and comfortable doing to your pet. If you know your pet is matted, we ask that you see a Veterinary BEFORE scheduling a grooming to have the matted fur safely removed prior to grooming. Also note that you CAN NOT bathe a matted pet - adding water to matted fur makes it tighter.
A happy healthy pet is a regularly well-groomed pet. Pets know when they look good and I take pride in helping them look their best.
Your pet’s safety and comfort is our first priority. We will not perform any grooming procedure that causes pain or a level of stress that we think is excessive. Unfortunately, not all pets that are stressed give a warning and some may end up injuring themselves without any warning to us.
Please advise us of any medical, physical, mobility issues, allergies (i.e., cologne, oatmeal, etc.), sensitivities, or pre-existing conditions. This includes prior surgeries, hip or joint issues, warts/skin tags, moles, ear infections or skin problems.
For your pet’s safety, and ours, please let us know if your pet has any temperament or behavior issues. All Paws Pet-Salon reserves the right to use a muzzle on your pet for safety purposes if necessary. Your pet’s temperament may also cause us to alter your preferred grooming style or limit how much grooming we can safely do.
A pet's temperament may pose a risk of injury to the pet itself (i.e., if it reacts suddenly/unexpectedly while clipping or removing any matted fur) or pose a safety risk to the groomer, the groomer's assistant or to another pet client. In these cases, please be aware you may incure a behavior fee to compensate us for additional risk and/or time to work safely with your pet. We are NOT equipped to work with any aggressive pets, so if you know up front that your pet is aggressive or over-reactive to touch, PLEASE contact your Veterinarian for everyone's safety.
All Paws Pet-Salon reserves the right to alter or refuse service for ANY
safety concerns.
To ensure that all our clients have an opportunity to secure appointments, we ask that you call us at least 1 business day in advance if you are unable to keep your pet’s appointment.
Repeated No Show’s and last minute cancellations impact our ability to serve others. If this happens, you will be asked to pay a fee of not more than ½ the cost of your pet’s scheduled grooming service to compensate the groomer for the time that was reserved for your pet. You may also be asked to pre-pay your pet’s next grooming service before being able to schedule again. Should you have another last minute cancellation or no show, you will forfeit your pet’s pre-paid grooming amount.
Continued No Show or last minute cancellations may result in not being able to schedule future appointments.
As always we value and appreciate your time. We hope you understand the need for this policy.
Q: Do you do mobile grooming?
A: No. Unfortunately internet "search engines" like Google and Yelp, lump ALL pet-groomers into ONE category and we have NO control over their websites or listings.
Q: Will my pet be the only one in the shop?
A: No. My own dog, Elijah, comes to work with me everyday and helps calm nervous dogs or socialize with other dogs waiting to be picked up.
Q: What makes All Paws different from other grooming salons?
A: We schedule by appointment to minimize wait time, reduce pet anxiety, and avoid having to crate multiple pets. We also only have 1 groomer who does everything for your pet from nail trim, to bath, to haircut. Most grooming shops hire minimum-wage inexperienced staff to bathe and dry pets; we don't! Most grooming shops also use cage dryers; we don't! I work one-on-one with your pet start to finish.
Q: How long will it take to groom my pet?
A: Different size pets take different amounts of time and pets with longer, thicker fur will take longer to dry and comb out. Most pets are done in one hour (short-haired smaller pets are done in 30-45 minutes). Larger pets (i.e., Labradoodle, Siberian Husky, Golden Doodle, etc.) will take 90 minutes or more.
Q: Do you groom cats and rabbits?
A: Yes. Working with pets one at a time allows me to better work with nervous or elderly pets, as well as cats in general so we end up grooming a majority of cats in the area. I am also the only rabbit groomer in the area!
Q: Do you do sedation grooms?
A: No. We can only work with friendly-temperament pets.
Q: How much does a grooming cost?
A: Pricing is based on breed, size, coat, and depends on what you want done. Please call us to request an estimate. If you get our voice mail, leave us your name, phone # and let us know what kind of pet you have as well as what you're looking to have done. We return all calls within 24 hours.
If you have any concerns about your pets groom, please respectfully notify us within 24 hours of your appointment.
Let us know (politely) what we can do differently next time to improve your pet’s next grooming experience.
Pet grooming is a SERVICE and not a product that can be returned for a refund. Therefore, we do not issue refunds for that reason.
Fur/hair does grow back and we would be happy to adjust your pet’s next grooming style if you would kindly let us know what LaKiesha should do differently next time.
Also keep in mind sometimes a pet's temperament and/or safety may limit what I could do for your pet. I try my best to work with all pets, but there are a few who let me know they have no desire to be groomed. In those cases we offer our best advise and may encourage you to seek an alternative grooming situation that better meets your pet's needs (i.e., working with a trainer, sedation or mobile groomer, etc.). For some pets I may suggest things you can do at home to help acclimate your pet to the grooming process (i.e., touching their paws to get used to a nail trim, etc.).
We sincerely try our best to work with all pets, but sometimes even our best isn't enough to convince every pet. Please don't blame the groomer though. We can only do what we feel safe to do. If your pet is trying to bite or scratch us, we may not be able to do our best work and for safety reasons we may not be able to finish. Your pet's safety is our first concern, our safety is our next concern! Please don't stiff the groomer though - we alter our pricing when a pet won't allow us to do our best work, but please plan on fairly compensating us for our time and best effort. We go above and beyond to work with each pet.