Here at Ryan?s Pet Supplies, each March we celebrate Groomer Appreciation. What better way to appreciate groomers than to introduce our 2021 Ryan?s Pet Supplies Brand Ambassadors? Each of these groomers is unique in their own amazing way and we are so excited to collaborate with them. See below to read each of their intros!
Adrian Smith @groomedbyadrian
Who is Adrian- The Color King?! Head Groomer, Founder and Owner.
Charismatic. Stylish. Genuine. Professional. These are just a few attributes that describe 30-year-old New Orleans native and Groomed by Adrian owner Adrian Smith. He is the happy parent of the late Porscha (Shih Tzu and Pomeranian mix), Tesla (Standard Poodle), and Bentley (Standard Poodle), and of course, his talking Macaw parrot, Penelope.
Adrian?s affinity and passion for the well-being and care of animals have truly been the fabric of his life, shaping and guiding his career. Although he pursued other career paths, becoming a professional pet groomer is something that immediately resonated with him and stuck.
As an animal enthusiast and avid rescuer, Adrian began taking in stray dogs from the streets and finding them safe and loving homes. During his youth, he knew saving animals what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. With one major financial decision, Adrian changed the trajectory of his life by clearing out his savings and purchasing professional clippers and grooming tools. He then began grooming his own pets and others in the community. Adrian dreamed of being one of the best self-taught groomers, continuing to hone his craft with study materials, videos, and a lot of practice.
In 2012, Adrian met a sweet woman battling breast cancer, who couldn?t afford to have her dogs groomed. Inevitably, the dogs were extremely matted and in poor condition. Adrian knew he needed to help. When the woman saw her groomed dogs, she dropped to her knees crying tears of joy ? and Groomed by Adrian was born! A firm believer in ?dream-chasing,? Adrian lives by the following mantra: It?s never too late to follow your first love ? and succeed!
Brian Marshall @theedogbarber
Hello, my name is Brian Marshall, I?d like to consider myself of more a ?Pet Stylist? then a groomer. I like to really look at my canvas and envision the best possible look! I?m very big on smell! Let?s face it our dogs are all over the place and can smell absolutely insane lol, so I at least like to give you the joy of a beautifully smelling pup (for at least a week and some change.) My favorite thing about grooming is the overall transformation! Totally getting to take a dog and make it your interpretation of what you think is cute. That?s really my main goal with grooming finding that cute factor with my clients and sticking to whatever is comfortable and what my pet parents can handle ?? - Brian Marshall
Britney R Mack @britneyrmackgrooming
My name is Britney! I?m 31, I?ve been grooming for about 5 years. I 100% wish I got into grooming a lot sooner than I did, but I?m so incredibly grateful, to be a part of this amazing grooming community now! I lived most of my life in Connecticut, & recently moved to North Carolina in October of 2018. I love grooming, & don?t know what I?d be doing if I didn?t have this career. My favorite breeds to groom are Shih Tzus, Poodles, Doodles of all kinds & Yorkies! I believe I have about 40 request doodle clients at the moment ?? I just love trimming those round faces & fluffy legs! I?m always learning new things from fellow groomers in the industry, because there is no limit to what you can learn! I just went to my first groom expo at Hershey Pennsylvania in September, and it blew my mind!! I gained So much knowledge from the classes I took, & so many products and tools were purchased! ?? it was the best experience ever, & if you haven?t gone to a groom expo yet, do it!
Gavyn Freeman @groomingavyn
Hello! My name is Gavyn Freeman, and I am very excited to be a Ryan?s ambassador! I am 22 years old and have been grooming for about 3 years now! I am certified through the National Dog Groomers Association of America in Sporting and Non-Sporting breeds, and I am working to become a Nationally Certified Master Groomer! I am also a competitive groomer, a salon owner, a college student, and I have recently started teaching grooming seminars! My competition career began this year, and I was just promoted to intermediate after winning my third 1st placement in the Sporting class at Fun in the Sun in Florida. My salon is in Austin, Texas and has been open for over a year now! Since opening my company has grown from me being the sole groomer to a team of 5! I am a fourth-year accounting student and will graduate in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. I have also been featured in Southern Living Magazine where I co-authored an article about summertime coat maintenance for pet owners! When I?m not grooming, or focusing on my shop and school, I have 3 dogs that I love to spend time with. I love doing Asian Fusion Trims, Poodle Trims, and grooming English Cocker Spaniels!
Gloria Hardaway @gloriathegroomer
I'm @Gloriathegroomer, a certified professional pet groomer, black owner, and operator of Petcare Plus in Milton, Florida. I am a full-service dog grooming salon. I am an experienced groomer who specializes in creative grooming. I am most proud to say I am the only black-owned pet grooming Salon in my area that does creative grooming. I am an Andis Grooming Ambassador, Hydra PR team member, Pawz influencer, OPAWZ Creative Grooming Specialist, and an Amazon ambassador. I grew up in Pensacola, Fl with both parents. I have always had a love and passion for animals ever since I was young. I started my career in the dog world as a kennel tech and bather and because of my deep interest in grooming dogs, I was very successful as both. When the opportunity came for me to train as a dog groomer, I was ecstatic, and I jumped on the chance because it was my lifelong dream becoming fulfilled. From there I flourished and after graduating I opened my shop
Jasmine Monet @groomedwithaloha
I?m an energy-based groomer and have been grooming for 4 years. I have a passion for large breeds, but I love Miniature Pinchers! Everything I do is based on working with the dog not against them. Dogs, much like us, have good days and bad days. I cater my energy to help puppies calm down, seniors find comfort, and large breeds with groom training. I focus on a positive grooming experience with a more one on one approach. I slow down the process to provide positive reinforcement throughout a pups visit.
Juanita Harris @groomingbyjuanita
Juanita is the former owner of Grooming by Juanita; a cage free, one on one salon located in Pennsylvania. Juanita has been in the Pet Industry since 2011 after a lengthy background in Marketing and Sales. She adores all dogs (no matter how large or small) and takes pride in giving quality grooming every one of them with a loving and caring approach.
During her career, Juanita learned with hands-on training under seasoned groomers as well as from time in corporate training in New York City. She also studies media and marketing in her spare time.
Juanita stays up to date with grooming trends, products, and technology by continuing education, creating content as well as networking with other groomers worldwide. She is socail media savvy with an extensive following on TikTok & Instagram.
Juanita takes great pride in her work and is a ?quality over quantity? groomer. She believes a big part of being a professional groomer is knowing your clients and dogs; that can help us all build successful and consistent businesses. Juanita is a believer that there is always something new to learn! Juanita can now be found at Ryan's Pet Supplies as a Brand Marketing & Sales Assistant.
Kassie Forrester @poodlepeeps
From an early age, I have surrounded myself with animals of all kinds. Growing up, my mother was very active with the rescue of both dogs and horses. I spent most of my summers helping to rehabilitate the animals she had brought into our home. As a child, I had never considered the idea that I could turn my love for animals into a career. That was until one day at fourteen I walked into a local grooming salon and asked for a job. I?m still not sure what made me do it, I remember even thinking that at my age there was no way they would hire me. I told the owner I would work any area she needed me to, reception, bathing dogs, or cleaning the salon. She hired me on the spot. After a week of working with her, she informed me she wanted to teach me how to groom. I can never thank her enough for the impact she?s had on my life. Not many people can say they not only started their career at fourteen but found their passion as well.
Now, at thirty years old I am still just as passionate and obsessed with my job as I was as an excited teenager. There?s something so exhilarating knowing you work in a field where you truly never stop learning. I love working with other groomers and picking up their tricks and tips and sharing my own. At this point in my career, I am taking every opportunity to learn as much as possible. I feel incredibly lucky to live in a time where education in my field is so easily accessible thanks to the internet. I have worked in both privately owned and corporate grooming salons. For the last decade, I have been working out of a vet clinic. I love the fact that I get glimpses of the medical side of the pet care industry and can learn from the medical staff. As a Standard Poodle owner, and someone who is just completely obsessed with the breed, poodles are my specialty. As a dog groomer, I love the limitless creative possibilities their coat is capable of. And as a dog person, I just love their big personalities and incredible intelligence. Funny enough I was never a fan of the breed until I began grooming, so I guess that?s something else I can thank my career for as well. My poodle Ophelia (better known as Opie) is the perfect groom dog. The running joke is if she behaved any better for the grooming process, she would just be grooming herself. She absolutely loves the process and the time we spend together. Whether it be a haircut or touching up her color. If I even walk within a foot of my grooming table, she's putting her feet up on it like, "Okay we're doing this right?" and if you say the word bath in earshot of her, she's jumping in the tub. She's definitely one of those dogs that see grooming as a spa day.
Katrina Short @katrina_short
Hello, my name is Katrina short, and I proudly work with Ryan?s Pet Supplies! I am a pet groomer with over 16+ years under my belt. Many know me from Instagram, or you?ve seen my creative viral creations spread over many social media platforms with my one-of-a-kind standard poodle Zeus. I?m a very hard working and passionate groomer. Mama of 2 beautiful daughters, 3 poodles, a bird, and a cat. I?m living proof that with fire in your heart, determination, and the will to never give in or give up That it doesn?t matter how many setbacks and obstacles that come your way, you can and will always rise above!
One of many authentic things about me is that I never promote or rep products I don?t use daily, honestly, or absolutely love. Short story, I don?t fake the funk. Ryan?s Pet Supplies is hands down, ?For the groomers!!!? A company full of compassionate people just like myself. It?s always been an honor to work with the best and I?m proud to be a brand ambassador for Ryan?s.
Melissa Hall @catgroomingteacher
As a second-generation groomer, Melissa began her pet grooming journey within her mother and sister in 1996 in Apache Junction Arizona. When not leading her team of stellar employees at her own successful salon in Yuma Arizona, she does have standard poodles she enjoys spending time with and her Persian cats. In 2014, she moved into the world of cat grooming by completing her certified feline master groomer certification and began showing one of her Persian cats as well. Now Melissa shares her incredible wealth of cat grooming knowledge as a Wahl Animal Brand Ambassador, NCGI Certifier, and hosts private grooming instruction at her salon for cat groomers from around the world.
Stephanie Uribe @steph.pawlife
Hello, my name is Stephanie Uribe! I am 28 years old, left-handed, and have been a passionate dog/cat groomer since 2015 in the Palm Springs, Ca area. I am a big animal lover in general and have adopted an Amazon bird, dog, and cat since the pandemic started. I have also always been a big music lover so you will always catch me singing and dancing along in the salon with all the fur babies!
Growing up my family always loved having smaller breed dogs like chihuahuas and small terriers. Now that I am older, I have found myself really loving grooming breeds on the larger side, I think because of always being around small breeds and not so much larger ones. I would say breeds like golden retrievers, spaniels, and schnauzers would be some of my favorite to groom! Doing scissor work and giving them that ultimate nice, clean look all over has to be one of my favorite things! I have also been very creative all my life so being able to add a splash of color or even some sparkle with rhinestones on a pet is so fun and exciting to me!
Tasha Torres @alienpups
Tasha is the salon manager at Sweet Pea Grooming, located in San Diego, California. In 2014, Tasha started her journey in the grooming industry as a bather and quickly fell in love with the craft. Although she mostly grooms poodle mixes, she loves every dog she meets!
Before starting at Sweet Pea Grooming, Tasha ran a house-call grooming business called Alien Pups and won Best Groomer in San Diego 2020 by the San Diego Reader.
Tasha was that kid in school that was obsessed with dogs- who everyone thought was weird. Luckily, she found an environment that truly understands that obsession. Getting to combine art and dogs, two things she has always loved. When Tasha has spare time, she loves to knit and crochet all sorts of things- mostly blankets her dogs take over.
Tasha believes it?s important to not only constantly grow as a person but to grow in your work. Always looking for ways to improve her grooming skills, she loves working with others to learn new techniques.
Tessa Koenig @tessathagrooma
Tessa Koenig is the owner of Sweet Pea Grooming in San Diego, California. She started her grooming career in 2015 and it wasn?t long before she realized that she had found a lifelong career. A few years later in 2018 she opened Sweet Pea Grooming. After some years solo hired on a friend, she made off Instagram, Tasha Torres. They hit it off from the beginning and have formed a great team at the salon.
Tessa believes ongoing education is crucial to continuous growth and has attended numerous seminars, trade shows, hands on classes and is currently working towards IPG certification with the goal of eventually obtaining a Master Groomer certification.
Aside from work, Tessa enjoys making awesome memories with her kids, dog, friends, and family.