There are many choices available for dog care and grooming, but Ken Hapgood  and Karen Mounts are making sure that Paws Up stands out as a place for much more than just  a haircut or nail clip.
"We are much more than just a groomer, we are everything dog." says Ken Hapgood, president of Paws Up Performance Site, Inc. "Karen and I both come from a long background of competition in conformation, obedience and agility as well as  therapy animal work in hospitals and rehab units. This vast experience in handling, training and  behavior gives us a very distinct advantage when it comes to grooming a client's pet."
"It is very important to us to get to know what our client's want their dogs to look like, we try to take the time to get to know them and their life styles and design a groom that will suit their pet best."
With years of experience on the dog show circuit, including breed and group champions at a national level,  Ken and Karen provide valuable insight for customers.
"A lot of clients use us as a resource for behavioral issues," Hapgood said.  "I take four or five calls every week like that.  We like to take time to understand what each dog is all about and work from there."
Hapgood noted that one bad experience should not prevent a dog from being properly cared for, and for some dogs it may take multiple visits to the groomer to achieve a familiarity for them.
"You have to remember that many dogs don't get out except for going to the vet or the groomers, that  can be a radical change from their normal home routine on the couch or in the crate," he said.  "If they have had issues or just don't like being groomed, we will do whatever we can to make them feel comfortable and enjoy coming here.  I want each dog to be happy coming here, but sometimes that takes some time."
With locations in Terrell and Forney, Paws Up offers grooming, boarding, training, pet supplies, premium pet food, and supplements.
"The products we stock are something that we have used and we feel are good for your animals," Hapgood said.  "When sales reps come to us with new products, we first test it ourselves, and sometimes let our regular customers check it out with their dogs.  If it is questionable or the dogs don't like it, we don't stock it."
Paws Up offers boarding at the Terrell location with options for all sizes of dogs, with each indoor run having a private door to the outside so the guests can come and go as they please. The training center is also located in Terrell.
Emergency boarding is also available for unexpected events.
For more information visit the Paws Up website, www.pawsup.org, or call 972-524-6522 (Terrell) or 972-564-7522 (Forney.)