GAS Denise Law started to groom dogs as a teenager. She was 19, living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised poodles. She discovered the puppies sold better with cute little haircuts.
About 45 years later, shes still grooming dogs. She recently opened a business, Paws Grooming, in Gas and works exclusively with smaller dogs, those 20 pounds or less.
Shes taken a break from grooming off and on through the years, mostly to run restaurant businesses. Until recently, she hadnt done much grooming since she moved to the area about 10 years ago. She mostly helped take care of her mother, who passed away in January.
After the loss of her mother, Law decided to get back into the grooming business. She recently opened Paws at a former hair salon on U.S. 54.
Its the perfect location for me. Its already set up for haircuts, Law joked, noting most of the actual haircut stations are put to other uses. She washes dogs in two large sink basins and has a professional dog grooming stand.
Her husband, Gene, helps when needed.
Im just doing it on a small scale. This is a good business for us and a new chapter in our lives, she said. Im such an animal lover.
LAW MOVED from Garnett, where she previously operated Denises Grooming for many years.
She first arrived in Garnett in the 1970s and opened a pet store. That ended when someone broke in and vandalized the shop, smashing fish tanks and killing birds and other animals. A boa constrictor was set loose, worrying those in neighboring buildings. It finally was found inside a wall, wrapped around a hot water pipe to keep warm. No one was ever convicted for the break-in.
It was devastating, Law recalled.
After that, she worked in the restaurant business. She owned a couple of restaurants in Garnett, including Denises Cafe on the downtown square.
At her grooming business in Garnett, Law took care of all types of animals, including cats, rabbits, hamsters and more. She worked on big dogs then, and recalled a time when she had to groom a Saint Bernard on a flatbed trailer because it was too large to fit in her shop, and used sheep shears to trim its fur. She also recalled a time when she tried to trim the nails of a large dog; that ended with her entire head inside the dogs mouth, though she wasnt injured. Those are the reasons she now limits her business to smaller dogs.
All dogs can get aggressive, but the little ones are easier to handle, she said.
She also recalled a time when she groomed a cocker spaniel owned by an elderly woman who was unable to properly groom the dog. Its fur had gotten very thick and matted. After its trim, the dog ran, played and rolled on the floor like a puppy.
I like to make them comfortable, she said. Im kind of an artistic type person. I love to see things go from something rough to something beautiful.
