Twelve years ago, Amy Glasgow started teaching school in the Huntsville Public School System. She started out in UNA’s nursing program, and then realized that education was her true calling. She graduated from Athens State University with a K-6 certification. She then got her Master’s degree in Special Education, and currently is teaching 2nd graders in a regular classroom at Lakewood Elementary. Amy loves to teach math because she has access to such great curriculum. She also greatly enjoys teaching reading because she likes the small-group work. She serves as a go-to resource person for other teachers who need ideas for their special education students, and I know first-hand from talking with Amy that her dedication to her profession runs deep. However, Amy has another “love,” and that’s animals, any kind. “I love everything from spiders and snakes to dogs, cats, and horses,” she told me. So keen is her passion to be with her animal friends that in addition to her responsibilities as a teacher, wife, and mom, she has a second career as a dog groomer.
Amy is the owner of Paws and Whiskers Boutique, and would like to invite all of you to her Grand Opening event on Saturday, May 13, from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The boutique is located in an outbuilding at Amy’s home, and is on the edge of a huge yard where dogs who are boarded get to play. The address is 14899 Old Banford Street, in Athens just off Capshaw Road. From 1-3 p.m. there will be live music, hot dogs, water and photos with pets. All day will be raffles and door prizes for things such as a free grooming, free boarding, specialty gifts from in-store, and more. If you are not able to make it between 1 and 3, stop by anytime during 11 a.m.-7 p.m. to tour the facilities and enter the contests.
Amy and her husband have undertaken an extensive remodeling project in preparation for the Grand Opening. The entrance of boutique is the retail part, with numbers of must-have items such as leashes, feeding bowls, toys, clothes, and accessories. The back boasts two washing sinks, grooming platforms, cages, doggy doors for boarders to have free access to the back yard, and storage.
One of Amy’s skills is dealing with dogs that are, for lack of a better term, “complicated.” She had a dog that was nervous and described by the owners as a biter. Amy asked the owner to toss her the leash, sat down cross-legged in her driveway, and bit by bit drew the dog to her through the use of the leash. As she slowly and carefully got acquainted with the dog, the dog ended up sitting on her leg and licked her. The owners were amazed, and Amy and the dog are now friends. “I love all dogs if they don’t fight me,” she said. She also tells of a standard poodle that came into the shop with his head down and unable to socialize or make eye contact. After he was groomed, Amy said, “The change in him was remarkable. It was as though his confidence had been restored.”
“I not only want the owners to feel good, I want the dogs to feel good and be at their best,” Amy told me. I asked her why I should choose her as a groomer for a dog, and here’s what she said: “I will do for your dog what needs to be done to make them feel their best. I’ll also do it at a reasonable price.”One of the things Amy offers to clients who have dogs with lighter colored coats is a blueberry facial wash. It helps reduce the appearance of tear stains. She also features natural dog products developed by a firm called Nu Vet. They are recommended by veterinarians and are made with human grade ingredients. They support immune function, and contain no fillers, artificial flavors, or binding agents. They fight free radical damage, which is a major source of illness both in pets as well as humans.
Nu Vet products have been known to help dogs suffering from dry skin, allergies, dry eyes, hair loss, hot spots, and more. Cats have benefitted as well, and both dogs and cats which had no energy have gotten their “zip” back. Amy swears by this stuff.
Amy has a reputation as a boarder for going above and beyond, just as she does for her students. Recently Amy was paid a high compliment by her neighbor, and it was this: “I know when you are boarding dogs that they’ll be safe. They’ll have playtime, be fed, watered, given attention, and not stuck in a cage. They’ll be well taken care of.”
Come on May 13 to see Paws and Whiskers Boutique for yourself and see what Amy has to offer you and your canine “kids.”
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
