Seth Chitwood|Standard-Times
FAIRHAVEN — After being away for twoyears, Mattapoisett's Kylie Panekhas returned to the SouthCoast with the goal of makingdogs as happy as humanly possible.
"I love working with the animals. I've been working with animals my whole life," said Panek, 27, owner of 12 Paws Pet Salon in Fairhaven."Something about making themlook cute, making them feel better and seeing the owner's reaction...I absolutely love it."
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Panek,a Mattapoisett native, started her career with horses, training, breeding and body clipping them for shows. She then transitioned to dogs.
"Dogsaremore fun because I get to do a lot more different creative things where horses arekind of like a generalgrooming."
In 2013, Panek graduated from Animal Behavior College, an online certification program for dog groomingwhich required her to work 100 hours at a local groomer. She then worked in the area for six years earning a reputation for her dog-grooming expertise.
Connecting with the dogs
Paneksays she lovesconnecting with animals on a psychological level, too. "I'm all about the animal behavior part. It's very rewarding," she said. "Honestly, some people don't have the patience or want to spend the time doing that. I love that stuff."
Panek recalled working with a little dog that required a muzzle when she first started working with him because of hissevere anxiety.
"He came to me every four weeks, andI couldn't even touch him, he would just try to eat me, biteme, freak out, he would have an accident, he was horrified."
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Over time, Panek was able to connect with the dog to the point that she could remove his muzzle and they would have a friendlierinteraction. "Itjust takes some patienceto earn the dog's trust."
In 2019, Panek moved toScituate to pursue a pet-grooming opportunity. However, during her two years away, she started to miss the camaraderie in the SouthCoast.
"It was kind of like, 'Well, here's my dog. Make it look cute.' Drop it off and go," Panek admitted."And then the people here are more like, 'Oh my god. So good to see you. How are you? My dog is so excited.'
"I missed the people in this area."
In September, Panek returned to the Fairhaven area and opened her grooming business nearthe Mattapoisett line at 416HuttlestonAve. She said she started booking clientsimmediately.
"When I came back to the area, I got a lot of my old clients back." she said, adding that some of the dogs remembered her instantly.
Increased demand for groomers
Panek believesthat there are more dogs than groomers available in the Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester tri-town area. "Alot of people also got puppies during COVID-19, because they were home. It's like a really big thing," she said.
In a USA Today Article, according to Shelter Animals Count,a non-profit that helps share data on shelter animals,theadoption rate for pets was73% during the pandemic,up from 64% in 2019.
Twenty percent of respondents to a Nielsen survey in July 2020said they adopted one or more dogs or cats between March and June, up from less than 5% overthe same time in 2019.
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In the two months of being open, Paneksays she's already groomed 100 dogs and is booking appointments two weeks in advance.
Panek prefers working solo so the dogs aren't overwhelmed."I worked in other grooming shops that have been very busy and hectic," she said. "And I find that the dogs don't enjoy it, it's almost too stressful for them."
However, Panek is never alone.
At 12 Paws Pet Salon, she is always accompanied by her three dogs (the"12 paws" referencedin the salon's name). Kody, 10, and Kane, 4, are black Labs andKash, 6, is a chocolate lab.
"They lay on my feetas I'm grooming," she said. "So I have to stand over them and they're always covered in hair."
Panek says she loves making dogs feel better. Besides cutting hair, she wants to make her doggy clientsas happy as possible. She evenspecializes in palm massages.
"When they come in,they get worked up...and then when they go home, they're all relaxed and happy. And they feel so much better," she said.
"I'm happier when the dogs are happier."
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached atschitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports.Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
