Ground Floor: Cedar Rapids dog groomer loves making animals happy

CEDAR RAPIDS - Tammy Myers said people call her the 'dog whisperer.”

Myers' ability to connect with and calm even the most timid of dogs is a skill she puts to good use in her new Cedar Rapids business, Bark ‘n Bubble Dog Spa.

'I treat every dog like they're my own,” she said. 'I respect them, and they give me a mutual respect back.”

Myers has been around dogs all her life, and not just the many pet dogs her family raised over the years. Her mother was a dog groomer and, growing up in northeast Iowa, Myers helped her mom bathe dogs after school.

'I always said I wouldn't be a dog groomer,” she said. 'It's not always an easy job.”

Yet she has been grooming dogs herself for more than three decades now.

Myers started out working in the corporate world as an administrative secretary and eventually moved to the dental field. In those days, she groomed dogs on the side - both her own dogs and those of her neighbors and friends.

'I did it just because the dogs needed it,” she said.

About five years ago, when Myers and her family were living in Illinois, her daughter got a job at a newly-opened Petsmart store in the area. The store needed dog groomers, and her daughter suggested Myers for the job.

'I was hired before I even filled out an application,” Myers said.

After three months working there as a side job, Myers was called into the store manager's office. The district manager was there, too, holding a piece of paper. Myers didn't know what to expect.

The piece of paper turned out to be a screen shot from the Petsmart Facebook page, where a satisfied customer had posted about the great job Myers did, mentioning her by name. Impressed, the district manager offered her a job as salon manager at another store.

Myers accepted, and her career as a full-time groomer began.

'As much as I loved working in dental, I loved making dogs happy more,” she said.

In early 2014, Myers and her husband relocated to Eastern Iowa. She opened Bark ‘n Bubble in July of this year.

Myers said there are a few things that set her apart from other salons in the area. She uses only all-natural pet care products, has a policy of having only one dog on the premises at a time (with the exception of dogs from the same family), and uses essential oils in special blends for pets that help calm anxiety.

'I truly believe it's a service for the dogs,” she said. 'Dogs can't wait to get in the door here, and that's my greatest reward.”

At a Glance

Owner: Tammy Myers

Business: Bark ‘n Bubble Dog Spa

Address: 4357 Czech Lane NE, Cedar Rapids

Phone: (319) 826-1882

Website: www.barknbubbledogspa.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/barknbubbledogspa

l Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor”? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com