Taking into consideration statistics recently published by the American Veterinary Medical Association that show Missouri as the nation’s fourth-ranked state in terms of dog ownership (with almost 46-percent of households owning at least one dog), it stands to reason that businesses catering to canine care and customs would thrive.
Such a business is in fact doing doggone well in downtown Houston: Paws N Claws.
Opened in September of 2009 by lifelong Houston resident Kim Epperly, Paws N Claws offers a variety of items and services a dog (or its owner) might desire, like grooming, boarding and, of course, goodies and treats. At the age of 21, Epperly started the business out of a desire to be employed doing something she would enjoy.
“I just love animals and kind of went with it,” she said. “Starting a business when I was so young was quite challenging – earning respect of other business people, trust from customers and having my business as, pretty much, my first priority.”
Epperly’s mother, Marni Murphy, regularly works with her daughter and the parade of pooches that come and go often results in the pair dealing with more than five grooming treatments each day (including hair cuts, nail-trimming, bathing and more). On days when many people are off of work – like this week’s Presidents Day holiday – as many as 10 or more dogs might come through the door, and Epperly bulks up her staff by a person or two.
“We stay pretty busy around the holidays and in the summer,” she said. “I like to do anywhere from six to eight a day, but of course it depends on the what they are. Huge dogs obviously take longer.”
The boarding side of Epperly’s business is also popular, and she promises that overnight guests get plenty of attention.
“We probably had 1,000 boarding days last year,” she said. “That’s nowhere near what some of the vets do, but I like to keep it small scale so the animals get more personal attention. But there’s definitely a need for this; the vets fill up at every holiday.”
Paws N Claws incorporates some state-of-the-art grooming technology, as dogs are bathed using a “hydro-surge” system and dried with a high-velocity system that quickly blows the moisture out of even the thickest coat of fur.
“We love the hydro-surge, and it really seems to help some of the dogs that initially come in with skin problems,” Epperly said.
A handful of cats come to Paws N Claws, too, but dogs make up the vast majority of the store’s four-legged clientele. Every mutt has its own reaction to being handled, and Epperly said good behavior sometimes comes down to experience.
“When they’re used to it, they’re usually really, really good,” she said. “They sit calmly on the (grooming) table, and just know the drill. A lot them even seem to enjoy it.”
One thing’s for sure, though: Epperly never comes to work expecting to be bored.
“It’s different every day here,” she said. “It can be quiet, or it can be crazy because of all the dogs’ different personalities.”
Dogs can naturally do humorous things at times, and Epperly recalls many humorous moments at Paws N Claws. One of the of the funnier occasions took place when a pair of dogs decided they liked the place so much, they showed up on their own for several days in a row.
“They would run away from their yard while their owners were working and they would show up here,” Epperly said.
“I’d step out on the deck and see them coming,” Murphy said. “We had to give them a bath almost every time because they’d roll in something dead on their way here.”
“They were out on an adventure, for sure,” Epperly said.
Like most people involved in the pet business, Epperly wishes more dogs were spayed and neutered.
“I think it’s very important,” she said. “I wish there was some way to make it a requirement when someone doesn’t plan to breed a dog. A lot of dogs tend to get lost or run away, and then they find friends. And the number of unwanted animals is just ridiculous.
“I think many people get overwhelmed when they have a pregnant dog, and they either dump it somewhere, or when they get a litter it’s too much to handle or too much to feed. If they would spay and neuter in the first place, a lot of problems could be eliminated.
“I don’t have a problem with breeders or pure-breds, and I really like it when breeders take pride in what they’re doing, and I think that’s very respectable. But I’m very passionate about this subject and I always will be.”
Now in her fourth year as a business owner in Houston, Epperly said she realizes how fortunate she is.
“The support of Houston and the other surrounding towns means so incredibly much to me,” she said. “There’s no way I could provide the level of services I do without the awesome customer base I have. I have flexible hours, I come in early, stay late, come in on weekends for grooming and boarding – it’s all about bringing convenience to my customers.
“I completely thank God, my friends, family, and customers for allowing me to be able to do what I love.”
Epperly said Paws N Claws prefers appointments, but walk-ins are accepted.
“As long as they’re patient with me, and they don’t mind possibly having to wait until the end of the day to get their dogs, I’m OK with it,” she said. “If I’m booked and you want your dog in an hour, that’s pretty hard. You can’t really rush this kind of thing; I often have to be patient with the dogs, so I need people to be patient with me.”
Paws N Claws phone number is 417-967-6951.
It’s different every day here. It can be quiet, or it can be crazy because of all the dogs’ different personalities.”