Photo: Contributed

"Okanagan Inspired" is a weekly series of articles offering a peek into the stories and inspirations of Pentictonites who hold creative roles in the community.

A Penticton woman puts passion and patience into her local pet grooming business.

Originally born in Vancouver, Jessica Schmuck and her family moved out to Summerland at the age of 6 where she has remained mostly ever since.

“My parents chose Summerland to move to, and we all really liked it so we stayed. I have lived in Penticton for short stints here and there, but I really enjoy the small feeling of Summerland,” says Schmuck.

“It’s a nice little community and it’s not too busy. I also like that about Penticton, it’s a close community where you can get to know a lot of people. I also really enjoy all of the nature."

After completing high school, Schmuck was unsure of her direction.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after high school. I worked all kinds of odd jobs for a year. But I knew I wanted to work with animals because I grew up without pets. I saw an ad for Pauline’s Pet Grooming in Penticton, and applied. I got the job and I remember my first day being absolutely surrounded by dogs thinking 'Oh my God, I’m in Heaven,'" Schmuck says laughing.

Schmuck took a grooming course and got her certification and after almost 10 years of working for Pauline’s Pet Grooming, Schmuck made the big move of purchasing the business, now called Pawlished Pet Grooming, which she has now owned for four years.

Schmuck’s passion for animals clearly shines through.

“At Pawlished Pet Grooming, we do all kinds of animals, not just dogs. We do grooming and hair cuts for cats and dogs, and we do nail trimmings on guinea pigs, ferrets and bunnies!” says Schmuck.

“I really love meeting all the different personalities of the pets. I just love them all and I do have some favourites, but they’re all so great and different. The personalities are so different with different animals, which is exciting. It’s never a boring job ... I mostly just love being with animals and helping them out. I’ve never really been a people person so I was really drawn to working with animals.”

She encourages people interested in becoming a groomer to do research ahead of time.

"It’s a lot more than people think it is, and it’s a lot more than playing with puppies and kittens. There are some messes and some accidents and a lot of hair,” says Schmuck, laughing again.

One of Schmuck’s specialties is the creative and unique hairstyles she gives the animals. Whether it be a short cut, working with curly fur, or giving a dog a stylish trim, each pet will receive a truly unique and adorable style.

“I get to do a lot of different hair styles and I love doing unique one’s, like Binx’s, the dog next door to my shop at Pet Pantry. I just gave him a dog mullet,” says Schmuck.

The song most likely being played while playing with her dogs, Zen, Dante and Xena, is "Ghost Love Score" by Nightwish, a song that is nice and relaxing for her pups to enjoy, too.

The dog days of Summer are fast approaching and it is time to give your fuzzy buddy some-much needed TLC and a relaxing spa day at Pawlished Pet Grooming. Book by calling Jessica at Pawlished Pets at 250-493-1040 and check out her amazing before and afters on her Facebook at Pawlished Pet Grooming.