Tim Harty, The Business Times 

Alex Easterwood was going to school to become a veterinarian when she realized that career path may not be the way to marry work and her love of animals.

“It wasn’t aligning with what I wanted to do,” Easterwood said. “I loved animals, but I wasn’t loving, like, the biology part about it and all the sad things that come with it.”

Dog grooming, on the other hand?

“I found this instead,” she said, “and it clicked ever since.”

After about 13 years of dog grooming, Easterwood is still loving the work, and it got to the point she made another big career move. At the beginning of June, she opened her own business, Coat & Co. Dog Grooming, 2493 U.S. Highway 6&50, Unit 15.

“I think I was just ready to take a bigger leap into my passion and just do what I do best, making dogs look good,” she said. “I just love doing dog hair and making them feel good, healthy.”

Easterwood said as a kid she loved all animals, but dogs hold a special place in her heart, which is why her business is strictly dog grooming.

“I’ve had the option to do cats, grown cats, but dogs have just been my passion and were what I stuck with,” she said.

Dog grooming may look simple to the uninitiated, but Easterwood tells a different story. First, there’s schooling for it. Then, there’s job shadowing, which, of course, includes watching an experienced dog groomer. But roles also get reversed, and “they watch your every move” to point out ways to improve.

The improvement never ends, as Easterwood said, “I’m still learning things every single day.”

Part of the ongoing education is simply encountering new dogs, learning their personalities and adapting, so they’re comfortable.

“With every dog, there’s a different kind of manner,” she said. “Just learning their body language, what works for them and how they correlate with me. It’s really just learning about each dog, what works for them.”

Easterwood’s prior experience made the transition to business owner relatively easy as she said a lot of customers followed her to Coat & Co.

“I have one dog that I’ve been grooming him his whole life,” she said. “I’ve been his only groomer, and that dog is 13, 14 now. I have people who have followed me through my whole career … they’ve been coming to me for many, many years.”

Of course, she needs to bring in new customers, too, and Easterwood said being located right off Highway 6&50 in Cottonwood Mall has been beneficial.

Easterwood said she’s always taking new clients, and they can call her business phone, 970-986-2416, or follow Coat & Co. Dog Grooming on Facebook or Instagram.

She said her social media accounts have pictures inside and out, so people can see how her work area is set up and view dogs she has groomed.

And for anyone who’s shopping for a dog groomer, Easterwood offered this for what sets Coat & Co. Dog Grooming apart from the competition:

“A lot of people come to me because of, one, my experience, and two, I’m one-on-one. It’s stress-free in here. It’s not chaotic. So, a lot of the grooming experience is tailored to your dog. They don’t have to sit in a kennel all day. And I’m quick and efficient.”