Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Schoonover.
Hi Angela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Years ago I was working on my doctorate in clinical psychology when my Dad passed way. My mom had passed a few years prior, so losing my last living parent was hard. I decided to take time off to focus on my son and heal.
During that time I found my love for animals and dog training. I always knew I wanted to own a business, so I found a successful dog grooming business that was for sale. Initially, I thought I would run the front and handle all the customer service, but quickly started learning the trade. I started out bathing and drying the dogs for the first couple of years. When I was done bathing, I would watch the groomers and ask questions about the haircuts they were doing. Eventually, I started grooming.
I loved my business and loved giving dogs cute cuts, but one of my groomers said we needed to start dying dogs. I told my husband if I was going to take my career and business to the next level, I needed to get a white standard poodle and along came Zoe! I stayed after work and came in on my days off to work on her and learned how to dye her. After creating a few simpler looks, I came up with what is now known as her signature look. After she was done, I shot what is now known as Zoe’s Muse Dog Spa Dog walk, with her coming out of the back of my shop running to the front and that was her first viral video! Since then I have created many looks while keeping her signature colors and she has gone viral many times doing her Muse dog walk with the different looks!
Zoe is now a mini celebrity wherever we go. People squeal with joy when they see her and want to take her photo or take selfies with her. Zoe lives a fabulous life. She has traveled to 4 different countries and 3 different states. She gets to volunteer at Rady’s Children’s Hospital which is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Zoe knows when she’s working at the hospital. She is so calm, she lays in bed with the kids, gets lots of pets and of course takes lots of photos. Even the doctors and nurses love having her there.
We recently traveled to Canada for a creative grooming competition and hope to do more of that in the future! When one of Zoe’s reels goes viral we do get some people who worry about her. I want to assure everyone that the dye I use is non toxic and made for pets. Creative groomers have been safely dying dogs for decades. These dogs are very comfortable with being groomed and are totally relaxed during the process. For Zoe, I break it up over days so it’s never too much for her. She’s my partner in all of this. I adore her and love how happy she is. I only want the best for her!
I have also begun teaching other groomers all over the country how to dye dogs. Zoe and I love to travel to other salons and work with groomers!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a business owner, COVID was a hard time. I bought my business in 2018. It was already well established and successful, so I needed to win over my customers and not mess anything up, which I was able to do. Then came COVID. We had to completely close for some time and then when we came back I needed to change a lot of the way we did things, so people would feel safe. That’s when I really felt like the business was really mine. I got us through that. It wasn’t easy, but we survived and thrived. Then in 2023, I decided to move the business, build it out how I wanted and rebranded to Muse Dog Spa. I wanted it to be more artsy to support the creative grooming aspect. Muse Dog Spa, where your dog is our inspiration!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business provides all types of dog grooming. We can do breed specific trims, easy maintenance cuts, or creative grooming. Our fancier cuts is what sets us apart from other shops. I have people who come from Los Angeles just for a Zoe style haircut or a creative grooming dye job.
We pride ourselves on staying current with best practices and communicating with the pet parents. Regular grooming is so important, not just for the length of their coat, but we’re looking at every part of their dog. We will often catch a new bump or lump before the parent or vet. We have caught cancer before and helped get a dog treatment while it was still in the early stages!
I also believe in continuing education and have talented groomers come give workshops at my shop and I also travel and teach other groomers how to do creative grooming.
As for my brand, I am most proud of Zoe. She embodies my brand and what represents me. I like to say, Zoe is all inclusive and loves to support others by spreading joy and positivity. We strive to build others up and bring people together.
What are your plans for the future?
We may expand into mobile grooming in the future, but right now with the economy, I think I’m going to focus on more outreach and volunteering. One of my groomers and I went to an event in Los Angeles on skid row where we joined other groomers and helped groomed the dogs there. I would like to do something like that in San Diego with Father Joe’s Village. I’d also like to teach more and help advance creative grooming.
Pricing:
- Pricing for grooming and especially creative is very difficult to do without the dog in front of me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.musedogspa.com
- Instagram: @musedogspa. @angela_and_zoe
- Facebook: Muse Dog Spa. Angela Schoonover
Image Credits
These are all my photos and work. The white standard poodle that shows multiple designs is Zoe.
The white Maltese is Princess
The brown short haired dog is Bentley
The brown poodle is Ruby
The black poodle is Besitos
