Today we’d like to introduce you to Donna Taylor.
Hi Donna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a child I groomed our horses and pets on a mini farm in Powell, WY. 4-H started me on the path to wanting to show horses. I went through college receiving an associate degree in Business Management. Got married had twin daughters. I continued to want to do an animal-based business. I went back for a year of equestrian studies which ended my marriage.
As a single mom, I went to the horse track as a groom. After leaving WY for UT, the horse trainers talked me into going to Arizona to Turf Paradise to be a groom . Problems arose with trying to care for my daughters at the racetrack. My father helped me get back to Wyoming. My daughters started showing their animals in 4-H and I really didn’t like the cold. That and sewing reenactor clothing brought me to Texas.
Texas gave me opportunities to care for my daughters and work with horses. I groomed for hunter/jumper stables and other boarding stables.
In 2007, I married a man who had the means to allow me the dream of owning a horse farm in Stockdale, TX. We sold that and moved to Weatherford, TX. I had started showing Persian cats and doing all the grooming on them, I also continued showing my foals and mares in the stock shows.
In 2012, my father passed suddenly, leaving my mother in a mess back in Powell, WY. Moved back to help her and ending another marriage. While there I started spending time with a man from Arkansas. We ended up together and moved to Arkansas.
In 2015 I had a mental meltdown. I had no animals anymore to keep me sane. I found a job as a veterinary assistant at the Wedington Animal Hospital. This position started me on my grooming road. I watched all the dogs go to the grooming area and come out so cute. I decided I wanted a small dog. The man I was with wouldn’t allow me a horse, but his family had small maltipoo and morkiepoo dogs. Finding the right small dog took a little time but when I saw this little ewok looking shihpoo puppy on a pet site, I knew I had to have him. I knew nothing about the hair coat of a poodle mix dog. I soon realized that at $9/hr I couldn’t afford to pay a groomer to make hiim look good. I got my trusty clippers from the horse grooming tool bag and tried to groom him.. The groomers at the vet clinic gave me some pointers and groomed him a few times for me. I didn’t realize how much a groomer could make nor did I ever look at it as a profession.
I left Arkansas to move back to Weatherford, TX where a daughter lived. In 2021 my mother became very ill. I made the trek back to Wyoming spending time with her in her last years. I saw an ad asking for dog groomers and was hired right away. I met Klondy Jansson, a 30 year veteran to pet grooming. She took me under her wing teaching me the do’s and don’ts of pet grooming.
We opened a shop of our own the fall of 2024 in a mini mall in Powell, I had seen the amount of neglect that can happen to poodle mix dogs. With prices of everything going up, I decided to create a non-profit corporation to receive donations for pets in need of grooming, not discriminating on the owner’s ability to pay. I just got the paperwork finished October 22, 2025, then the lease to the space didn’t get renewed due to the dogs barking too much for the neighboring businesses and owners allowing their pets to relieve themselves on other store fronts. I had also found out my daughter in Weatherford, TX received a diagnosis of MPN blood cancer. It seemed as though all the doors in Wyoming were closing on me and the door to Weatherford had opened once again for me. Pecan Hollow RV Park is where I park my living quarters and the management fixed up half of their shop to accommodate my grooming business. I just opened my business on March 1, 2026 and am impressing many locals of the quality of service at an affordable rate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Having the lease not renew and no one wanting to rent an affordable space to me has been extremely difficult. Leaving over 100 clients and having to send them to other groomers in Powell and starting over in a new area has been a huge challenge financially.
As you know, we’re big fans of Cherie a Mimi Pet Foundation Inc. dba Cherie a Mimi Pet Salon. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
As a nonprofit organization, we are able to keep services at an affordable fee. My main concern is to give pets the routine care they need. Many owners are individuals who are on limited income, their pet is the only companion they have. My heart breaks seeing the dog’s nails curl sideways from not getting routine grooming. The dogs coming in with mats and long hair that only get groomed 1-2 times a year because these individuals are not able to afford the high prices that grooming shops are charging. With my veterinary assistant background, I am able to express anal glands, clean ears, and let the owner know if I see something that they may need a veterinarian to take a look at. Pets are our family, who deserve routine care.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Devotion, compassion, love, and patience are the most important things to work with all animals. Animals tell you with their body language how they feel. It is up to us to read their body language.
Pricing:
- $10 Nail Trims
- $45 Small Dog Full Groom
- $55 Medium Dog Full Groom
- %65 Large Dog Full Groom
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cherieamimidogs.daysmartpetwebsites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherieamimipetsalon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Cherie-a-Mimi-Dogs-100094189292125/
Image Credits
All of these photos have been taken by me and background replaced by photoroom app
