Today we’d like to introduce you to Leigha Scoudan.
Leigha, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My love for animals drew me towards a career that allowed me to spend time with them all day. After leaving the military as a cartographer, I explored a few different jobs and ended up, kind of accidentally, in a temporary position as a dog bather with Perky Poodle. With no formal experience in grooming or bathing, I came into the shop on the ground floor and was trained in-house as a groomer, learning hand scissoring from my mentors at the next grooming table. Through hard work and a love for the artistry and animals, I mastered the aspects of how this business works from behind a grooming table. During that time, almost 17 years ago, I met my future spouse who came to the Poodle to work as a manager. She likes to joke that she was my boss when we met, but I’m the one who trained her! After over 17 years of building a flourishing and loyal customer base, I purchased the business in 2017, so I could work on a new skillset: ownership. Who would have thought my wife and I would end up where we are today: co-owners of the same shop we met in?
Has it been a smooth road?
Working as a commission employee is never mundane or ordinary and working with animals can vary greatly from day to day. One never knows what’s going to happen, who is going to come in and what mood the pups will be in! To enjoy success and financial security, a groomer or bather must be committed to providing quality and consistency for each client, time and time again. With all those unknowns, maintaining those standards becomes a constant challenge, requiring continually shifting priorities and focuses. And now, as the owner, I see an entirely new side to the business. I am constantly learning and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Perky Poodle Grooming Salon story. Tell us more about the business.
Perky Poodle has been a mainstay grooming salon in Dallas for over 50 years. We are known for high quality professional bathing services which lay the perfect foundation for our consistent quality hand scissor finished grooming. Hand scissoring is becoming increasingly hard to find as the apprenticeship approach to training has become rarer. Our groomers and bathers welcome new employees by sharing their years of knowledge and experience, a tradition that has continued since the shop opened. This mentorship began my own career and forms the basis for the salon’s spirit of teamwork and sense of family.
I am most proud of this opportunity to take the helm of such a team in one of the most established grooming destinations in Dallas. My incredible staff, with their attention to detail and lasting commitment to their clients, sets us apart from many of other salons in the area. Our groomers and bathers consider their clients family, many of whom send pictures and cards announcing new pups as well as new babies. The community the Perky Poodle builds and maintains is truly inspiring.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Pet “ownership” has continued to grow and I can’t imagine that will stop. People are becoming more and more aware of the needs of their pets. For example, dogs like poodles and doodles with longer, curlier hair can mat or tangle very easily, leading to hot spots and other serious skin issues. This requires constant care on the part of the pet parent and we like to educate our clients on the best, most efficient ways to fit that into their busy lives. Dog grooming as a way of maintaining such coats and styles (versus simply trimming and cleansing) has become a standard part of having a pet. I have barely scratched the surface on exploring the many new and interesting products that offer better and better ways to attain what each client wants and needs. I am very excited about the newer developments in natural products with fewer chemicals and tools that make the process as stress-free for the dog as possible. One of the best parts of this industry, is the relationship and communication between the groomer/bather and the dog. I’m researching any tools that make that relationship stronger and the experience even easier.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4560 West Mockingbird Lane, Suite 126
Dallas, TX 75209 - Website: www.perkypoodle.com
- Phone: 214-526-3243
- Email: front@perkypoodle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perkypoodlegrooming/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perkypoodle/
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