Pets get top dog treatment at new cat and dog grooming salon in Grand Rapids' Uptown

A new pet grooming salon in Grand Rapids gives its clients top dog treatment, even if they're not dogs.

Cats Vs Dogs Pet Grooming Salon and Boutique opened in April at 929 E. Fulton St., a century-old building that's been beautifully preserved and updated. Original hardwood floors and period chandeliers create just the right setting for the care and grooming of dogs and cats, says owner and certified groomer Jennifer Lotterman.

Lotterman opened the storefront after 20 years of providing feline and canine grooming services at retail stores and in her home. During that time, she was also a grooming instructor for seven years.

Lotterman says she's the only Michigan groomer certified through the National Cat Groomers Institute of America. She's also certified through the International Society of Canine Cosmetologists and has special training as a dermatox specialist to detect and identify skin and coat diseases.

"Opening the store is something I've always wanted to do," Lotterman says. "I taught pet grooming at Paragon School of Pet Grooming, and my students would talk about opening a salon. So I went to GROW (Grand Rapids Opportunities for Women) and took one of their business classes to get some information for my students. The more I got into it, the more I realized I want to do this for myself."

Cats Vs Dogs offers a number of services, including pet bathing – Lotterman says cats aren't as hard to bathe as people think – with shampoos suited for the pet's particular skin condition, a skin conditioning treatment, nail trim, ear cleaning, expression of anal glands, and haircuts that might include hand scissoring and/or hand stripping.

Lotterman also offers color enhancing for pets' coats. Her own pooch, Stiles, a standard-bred white poodle, is often an eye-catching shade of blue. Color-enhanced pets could be part of a human fashion show Lotterman hopes to have this summer in the East Fulton business district.

Hours: Tues. - Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Source: Jennifer Lotterman, Cats Vs Dogs Pet Grooming Salon and Boutique
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor