Pup Pup and Away is the Forest Hills Go-To Dog Groomer

Bonnie Garner was doing her best to break into a field working with animals when she suddenly ended up with her own grooming business—

Now, 34 years later, she’s still working at her dream job in as the owner of the local shop.

“I had just moved to Pittsburgh from Harrisburg and I was calling different places to see if they would hire me,” Garner said.

The woman who previously owned the space had become pregnant and no longer wanted the business.

“She said, ‘If you buy my shop, I’ll teach you how to groom,’” Garner said. “I didn’t check with my husband or anything and just said, ‘OK, I will do that.’”

The grooming business, which offers everything from dog and cat haircuts to nail trimmings, has had its name since she bought it. On any given day, clients will come in and see wet dogs in mid-bath, a cat laying on a table as a groomer shaves its fur, or a dog in the process of drying.

Over the years, the experience has evolved because today, more people know more details about their dogs—Garner especially.

“Just by looking at the way a dog moves its ears, we know if it’s going to bite, go to the bathroom or run,” she said with a laugh. “If you read the dog’s body language, it’s easier.”

The aspect of her job that she loves the most is seeing how much people love their pets. After 34 years of being in business, customers have become more like family members.

“I have customers whose grandkids come here now—it makes me feel old,” Garner joked. “It’s a small shop and they all know us by name. They call us when someone in their family dies or if the dog dies, and we cry with them and we laugh with them—we have known them for so long.”

And that’s what makes having a small shop especially worth it.

“We are a part of the dog’s family a lot of the time,” she said.

Garner said she loves working with animals because number one—they don’t judge.

“They don’t have preconceived notions of 'oh she’s this or oh she’s that,'” Garner said. “The job we do is very strenuous. It’s harder than people think it is because every dog has its own personality and reacts in different ways. You don’t know what experiences the dog has had or what circumstances it comes from if it’s adopted. You can’t be afraid because they will sense it.”

The average price for services is $34 while cats are a little more because they are difficult to groom. The bigger the dog and the more hair, the price will go up as well. In the winter, Pup Pup and Away is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. until the last dog is groomed.

For more information, call 412-271-6222.