Jessica Pounds

As a half owner of this pet grooming and boarding facility I was responsible for all shop related activities. As a baby business I was its sole employee and my duties ranged from answering the phones and scheduling to the skill of actually grooming the pets. My expertise in my field gave me the ability to work with harder to handle dogs and cats. This is my 14th year grooming and this business was a legacy to my prior owned grooming salon in Edinboro Pa that closed in 2020 with the pandemic restrictions placed on small non essential businesses. This business was designed even better. With room to also board dogs I had potential for extra income in addition to grooming. So we (my co owner-sister and I) thought the higher overhead would be acceptable with the multi purpose building. We did well for two years but it still hasn’t made it out of the breaking even stage. And for all intents and purposes based on projections from current information it very likely won’t without a lot of further investment. So we are closing in July 2026. I’ve done grooming and business ownership a long time. I have always been passionate about pet care. However I am excited to try something different at this stage in my life. I’m also looking forward to having coworkers again.

• Performed grooming services including baths, haircuts, and nail trimming for diverse breeds.
• Ensured cleanliness of grooming area by maintaining equipment and sanitizing tools.
• Communicated with pet owners to understand grooming needs and preferences effectively.
• Implemented efficient scheduling system to optimize appointment flow and reduce wait times.
• Monitored pets during grooming for signs of distress or health issues, ensuring safety standards were met.
• Contributed to client retention by consistently providing outstanding customer service to both clients and pets.

This business was my pride and joy. I built it step by step for years. I started out breeding Shih Tzu dogs that led to a necessary education in grooming as they are high maintenance breed. This led to a starter portfolio that grew from personal home grooming were I brought my equipment to clients home. From there I renovated a large room in my house that had its own entrance. I loved my job this way. It made the money worth it. However I’m located about 7 miles outside of any town. It prevents the business from really thriving for convenience of the customers, especially in winter. I continued this way until fate had it that my mother was interested in opening a pet supply business and wanted to rent a location in the town of Edinboro Pennsylvania. Her and I split the rent and the location boosted business significantly because it was a store front on the Main Street of a very dog friendly town. After awhile my mother decided she wanted to leave the business because profit margins where to small to succeed. I bought certain aspects of her business and moved to a smaller location with better rent. It was still central in town and it offered good parking with an attentive landlord. I resided there until in 2020 when many events took place simultaneously. First and foremost I lost a dear friend and employee to Covid. To say the atmosphere of the grooming shop changed after that is an understatement. Additionally restrictions were being placed on small businesses to avoid human contact if you are not an essential business. Everything is essential if you look at it from an income perspective, but everyone was struggling not just me. Eventually the restrictions were lifted but people were still terrified to go out for anything they could go without. The return of customers anytime soon didn’t seem positive. The bills were piling up and Every time I turned the lights on it cost money to operate with no return. Additionally, with all the shuffling of employees after Kim passed the shift in business productivity and low moral was jolting. Kim was a very prominent member of the team. So at the end of 2020 I shut the doors and resumed grooming select pets from home again.

Pound’s pet grooming was successful for many reasons. My skills especially in animal behavior were actually high enough I had clout in the community as the groomer who could help the naughty and overgrown animals. The hard to groom pets were a niche market unexplored my many groomers in fear of injury. However my education background is in animal control. So the hair cutting was harder for me to learn at first than the behavior issues present during this process. The other half of the business is customer related and finance management. I learned a lot about both. Successfully kept books, paid all the tax categories, retained employees, did orders and kept inventory for select pet products and ran a POS system for my cash register system. There is a lot to running any business and when you have the right conditions and great passionate people working with you success is possible. Pounds pet grooming was the victim of uncontrollable and unfortunate circumstances. I regret nothing. Everything I accomplished there is the bedrock of my confidence as productive part of society. I plan to continue my passion for pets but also explore additional passions at this stage in my life.

At the presque isle casino and race track there are many people that work on the backside with the horses before, during and after racing. I was one of those people for about 3 years total. Most of my experience is from 2009 and 2012. It’s a seasonal job running from May to September. Back then I worked for many different trainers and obtained a tool box of skills that have always been lucrative. Grooming horses includes brushing, mane care, baths, saddling for training, cleaning stalls, feeding, escorting the horse to and from his race, walking him for approximately 45 mins to cool down after a race and of course watering. It’s a 7 day a week career that starts at around 5 am and has a break at noonish. Then workers return for feeding and race activities around 4. Races end about and 8 or 9pm and then you repeat for 6 months. It’s a lifestyle commitment that makes it hard to have anything else in your life. However whenever you need work it’s always there. Last year I dabbled in it again and was very excited to be back but then a major vehicle issue occurred and I was out just as fast as I was in. Unfortunately because the last trainer I worked for was a very reliable and organized individual that paid very well. That’s a great thing when you also consider that beyond the long hours and taxing work it’s also dangerous. These 1200 lb animals are super up to run and sometimes get pretty frisky. At the track the ole saying goes it’s not if you get hurt, it’s when and how bad. From that perspective it makes you want to look for a different type of work. I love going to work with a passion though that is for sure. You have to love the horses to do this.

My responsibilities included getting clients and their pets settled into an exam room. Getting the patient history was first. I would then assist the veterinarian in holding the animals for any vaccinations or simple procedures. If the procedure required further tests or X-rays I would remove the animals from the exam room and assist the veterinarian technician with tests, bloodwork and X-rays. I also assisted in common surgery’s. Basic grooming needs were also on my list of responsibilities such as nail trims. And lastly I would walk the long term patients and clean their kennels.

At this small veterinarian clinic I assisted in escorting patients and their owners into the exam rooms. Holding pets for exams and vaccines. Assisting in tests and X-rays. Setting up the patients with exit information and prescriptions. Walking pet patients and feeding was also my responsibility. I worked with a veterinarian technician there that also worked at the Woodbridge hospital. She suggested that I switch hospitals and work with her there as it was a better work environment and pay. So I did move at that time to the bigger animal clinic this is why this job was so short. However I learned a lot and was a great starting point.

I was a hostess at this large chain restaurant. Customer service and seating was my primary responsibilities. When things were slow rolling silverware and cleaning to be accomplished. Closing duties were also occasionally on my scheduled nights. I had planned to move up to a server position but ended up starting what would be a life long career in the pet industry at a veterinary clinic.

This was a family owned restaurant that I was highly involved in serving and daily operations such as closing and dishwashing. We had a loyal team that worked well together and had a small turnover in employees. Eventually I moved to New Jersey and therefore left this little town behind for awhile. This was my second high school employment.