Sara Knote, owner of Sara’s Pet Salon is excited to soon bring the pet salon experience to neighborhoods in towns near Hemingford.
The custom trailer arrived last weekend so it’s not ready to hit the road yet but once it’s licensed and the details ironed out Knote will take it out. The trailer really has all the bells and whistles. It features three dog kennels, two hydraulic tables, storage and a wash area along with a vacuum and blow dryer.
“I thought mobile grooming made more sense for our area,” Knote said. “We’re not like big towns where there are few options for groomers, most people here have to travel to get their dog groomed and since that’s not always an easy option why not bring the groomer to them.”
He plans to offer weekly/monthly services in various communities such as Alliance, Gordon, Crawford and other towns near Hemingford. Instead of offering the full curbside grooming experience, he plans to park his trailer in a designated location within town and have customers deliver their dogs to the trailer.
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“I’ll offer full curbside service to customers if they ask for it but I’ll know more about that when I get started,” he said. “Until the trailer is ready, I will continue to offer services from home.”
Knote is a 2021 Graduate of Hemingford High School. He is the daughter of Wayne and Amanda Knote, owners of Village Pizza.
As he grew up, he had different ideas about what he wanted to do as an adult. From marine biologist to veterinarian, animals always seemed to be the common theme for Knote who was active in Box Butte County 4-H in his youth.
“First I wanted to be a veterinarian because of my love for animals but as I looked into it I decided that pet grooming was a better option and something that was needed locally,” Knote said.
He took online courses and went to Scottsbluff and Fort Collins for his externship.
“I started my externship in Scottsbluff but they were only open four hours a day for repairs and I needed 150 hours,” Knote said. “So two hours of travel time for four hours of repair took a long time.”
After some short training in Chadron, his mother (Amanda) came up with the idea of staying with family in Fort Collins to speed up the times needed.
“I did very well and I did all my time,” Knote said. “I’ve groomed all kinds of breeds and I’ve learned how to make each cut specific to that breed. But there are some dog owners who want to groom their dogs a certain way and that’s okay.”
He began grooming in mid-April but received his official certification in July from the Animal Behavior College in Valencia, California. She introduced Sara’s Pet Salon Mascot, Bella, in August to her customer base on Facebook.
“I trained her and now she’s a pro,” she said as she brushed and trimmed Bella’s coat. “Grooming is not just for looks; it is also for the dog’s health. When they are mated they can have skin issues and having their nails trimmed is very important for their well-being. Even regular bathing is important and not always possible in your bathtub at home. I have a client who regularly brings her dog to me just for a bath to ‘save him’.”
Bella is a Whooodle, a hybrid cross between a Wheaten Terrier and Poodle who needs regular grooming as her silky coat must be brushed daily.
“He loves other dogs and he loves people,” Knote said. “He loves to say hi to my customers and is a happy helper.”
Follow Sara’s Pet Salon on Facebook and call 308-760-3510 for an appointment; if there is no answer he may be busy with repairs so leave a message and he will call you. His current hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 8 am to 5 pm
