Pam Sechrest visits with her freshly groomed standard poodles, Rose and Tansy, at Bodacious Pet Spa. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – With 35 experience in grooming, Pam Sechrest knows about dog and cat behavior. She is welcoming furry clients at Bodacious Pet Spa.

Owners even travel from Nashville and Jackson, Miss. to have their Bichons groomed. Sechrest always listens to customer’s wishes.

Locally, she worked at Paradise Pet Resort and Spa and McCurdy Animal Hospital. She quickly seized opportunity to open her own shop. “Every day is different in grooming. No two dogs/cats are alike in personality and temperament,” nor are needs of skin and coat, she said.

Sechrest offers full-service grooming of both dogs and cats. Except for veterinarians, few area groomers accept cats. The spa offers creative services, such as temporary, color tattoos for dogs, full coloring, creative coat cutting, along with jewels and feathers.

She apprenticed in San Antonio, Texas and then groomed for years on the West Coast. “Other than the seven years we traveled in our recreational vehicle all over our beautiful country, including Alaska,” Sechrest said. She even groomed in RV parks and “people actually booked their travels” to accommodate appointments.

“In the past three years, I’ve built up two grooming practices from nothing to thriving,” she said. “I believe I can do this for myself by offering personalized customer service. Customer service is becoming a lost art, but not here at Bodacious Pet Spa.”

She is a native Madisonian. “My husband Rick is not only my partner in life but in this endeavor, also. Our four kids are grown and live in Arizona and Washington,” she said. “We are owned by six cats and two standard poodles, Rose and Tansy, who come to the shop every day.”

Sechrest is a member of the National Cat Groomers Association, National Dog Groomers Association of America and National Association of Professional Creative Groomers.

Bodacious Pet Spa’s address is 9758 Madison Blvd. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with early drop-offs by appointment. For information, call 256-325-3202, text to 256-975-3242, email to info@bodaciouspetspa.com or visit bodaciouspetspa.com.