TOWN OF MANLIUS – An area pet grooming business has made the move to the eastern suburbs.
Previously situated at 903 N. Main St. in Cicero, Shear Perfection Grooming is, as of Aug. 1, open at 6875 E. Genesee St. in a yellow building shared with Hair2toe hair salon.

As its logo of a puppy suggests, Shear Perfection mainly focuses on assisting dogs in particular, leaving them with a nicely cleaned coat after each appointment.

Using what she describes as “top-of-the-line” products like veterinarian-approved medicated shampoos for skin issues and scents for different seasons, owner and sole groomer Denise Swank said she tries to make her services as luxurious as possible for her canine clients. A household companion to four dogs herself, she also chooses humanity over vanity if one has to prevail.

“I will always do what’s best for the dogs over anything else,” Swank said. “I treat every dog that comes into my salon as if they’re my own personal pet.”

In her resolve to never push a pet past their limits, Swank said she refuses to force a dog through the grooming process if they show too much apprehension, believing that any further attempts would only make them dislike it more.

Though she brushes out mats if they’re in a limited amount of spots, she will decline a dog owner’s request to remove all of them if their pooch is covered in the tangled clumps, at which point she suggests for these customers to wait for the regrowth of the hair and a renewed try at maintenance.

“Matting is extremely painful for dogs and brushing it out is pretty much torture for them,” Swank said.
Her one-on-one grooming sessions also expressly cater to anxious and elderly dogs.

For the ones with anxiety that constantly move around, she makes sure to give them breaks when needed.
“Honestly it’s really about having a lot of patience, baby talking the dogs and being there to pet them to get them comfortable,” said Swank, who also fashioned a play area with toys for her furry visitors. “They may have had a negative experience prior so it’s just showing them it’s not a bad, scary thing.”

As for the elderly dogs that are eight years or older, Swank concentrates on that same comfort aspect while getting the hair off more so than the idea of achieving a perfect haircut.

Prior to the start of Shear Perfection in December, Swank worked in the grooming department at Petco. She began working at that store on the recommendation of a friend after graduating from cosmetology school.

With her own place, she seeks to take meticulous care with every appointment and have a smaller amount of dogs inside at one time—an approach that differs from the corporate goal to serve a daily quota of customers.

Now past the six-month point with her clipping and cleaning business, Swank said it has been “thoroughly enjoyable” running Shear Perfection.

“You get to see the dogs really shine, and as soon as they get used to the process, they stand like a champ on the table,” Swank said. “They all seem to know after they’re groomed how good they look because it’s like they have a different level of confidence.”

She said she also appreciates the “up-to-date,” “well taken care of” new building on East Genesee Street and the responsiveness of its landlord. She also considers its central air conditioning a major plus, given that the two AC units and dehumidifier that she bought for the previous spot did little good to stamp out the heat.

For more information, visit Shear Perfection’s Facebook page or call the main number, 315-481-2153.