Furry, four-legged friends are the clientele who walk into Clarksville-area full-service, professional dog grooming business Dog’s Day Out each day. Owned and run by Carrie Andreucci, the in-home business caters to the dogs, and is already making some heads turn and tails wag.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
Carrie Andreucci gives a haircut to Chloe, a Labra-doodle, at her professional dog grooming service, Dog’s Day Out, on Vines Creek Road in Clarksville.
Since she relocated to Dagsboro two years ago from Allentown, Pa., with fiancé Tim Haines, Andreucci’s business has been growing steadily. Though she attended school for her profession, it was her mentor and coworker of 10 years, Joanie Caton, who gave Andreucci most of her training.
“They teach you the basics [through school], but I learned everything I know from her,” said Andreucci, whose services include full bathing and grooming capabilities, sometimes with 10 to 15 dogs tended to each day.
A decade ago, Andreucci had to take her Schnauzer, Gunther, to be groomed at least every four weeks.
“I realized that it was something that I wouldn’t mind doing,” she said, “so I figured that I ought to learn how.”
She bought her own clippers and shears and took matters into her own hands.
“People started commenting on how he looked,” she said, “and they’d ask me where I take him to get groomed. That’s when I knew that I could do this. I was tired of working a desk job, too.”
Running the show by herself isn’t always the simplest of tasks, especially as schedules start to fill up.
“A lot of owners bring their dogs in during the summer and weekends,” she said. “They can sometimes fill up fast.”
Equipped with new holding cages and tools, Andreucci has started to see an influx of returning customers, accompanied mostly by bichons, Yorkies and schnauzers.
“I’d like to hire a bather once I get busy enough and start making more money,” she said.
Andreucci’s daughter Megan has assisted in the past with some of the bathing, although it’s usually against her preference. “Whenever she would get in trouble,” recalled Andreucci, “I’d punish her by making her do bathing duty.”
Clients fill out a card with information about their dog, and since Dog’s Day Out opened two years ago, Andreucci has filed nearly 500 cards.
“People come from as far as Frederick (Md.),” she said. She even has customers who live in New Jersey and bring their dog to the Delaware shore when they visit. “Some people come here a few times a month.”
A dog-lover at heart, Andreucci admits that she is happily content working with her clients. “I love doing this,” she said. “It’s the best job ever. I wish I had started doing this when I was in my 20’s.”
Dog’s Day Out is located at 34273 Vines Creek Road, the sixth house on the right from the Clarksville light at St. George’s United Methodist Church. Hours run from 8 a.m. through the early evening from Tuesday through Saturday. Service is by appointment only.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, stop in or call (302) 539-6363.