De Pere dog spa offers ‘all-inclusive’ grooming

Chris Rugowski

Contributor

September 21, 2026

DE PERE – Spatacular Paws has found a new home in De Pere at 504 Redbird Circle, and despite all the excitement around the new location – officially opened Sept. 2 – Owner Celina Hanrahan said she is already looking forward to grr-owing.

A tenured animal-care professional, Hanrahan said she started working with pets at a local doggy daycare right out of high school, while contemplating what she’d like to study in college.

Deciding to become a medical assistant, she said she attended one semester before realizing she’d rather stick to dogs.

“I put all my apples into the doggy-daycare basket,” she said.

Working there until about age 23, Hanrahan said she eventually hit the top of the pay grade and found herself stuck.

In need of a change, she said she reached out to friends and other groomers to ask for advice before making a decision.

“They were all saying good things: they love it, it’s a really great way to work with the dogs, still be hands-on and not have the stress from the daycare job,” she said. “The fights between dogs are what gave me anxiety at the daycare, but with the grooming you don’t have to worry about that.”

So, in 2018, Hanrahan said she started at PetSmart as a dog bather and worked her way up the chain – passing the company’s grooming academy and obtaining her professional certificate in 2020.

However, after becoming pregnant with her second child, she said she realized she didn’t want to return to a corporate environment.

“I learned a lot of the anxious behaviors come from the dogs waiting in the kennels, and then I was having to deal with it when I was grooming – I was not a fan of it,” she said. “I left to do my own thing, kennel-free, and we only groom one dog at a time, so I’m not balancing two others while I’m with a dog.”

Hanrahan said she ultimately decided to open her own “spectacular spa” – Spatacular Paws – in 2020. 

By 2023, she said, she had taken the business full-time with a booked grooming schedule.

Her most recent move to Redbird Circle, Hanrahan said, helps position the business to take on more clients and hire more employees – further supporting pets, pet parents and the local workforce.

From corporate to independent

In her prior grooming experience, Hanrahan said she felt the focus was on consistent profits over the comfort of pups.

“[Other employers] expected you to take on more and fill up your schedule regardless of dog size,” she said. “I’m glad I don’t have that anymore. Now, I do one dog at a time.”

When a dog is less stressed, Hanrahan said its groomer is less stressed, the service becomes personalized and you can form better relationships with both animal and human companions.

Looking back on her journey from the doggy daycare to the corporate pet world and now the salon, she said it was a profound moment of clarity when she realized she wanted to open Spatacular.

When she first started the business, Hanrahan said she would groom pets out of her home basement – despite her husband’s uncertainty at the time.

With baby number two on the way, she said they decided it made sense that she would be home more, solving the issue of finding daycare (for her children)  around a demanding corporate schedule.

“Starting the business, of course, came with some doubt,” she said. “I wanted it to grow, but I didn’t know if people would come to my house – if they thought it was ‘sketchy.’ The doubts were real, but then it kept growing.”

Hanrahan said business was slow in the beginning, but thanks to her sales and social media backgrounds, she had a wheelhouse of knowledge to keep the leads coming.

“I wasn’t going to give up, and I turned the whole campaign of growth into ‘come get your dog groomed, because I rock,’” she said. “I played to my strengths, and it’s paid off.”

Dog grooming from home

With a plan in place and people coming in, Hanrahan said she knew that bringing the public into her home would make everything far more personal, for better or worse.

“The kids are screaming, my husband is trying to cook dinner and do the dishes – however, I felt like the bond with the first few clients was very close,” she said. “My kids would run up because we did the transaction and check out right in the kitchen, and then I’d bring their dog downstairs where I had the salon set up.”

There was no separation between home and work, and Hanrahan said she thinks that was for the best at the time – noting it helped establish a sense of trust with her early clients.

After taking the business full-time, she said the books got fuller and wait times became consistently longer for three years.

“[Spatacular] was booking out about a month to a month and a half,” she said. “That’s when I realized if I brought in help, I could eliminate those wait times for clients who really wanted to get their appointment in, rather than telling them, ‘I can’t get you in now, but how about a month from now?’”

That’s when Hanrahan said she realized she needed a space not only to accept more clients but more help as well.

Thankfully, she said, her search for an employee was an easy one – hiring a part-time groomer who went to the same grooming academy.

Because they studied right next to each other, Hanrahan said she knew the groomer had a strong work ethic and her work was high quality.

“I watched her communicate with clients, so I knew she was the one I wanted to bring on,” she said. “Furthermore, she was looking at the spaces with me, too, so we could make the right decision.”

Seeking the assistance of a local realtor, Hanrahan said the first space they toured together was where she and her employee decided to move Spatacular.

“I could envision the personal cubbies for each groomer, with room to grow yet, so we could still have our own space,” she said. “[It] used to be a smoothie shop, [so] the plumbing was set and ready for two deep sinks. All I had to do was bring my washtubs [in]. The electrical was also set up how we needed for commercial use. All in all, the space was pretty much plug and play.”

What makes it Spatacular

Hanrahan said she aims to market Spatacular Paws as a luxury pet grooming service with affordable pricing, offering services that include:

• bath and brush
• bath and haircut
• nail trim and grinding
• ear cleaning
• teeth brushing
• anal gland expressions

Hanrahan said Spatacular’s packages are also all-inclusive.

“If you go into a corporate groomer and want an upgraded scent, you pay for it; if you want extra nail care, you pay for it – everything is a line item,” she said. “Every service with us comes with a nail clipping that includes grinding. This is important, as it helps file the nail bed down and gets the nail healthier. I like to compare us to an all-inclusive resort, because we don’t ‘resort’ to making clients pay extra for cologne, bandanas and nail grinding.”

Hanrahan said her de-shed packages for the extra fluffy dogs are the only add-ons that cost extra – as they take more time to brush and require a higher-quality shampoo that penetrates the dead undercoat in a way a regular shampoo won’t.

The salon provides a relaxing and stress-free environment, she said, where owners can drop off and pick up their furry family, and pets receive personalized, top-notch grooming services.

“We pay attention to detail and ensure that tailored care extends to every pet, reflecting our love and passion for animals,” she said. “What helps set us apart is the individualized one-on-one care. Once the dog comes in, I – or my employee – greet you at the door, and [the dogs] are with me the rest of the visit until they are picked up.”

Hanrahan said she has a few elderly clients who have her pick their dog up, and although she charges for mileage, she noted this is a service offered by few other salons.

Additionally, she said a lot of otherwise-anxious dogs have a way of thriving at Spatacular.

Because they groom a single dog at a time, Hanrahan said she doesn’t kennel her clients’ dogs – a practice that has proven itself worthwhile both in her basement and, now, her storefront.

The transition from home to office has been easier than she thought, she said, and her clients are also on board having witnessed her growth.

On a personal level, Hanrahan said she is looking forward to a stark separation of her work and home life.

Knowing now that Spatacular is located elsewhere, she said it’ll be easier to maintain a schedule where she can enjoy quality time with her family as well as her business.

“There’s no more walking through my dingy garage into my kitchen anymore – this space is beautiful, and they’re so happy for me,” she said. “On top of that, I didn’t realize how many of my customers were based right here in De Pere. Many of them have told me they can even walk their dogs to get here.”

To learn more and book an appointment, visit spatacularpaws.com.