Small dogs get pampered with a full grooming experience at North Augusta's Plush Pup.
The North Augusta business, owned by Linda Greenway, enjoys adding an extra touch to the work: Dogs with enough hair are likely to walk out sporting a new hair bow.
Greenway began the business while searching for a non-office job that would allow her to set her own work schedule and be home in time to watch her son, Happy, after school.
"I wanted to do something that wouldn't cost much to get into," she said. "It's been a wonderful thing."
Plush Pup began with less than $1,000, she said. All that Greenway needed was clippers and cages, she said.
The idea of starting a grooming business came to her in her hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., after receiving her poodle, Abby, as a wedding gift. Greenway's mother's best friend raised poodles and allowed her to learn and practice grooming with her dogs.
The only service the business doesn't provide is boarding and grooming for large dogs.
Labrador-size and larger breeds are excluded, Greenway said.
Different grooming equipment is required to handle big dogs, she said, and it's hard for the groomer to get them into their high bathtub.
The groomer, Roslyn Williams, began working for Plush Pup in 1973, just two years after it opened at the original location on Georgia Avenue.
"She came as soon as she graduated from high school," Greenway said. "I'd have to close the doors if she left."
Over the years, Greenway has had other side businesses selling jewelry, clothes, antiques and insurance.
"I always picked things where I could be my own boss," she said.
She is a part-time Meybohm Realtor, the grandmother of three and the wife to the principal of Belvedere Elementary School.
Together, she and her husband own three dogs: Bailey, Macie and Betty.
Plush Pup is at 301 West Ave. Its hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Baths are offered with a "sanity clip," which includes nail trimmings, ear cleansing, hair brushing and cologne. Baths average $15 to $20, she said.
The average cost for grooming is $26.
For more information, contact Plush Pup at (803) 279-9311.
Reach Crystal Garcia at crystal.garcia@northaugustatoday.com.
