Salty Dawg Pet Salon

John Kanski founded Salty Dawg Pet Salon in 2018, when he noticed that typical grooming shops took his Springer Spaniel behind closed doors and left her in an anxious state during her visit. Kanski, a Paul Mitchell School owner with locations across four states, dreamed of redefining the grooming experience by creating an expedited process to teach licensed hairstylists and barbers to groom animals. Turning his dream into a reality, Kanski teamed up with Winn Claybaugh, founder and co-owner of Paul Mitchell Advanced Education (the franchisor of 100+ cosmetology and/or barbering schools operating under the Paul Mitchell School brand), and Gary Ratner, a lifelong expert in the beauty industry with over 40 years of experience in retail, real estate, store operations, and franchising. Thanks to their robust experience in the hairstyling industry, the three co-owners offer ties to prestigious talent pools, giving Salty Dawg an array of options when it comes to finding pet stylists. The brand works to develop relationships with potential candidates rising through the beauty industry to ensure that the stylist's and brand's mission align. In addition, Salty Dawg's tailored training program caters to the stylist's individual learning style, allowing them to thrive. This approach, replicating that of the Paul Mitchell School network, has resulted in talented and prepared pet stylists who feel confident in their transition from human to pet clientele. This attractive program not only trains candidates but offers a successful career path. "Salty Dawg's unique approach to attracting and training stylists is certainly a key ingredient to our success, but what truly sets us apart is our culture," Claybaugh adds. "We've built a culture of being nice, structured on meeting three basic needs: helping our customers and pet stylists feel safe, feel that they belong, and feel that they have a purpose."