Laurel’s Little Lions brings a passion for pets

Laurel’s Little Lions, a pet grooming business, is now located in Cadott, inside Pet Pantry Plus, along Chippewa Street. “I want this to be something I retire from someday,” said Laurel Normand, owner of Laurel’s Little Lions.

her home for a while, before she saw Pet Pantry Plus was looking for a groomer and brought her business to Cadott, in May.

Normand primarily grooms dogs, cats and rabbits, but has also done guinea pig nail trims. She also shaved horses before, traveling to where she is needed.

She says she might take a little longer than other people, but she is very thorough with her grooms.

Normand also says she does a lot of puppy grooming training, where she introduces puppies to grooming, since grooming will be part of the animal’s entire life.

“It’s so important to start them off in a positive way,” said Normand.

Right out of high school, Normand became a CNA, and worked as an aide and in hospice care for about 10 years. Then, she had the opportunity to bathe dogs at Sun Spot.

“I just fell in love with it, like, immediately, because I love animals,” said Normand.

Normand originally started grooming dogs in Menomonie, at Sun Spot Pet Grooming.

“There were a lot of people that called for cat grooming and nobody was doing cat grooming in the area,” said Normand. “So, I decided that I would start a cat grooming business.”

Since others at Sun Spot were allergic to cats, Normand worked out of other locations for a bit.

Eventually, Normand decided to branch out on her own and start her own pet grooming business, about a year and a half ago. She says she worked out of Normand stepped away from her career in healthcare to go into pet grooming.

“It’s more than a job for me,” said Normand. “I absolutely love every part of it.”

Another passion of Normand’s, is working with shelter dogs. She does donated grooms for pets in rescues or animal shelters, and says that is something she would like to do more of. She says it is one of her dreams to have her own shop, with a rescue included.

“There are so many dogs that need homes,” said Normand.

She says she would like her children to be part of the business, and learn to love and respect animals, like she does.

In the meantime, Normand says she would like to increase her client list, but not so much that she can’t get her regulars in or that the business loses the personal touch.

Laurel’s Little Lions is open by appointment only, Monday through Friday, and one Saturday, per month. In order to make an appointment, people should call 715-933-8257. Normand says she does not answer her phone while she is grooming, so people should leave a message and she will get back to them.

Pet Pantry Plus also holds a monthly nail trim and shave-down clinic, to help those who can’t afford a full groom or are unable to get an appointment elsewhere. The dates are posted on the Pet Pantry Plus Facebook page and appointments for the day can be made by calling Pet Pantry Plus, at 715-289-3334.

Laurel’s Little Lions, a pet grooming business serving primarily dogs, cats and rabbits, is situated inside Pet Pantry Plus. The business relocated to Cadott, in May. Grooming is by appointment only, by calling 715-933-8257.Photo by Julia Wolf