Metro Roundup: Iron City PAWfection finds new ‘PAWfect’ space

Stephanie Hazen and Kayla Swink have always been passionate about animals, which led them to work for several years as dog groomers in the city.

They’ve used their 30 years of combined experience to introduce their own dog grooming service, Iron City PAWfection, which started accepting appointments in September, Hazen said. The business is located at 1401 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills.

Iron City PAWfection is a whole-service dog grooming salon that offers haircuts, baths, ear cleaning, nail trims and facials, she said.

“I’m really excited,” Hazen said. “I’ve been passionate about animals my whole life, Kayla has too. We have and always will be dog loving people.”

Iron City PAWfection offers a cage-free environment, which allows for a more relaxed atmosphere that is different from most dog salons, she said.

‘The dogs can kind of just hang out with us all day,” Hazen said. “They’re right here and we can keep an eye on them. It’s just fabulous.”

Hazen, who’s been a dog groomer for 17 years, has groomed dogs in Vestavia Hills for several years, she said.

She’s owned a dog salon before in Hueytown that was very successful, she said, but had to close it for personal reasons.

She later worked for PetSmart as a manager, leading her location to be ranked third in the region, she said.

One of the reasons Hazen and Swink decided to open Iron City PAWfection, she said, is because it’s hard and frustrating to work for people who don’t know much about the process of grooming a dog.

“It’s frustrating when certain things are out of your control and you’re just like, ‘Gosh, it would work so much better if we did it like this,’” Hazen said. “Now I have that chance and I’m really excited.”

There are more dogs than there are people to groom them, Hazen said, both in Vestavia Hills and across the country.

The pandemic was a huge factor that contributed to the disparity, Hazen said.

There were so many people working from home, they had the time to be able to have pets, she said.

The problem was that dog grooming services were struggling to stay afloat while it wasn’t safe for people to socially interact, which forced many businesses to permanently close their doors, she said.

“I know one place that closed and I think they had been open for 20 years,” she said.

“There’s a nationwide shortage of groomers right now,” Hazen said. “The dogs that everybody seems to have wanted to go out and buy are doodles; we probably see about six a day. A lot of doodles are very high maintenance, they require a lot of grooming. A lot of times, I don’t think the breeders have adequately prepared people for exactly how much grooming they’re going to need.”

Dogs need to have a regular grooming schedule to maintain good health and prevent complications including eye infections, ear infections and skin infections, among other problems, Hazen said.

Hazen said her business sees a lot of clients that have done business with her for years and is looking forward to new ones.

“We want to be able to give people the best grooming experience that they can get. It can be a stressful experience but with our extensive experience, we know how to make it a smoother, easier experience,” Hazen said.

For more information, visit facebook.com/Ironcitypawfection, bestprosintown.com/al/vestavia-hills/iron-city-pawfection-/ or call 205-306-5405.