Meet Diane
Before becoming a groomer, I spent more than 20 years in people-focused management — nurturing teams, supporting customers, and leading with empathy. That experience is the backbone of how I groom today:
Clear communication.
Gentle handling.
Emotional awareness.
They are seen, heard, and supported every step of the way.
Inspired by Penny
“The studio is named for Penny, because some pets need more gentleness and more understanding.”
Penny isn’t a dog you can rush. She needs extra time, reassurance, and gentle grooming routines to help her feel safe. Supporting her through this taught me something that changed everything:
Grooming isn’t just a service. It’s a relationship.
This studio exists because of Penny, and for every pet like her.
Meet the rest of our team
Fergus — Guest Experience Coordinator
Fergus is the beating heart of The Black Dog Grooming. His primary responsibilities in our home include greeting guests at the door (while believing he is the guest), leaning into anyone who looks like they might need emotional support, and sitting directly on the person who least expects it. Fergus brings Big Golden Energy: soft, caring, and convinced he’s middle management. Special certifications include:
- Olympic-level cuddling
- Staring lovingly into your eyes until you feel something
- Supervising snacks distribution
He would like everyone to know that he was born for this role and that his salary should include cheese.
Stella — Ball Operations & Inventory Control
Stella is the Head of Ball Management™. She oversees the acquisition, rotation, and storage of all spherical enrichment items. She can fit approximately five in her mouth at once — a detail she would like added to her LinkedIn. Her job duties include:
- Snatching all balls (regardless of ownership)
- Two-minute “quality testing” sprints
- Passive-aggressive staring if a ball rolls under furniture
Stella is deeply committed to excellence, consistency, and making sure Fergus never finishes a game without her input.
Lola — Client Relations / Boundaries Consultant
Lola offers mandatory wellness reminders for the grooming team, specifically:
- “You are allowed to say no.”
- “Personal space is real.”
- “Do not chase affection, it must be earned.”
She accepts pets strictly on her schedule and considers this “professional development for humans.” Lola spends most of her time reviewing operations from sunbeams, practicing quiet judgment, and maintaining a sense of mystique. If she chooses you, you are blessed.
August — Executive Director of Feline Aesthetics
August is our Maine Coon in residence. He floats through the studio like a Victorian poet with dramatic opinions about grooming style, coat shine, and the fact that he is stunning. August specializes in:
- Supervising from high perches
- Paw modeling
- Slow blinking at clients like an elusive woodland prince
While he does not groom dogs himself, he uses his “presence” to elevate the studio’s overall brand prestige.
Jamie — Facilities & Logistics Department / The Guy Who Gets Voluntold
Jamie is the silent backbone of The Black Dog Grooming operation. While not officially on payroll, he has been drafted into multiple essential roles such as:
- Construction & Renovation Lead
- Heavy Lifter of All Things Awkward and Large
- Road Trip Driver to Pick Up Equipment Found “Just a Little Bit Out of Town”
- Master of Figuring Out How to Make It Fit in the Subaru (somehow)
Jamie excels at calmly saying, “Yeah, I can do that,” before immediately Googling how to do that.
His work philosophy:
“Measure twice, swear once, go to Home Depot again anyway.”
He is also in charge of:
- Treat dispensing (he’s the dogs’ favorite)
- Providing coffee to the Grooming Director (critical)
- Reminding the team that walls do in fact need to be load-bearing
When not performing essential operations, Jamie can be found:
- Being sat on by Fergus (against his will but with acceptance)
- Gently tossing a ball for Stella (exactly 47 times in a row)
- Bowing to August’s fluffy authority
- Receiving selective acknowledgement from Lola
Jamie’s compensation package includes:
- Dinner
- Back pats
- “You’re my hero”
- And occasional deeply emotional praise when a shelf is level the first time
We literally could not do this without him.
(And even if we could, we don’t want to.)
