Brittany Stevens is absolutely nuts about animals. Her love of our furry friends is the reason she started grooming six years and opened The Smelly Dog Grooming two years ago in Bountiful. 

“Animals are the best and we don’t deserve them,” Brittany says. “I’ve always related to animals on a super-deep level. They don’t have a voice so someone has to speak for them.” 

The Smelly Dog Grooming offers the pampering attention every pet owner wants for their pup. Bathing, trimming, blow outs and unconditional love are all part of the package. Every dog gets a bonus facial using gentle shampoo that makes the fur soft and cleans up around the eyes.

Because every breed has a different type of coat, Brittany is trained to work with each dog’s fur or hair, offering treatments for dry or sensitive skin, or shedding issues. She educates owners about their pet’s coat, especially when it comes to shaving certain breeds. Some dogs have hair, which grows back if shaved. Fur does not grow back and dogs with fur should never be shaved. 

“A pet’s coat is an insulator and a cooler. You take that away and a dog can’t regulate its temperature correctly.”

There are no breed restrictions at The Smelly Dog Grooming but Brittany did raise prices for grooming any doodle because they take extra time to bathe and brush.

“The doodle craze has 100% completely flipped the grooming world on its head,” Brittany said. “Just a few years ago, big dogs coming in for grooming was a rarity. Now doodles have flooded the market and because each dog has a different parentage, every coat type is different. The time to groom a doodle is at least double the time for smaller dogs.”

Brittany tells doodle owners to brush their dog five to six hours each week to help grooming go easier. With their big size, hair type and high energy levels, working on doodles is a lot more work for groomers. 

Unlike other pet grooming businesses, The Smelly Dog Grooming’s prices include all services in one flat rate, with full-service bath and brush starting at $36, and a full-service groom starting at $60. 

Each treatment includes a warm bath and custom shampoo, a full brush or trim, ear cleaning, nail buffing, teeth brushing and anal gland expression (if needed). 

Brittany has a “no muzzle” and “no kennel” policy so dogs stay calm and safe, and there’s a gallery of happy pup customers on her website at TheSmellyDogGrooming.com.

To continue her work with animals, Brittany is going into the study of conservation zoology, working specifically with elephants, orangutans and rhinos.

“Dog grooming is a tough industry but probably one of the most important, and the most rewarding,” Brittany says. “I’m so lucky to work with the people I do and the dogs that I do.”