A potentially unexpected sight at this year’s Malad Classic Car Show was the staff of Mountain Momma’s Paw Spa, which has been operating in the Subway complex at the top of Malad for almost a year.

Head Groomer Dawn Colwick and Head Bather Analee Tombaugh came from a busy dog grooming practice in Texas, which they ran together for almost four years.  They closed down that location in order to move to Malad to be closer to family.

“We closed our doors on just over 1000 pets and it was really difficult,” Colwick said.  “We still have clients that text us, and we keep a list of clients that we will gladly see if they ever visit us from Texas!”

“My goal is to never move again – I have fallen in love with Malad.  I mean, you guys welcomed us in to this town so quickly, with open arms.  It was great.  Plus, moving takes too much and I have too much stuff!”

The spa offers a full line of services, including nail trims, baths, full grooms, ear cleaning, and a little bit of everything non-veterinary.

“We don’t plan on closing our client books,” Colwick said. “If we ever get to the point where I am not able to service the number of clients, then we plan to add another person to the salon so that we can continue to do so.  We want to grow with the community as it keeps growing.”

Colwick started the grooming business around five years ago, and it has become a passion project.  Before that, Colick was a Vet Tech, and worked at Sharkarosa Wildlife Refuge in Pilot Point, Texas, just north of Dallas.  The zoo is a 126 acre exotic animal park, which features “one of the largest free-flowing petting zoos in the U.S.” 

She started volunteering there when she was 10 years old because her father trimmed horse hooves there.  As a result, she has had exposure to a lot of interesting and unusual animals.  Asked whether she would groom a shark, Colwick immediately responded, “You give me a semi-safe plan, and I’m there!”

“Animals cannot tell me with words what’s going on, but every part of their body will light up and speak to you if you learn the language.”  Colwick and Tombaugh hope to teach that language to others who would like to learn.

“My goal is eventually we’ll open to classes to help owners learn how to take care of dogs at home in between grooming services,” she said.

Colwick’s standard poodle Suika (Japanese for Watermelon) was a crowd favorite, with her rainbow hair style and festive outfit, and Dawn was happy to talk with those who came to visit Suika during the car show, and answered questions about hair, matting, grooming, and more.  One principle she conveyed with regard to styling dogs with potentially troublesome fur or hair (overly long or matted for the environment) was “humanity over vanity,” or, make your dog happy and comfortable above all.

Mountain Mommas Paw Spa is located near Subway in east Malad, and hours and contact information can easily be found on the Facebook page under that name, or by calling 940-600-3649.