Sometimes, choices are easy. For Sabrina Paige-Kack, opening “Pawsitively Perfect Pets Grooming” in Vankleek Hill was a no-brainer. She has always loved animals.
Her business at 16 Main Street East in Vankleek Hill has been open since March.
But a love of animals has always been with her, she says. As a child, she says she had everything from pet snakes to horses.
She had worked in an office for about 10 years but finally, to pursue her dream, she quit her job and learned everything she could about pet-grooming.
“I was doing grooming part-time in Hawkesbury when the owner here told me she would be selling. It was totally fate. We had just moved to Vankleek Hill the month before,” said Paige-Kack.
The big surprise for her has been the groundswell of community support since she opened.
“People are always coming in to welcome me to the community and for me, that is just amazing,” she said.
For Paige-Kack, who had been virtually house-bound for more than a year in a wheelchair recuperating from a horseback-riding accident, it was a wonderful welcome to get back into the community.
Paige-Kack says that many of her clients bring pets to her every six weeks or so.  She does nail clippings, baths and says she knows how to give a good treatment to pets which have been sprayed by skunks.
She has bathed so many skunky pets that she is almost immune to the smell, she laughs.
Paige-Kack has her own recipe of peroxide and baking soda and shampoo to get rid of the skunk smell.
You can do it on your own at home, but Paige-Kack says that most people don’t have the patience to leave the solution in for 10 minutes and then repeat and repeat again, sometimes.

Because she cares so much about animals, Paige-Kack says she hopes to get involved with animal rescue organizations.
“I want to offer discounted grooming and services for pets that are going to be put up for adoption. No one wants to adopt a pet if the fur is dirty and matted. This might be something I can do to help. If I can get animals adopted more quickly, that’s all for the good,” she says.

What’s the trick to handling a variety of animals and keeping them calm enough to groom and bathe them?
Paige-Kack says that having a calm demeanour counts for a lot.
“I always make animals as calm as possible and I do one pet at a time. This can be stressful for an animal, so I book longer appointments and I take extra time to get to know the animal,” she explained.
She is also a certified first-aid giver for dogs; issues can include seizures, heart difficulties and more.
So: What pets does Paige-Kack go home to?
“We have two cats, two dogs, a turtle and a bird,” she says.
“I usually have my bird here with me but there is construction going on next door, so I did not bring the bird with me today,” she related.
Her busiest times are the summer months and the weeks before Christmas, she notes.
If her business continues to grow, she may hire a part-time groomer to work with her.
But the best part for her is, “I love to wake up in the morning and I don’t feel like I’m going to work. I just love what I do so much,” she ended.
Pawsitively Perfect Pets Grooming is located at 16 Main Street in Vankleek Hill. You can contact Sabrina at 613-676-3412.