Meet Team WAG

Alyssa joined Wag in May of 2019.  She brings with her a passion for animals, dedication to their safety, and interest in creative pet styling.  She is a country girl at heart who originally began her desire to pursue a career working with animals by enrolling in Veterinary school.  There she learned pet CPR and First Aid, behavioral psychology, and safety practices in pet handling.  She went on to compete nationally in Veterinary Science and placed eighth in the country. 

During a summer break she worked as a grooming assistant and immediately realized that was her calling. She made the decision to forego vet school, and enrolled in the former Petco Training Academy where she quickly excelled in grooming practices. 

She was then given the opportunity to work with a national show groomer where she furthered her skills.  Alyssa secured a full time grooming position and built a loyal clientele following due to her patience, technique, and commitment to their pet’s overall well being. 

She continues to expand her knowledge and expertise by attending grooming, styling, and safety seminars keeping her current on the latest trends and comfort measures. She is an AKC S.A.F.E. Certified Groomer, a member of the International Society of Canine Cosmetologists, the National Dog Grooming Association of America, and subscribes to a higher code of ethics in her field.

All of these attributes made Alyssa a natural fit for WaG’s stringent practices, elite services, and customer satisfaction.  She is committed first and foremost to our clients’ safety and comfort.  She applies her behavioral knowledge to calming the anxious and relaxing the reluctant, successfully converting a negative experience with a prior vet or groomer into a positive one.

She specializes in Asian-Fusion, hand-scissoring, and creative canine styling.  If you are looking for a little bling or a total makeover, Alyssa will make it happen. 

When she is not making WaG clientele look and feel fabulous or attending seminars, she is busy with her volunteer church work mentoring youth and tending to cows, sheep, and chickens at Dreamers’ Ranch, a local NH farm.   She spends her free time with her quarter horse –Ricky Bobby and her Shiba Inu – Kimber.  

Emily has been in the grooming industry since 2007.  She always had a love for animals but it wasn’t until her parents surprised her and her brother with a Labradoodle puppy that her interest in grooming was sparked.  

      At just sixteen years old she started working for PetSmart, which turned her passion into a career.   During that time, Emily had the privilege to begin their training program and apprentice under the direction of some incredibly talented groomers. The passion they had for their craft and the way they treated other people’s animals became the foundation for Emily’s path.  She was a quick study and realized she was a natural.  She loved the work and company so much, that she dedicated almost thirteen years there.

      Emily adamantly believes that knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do, when it comes to animals. She excelled as a Groomer, and eventually advanced to a Pet Stylist, while maintaining her dedication to care of and respect for animals.  She believes it’s a must to have a great deal of patience and be able to read a dog’s body language. In doing so, she is able to create a stress free, comfortable, and positive experience for each pet. 

        Grooming, as with many fields, changes and grows continuously.  She remains up to date on current trends and comfort measures, through continuing education and seminars. She is an AKC S.A.F.E Certified Groomer, as well as Canine CPR/First Aid certified. 

     When Emily is not grooming, She spends time with her husband who proudly serves in the US Air force, her son, her baby daughter, and one-year -old Lab named Colby.   

     In Emily’s own words “Dog grooming is my passion. I look forward to going into work every day and working alongside some exceptionally talented and dedicated groomers. I get to work with four-legged fury friends and transform them into clean, beautiful dogs that everyone wants to take home!”  WAG is proud to have her on the team

Heather’s passion for animals started at a young age. Growing up, her mother would pet sit and board animals allowing Heather to assist with daily tasks, such as feeding, administering medications, and cleaning up. She learned at an early age that the health of pets were directly impacted by hygiene, proper care, diet, and lots of love.  

Her Mom began to realize that pet care was much more than a just a passing childhood fad and invested in buying Heather her first pair of clippers to groom their family dogs.  She was in no way a professional, however, practicing nail trims and haircuts built Heather’s confidence and made her realize she wanted to make it her career. 

Heather secured a position as a Groomer’s Assistant with a busy grooming salon in New Hampshire we she began her formal training. Her duties included bathing, brushouts, drying, nail trimming and filing, teeth brushing, dog facials, gland expression, salon sterilization practices, and assisting the stylists with additional duties, as needed. She was progressing when that facility closed unexpectedly.  As timing would have it, WAG was just opening and Heather stopped by the Grand Opening Event.  After a few discussions and a formal interview with the Grooming Director, Heather was offered a part-time position with WAG as a Bather, Brusher, and Salon Technician. Her calm demeanor and gentle handling skills made her a perfect fit within the WAG culture. She embraces the many challenges, including working with dogs that may have behavioral or temperament issues, such as a fearful pup that may need some extra time and patience.   

After only six months, Heather accepted a full-time apprenticeship opportunity at WAG under the supervision of our Award-Winning Grooming Director - Sarah Morse.  With the expertise of two experienced groomers by her side, combined with Heather’s passion for learning and commitment to pet health and well-being, She is on her way to a career as Wag Premier Grooming Salon Stylist.  

In compliance with WAG’s strict policy of mandatory formal grooming education and certifications, Heather is currently completing her Pet CPR and First Aid courses, and enrolled in continuing education classes.  She also actively attends and participates in dog shows, seminars, and certification programs that will further develop her skills and allow her to grow in this field to her fullest potential. She looks forward to submersing herself in the grooming world and considers herself lucky to have found an opportunity that will help her on her journey.

Heather grew up with a house full of pets and currently her family has seven dogs, three cats, three ferrets, two goats, ten chickens, and three ducks. Heather continues to help her Mom providing care and love for all the animals. She also has a customer base to practice with at home.

Heather lives in Manchester N.H with her boyfriend Andrew, their rescue Pitbull Terrier Brocko and their three ferrets Doby, Winky, and Kreacher.

Brittany’s obsession with dogs began as a toddler with the family’s German Shepherd Dogs.  Being around this intelligent, determined, protective, and larger breed was a handful, and she quickly learned respect for them.  This was the start of her path in pet care.   

By 12 years old, Brittany was competing in AKC Conformation Shows, showing her own dogs in Schutzhund/IGP, Rally, Happy Ratters, and Dock Diving.  Through junior high and high school, she built her knowledge by working closely with a reputable breeder, assisting with raising and training litters of puppies for police work, sport work, therapy, service, and as pets.   She also volunteered at the NHSPCA, where she provided dog care and training.  

Brittany attended the University of New Hampshire, where she majored in Animal Science, with a minor in Small Animal Care, studied Animal Behavior, Handling Techniques, and Small Animal Health and Wellness, and received her diploma in Pet Grooming.   She also got her certification in both Canine and Feline CPR and First Aid.  

The summer after her college graduation, she opened her first grooming business Britt’s Clips at the kennel she had been working for.  She also continued to assist with the management of boarding, daycare, and training, which quickly took over most of her time.  After more than seven years with the company, she took a position at a Veterinary Technician with Mitchell Animal Hospital.    During her time there, she realized her heart was in grooming. 

By chance, she was referred to WAG to use the Self-Service Spa for her Greta - a senior, German Shepherd Dog that she had rescued a few months earlier.  Brittany instantly recognized the high-end features and equipment of the salon, combined with the holistic, professional expertise of the staff, and asked for a part time position.  We immediately recognized her talent, management skills, and professionalism.   After months of asking her, she eventually accepted a full-time position, and is building on her grooming skills daily. Her background in vet science, pet behavior, and training is an asset, and makes her a natural for our more challenging personalities, and larger breeds.  

Brittany has several German Shepherd Dogs, and a Pomeranian who shows them who’s boss.  She has a soft spot for senior dogs, which are her absolute favorite to work with. Her goal is to own a larger property so she can rescue more older dogs from shelters to let them happily live out their days in her care. 

When she is not at WAG, she continues to compete with her pack, and enjoys camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, kayaking, boat days, spending time at her lake house, and seeking out pets for her friends to rescue. 

Stephanie joins WAG all the way from Los Angeles.  Stephanie knew she wanted to work with animals at an early age.   She started in pet care by working for a few Dog Daycare companies,  where she learned to understand the behavior and energies of dogs.  She quickly realized this was a useful knowledge, that helped transition her into becoming a Bather. 

After two years as a Bather/Brusher, Stephanie perfected washing and drying techniques, facials, gland expression, nail trimming, brush-outs, gentle de-matting, and ear cleaning. She was recognized for her natural abilities and promoted to a Grooming Apprentice, where she trained for six months directly under a veteran Los Angles Dog Stylist with over 15 years of experience. Stephanie was taught various techniques in breed styling. Over the next two years, She advanced her skills from round Shih Tzu faces to Doodle beards, (Which got our attention on her resume).

Stephanie felt she piqued in the LA area, and wanted a life change, while she was young enough to make a bold move - Across the county to the East Coast!  She sought out to work for a grooming salon that harbored the same values in pet care and holistic practices that she held with conviction.  She did diligent research which narrowed down to a few salons in New Hampshire.  After several phone interviews, and a week long visit (which turned into two weeks) to New England to see the salons in person, She chose WAG and we chose her.  Team WAG couldn’t be more excited to have her on board.  She is advancing her skills under our incredible team of Pet Stylists and Canine Cosmetologists,  and continues to further her education by attending grooming expos and seminars along with receiving certifications, when time permits.

When Stephanie is not grooming she is hiking the White mountains with her Maltese-mix Cosmo, cooking delicious Mexican food from her family’s traditional recipes, and furthering her artistic talents, taking photos of beautiful New England landscapes, then painting them in her art studio.