ABC Grooming | Leander

By Susan VanDeWater Friday, 20 November 2009

LEANDER — Jeannie Mason-Harris, owner of ABC Grooming, has been taking care of animals all her life.

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” Mason-Harris said. “It’s in my blood.”

Mason-Harris comes from a family of dog groomers, breeders and handlers. Her mother, Becky Ambuehl, attended the prestigious New York School of Dog Grooming in the 1970s and passed her skills and talent onto her daughters, along with her affinity for animals. Ambuehl owns A Pink Poodle Grooming and Boarding in Lakeway; her daughter, Kit, owns Kit’s Grooming and Doggy Day Spa, also in Lakeway.

As a child in Kentucky and Oklahoma, Mason-Harris showed horses and cared for the family pets. She also watched and worked with her mother.

“I learned through my mom,” she said. “I worked on my dogs and my mom’s dogs for so long before I ever groomed anyone else’s animals. It takes a long time to learn how to groom and do it well.”

Mason-Harris worked in Lakeway at her mother’s and sister’s shops before relocating to Leander, where she opened ABC Grooming in 2008. The shop recently moved to a new location at 10303 E. Crystal Falls Parkway.

ABC Grooming offers a full selection of services for all breeds of dogs and cats, as well as animals such as rabbits and ferrets. A full grooming includes a brush-out, haircut, nail trim, ear cleaning, expression of glands and a bath. Tooth-brushing is available. The shop also offers boarding and pet sitting.

Mason-Harris, who raises standard poodles and Chihuahuas, has more than 25 years of experience caring for and grooming animals.

“Groomers need to be experienced. Handing over a pet can be like handing over a child for some of us. You want to make sure they’re in good hands,” she said.

When animals arrive at ABC Grooming, Mason-Harris helps them relax right away. “We play with them and then let them rest. Then we groom them and let them rest some more,” she said. “We want the animals to be comfortable and relax.”

Her husband, James, and 16-year-old daughter, Danielle, often help out at the shop answering phones and greeting clients. Mason-Harris, her mom and sister also work at each other’s shops, filling in when one needs time off.

“It’s really a family affair,” Mason-Harris said. “My daughter was raised in the shop, just like I was. She is always here with us.”

The shop works by appointments, and Mason-Harris said she accommodates requests.

“Animals are so loyal and so loving,” she said. “It’s important to me to take good care of them, no matter who they belong to.”