Not every dog walks onto the table ready to be groomed, and Johanna doesn't expect them to. Some dogs need a minute to sniff around first. Some need a break halfway through. Some need the clippers turned off and shown to them before they'll accept anything close to their face. She reads each dog rather than running a fixed routine, and adjusts as she goes.

That patience matters most with the dogs owners worry about most — the nervous rescue, the senior dog with stiff joints, the puppy who's never been groomed before. None of them are rushed through to stay on schedule. It's also exactly what keeps her regulars coming back appointment after appointment: the same calm, familiar hands every time.

If your dog has had a bad grooming experience before, that's worth mentioning when you book — it's exactly the kind of thing Johanna plans around.