Animal lover and entrepreneur Andrea Cahill is on a mission to make dog grooming convenient for the pet owners of southern Maine. No longer will you need to wrangle your dog into the car, drive to the groomer, drop your pet off, and wait hours before returning to pick them up: Furry Land Mobile Grooming of Southern Maine, Cahill’s latest venture, will drive a professional grooming set up right to your residence. “People like things easy now, and who doesn’t want someone to just drive up and groom their dog?” Cahill laughs. The owner of two Wheaten Terrier poodles (affectionately called whoodles), Cahill understands exactly how much time and energy mobile grooming can save Mainers. “It’s a big convenience thing,” she explains. “Oftentimes, groomers will keep a dog for hours, but with us, your dog is only in the van as long as they need to be groomed. As soon as they’re done, we bring them right back to your front door.”
Efficiency isn’t the only benefit of Furry Land’s mobile grooming, which occurs in one of two Mercedes Sprinter vans. Pet owners can work from home while their dog is being groomed, dogs who dislike like riding in the car don’t need to endure a trip to the groomer, and if a dog is elderly or doesn’t get along with other dogs, there’s no need to worry, as they’ll be the only animal in the van. Plus, clients can get more one-on-one time with Furry Land’s three groomers than they might with a typical groomer. “We have one client who found evidence that her last groomer abused her sweet golden retriever,” Cahill recalls. “Our lead groomer Shelby went out of her way to make the client feel comfortable and even had her come out to the van and watch while her dog was being groomed.”
While Furry Land is a national franchise, Cahill emphasizes that her business is locally owned and operated. “We have an automated texting system, but half the time when you’re texting us, I’m the one messaging back,” she notes. “Maine is a great place for small businesses, and I’m looking forward to partnering with and supporting other locals.” In the future, Cahill hopes to help shelter dogs and pet owners who may not have the financial means to get their animals groomed regularly. Her passion for pets is evident in the way she discusses the business and the satisfaction she gets from meeting other animal lovers in Maine. “We have people fill out an intake form before grooming, and it makes me so happy to see photos of the dogs and read about their stories—you can really tell how much people here love their pets,” Cahill says.
"It's a convenience thing—who doesn’t want someone to just drive up and groom their dog?"