Clawing in

Klarisa Hemmelgarn has dreamed about taking care of animals as a career since high school.

Her dream has become a reality.

Paws and Claws Pet Care recently started offering boarding services. Jay County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the business opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new rural Portland location June 26.

Hemmelgarn provides boarding and grooming services for dogs, cats and rabbits. A 10-year 4-H member and 2019 Miss Jay County Fair Queen, she showed “just about any animal there was” at Jay County Fair, although she favored cats, rabbits and pygmy goats.

“I’ve always loved … all animals,” said Hemmelgarn, who won the 4-H small animal supreme showmanship competition in 2016. “There’s not really any I don’t like.”

Her passion for animals sprouted into a career. While attending Jay County High School, Hemmelgarn took care of the animals boarded at Fort Recovery Veterinary Center. She dreamed about offering the service at her own business someday.

While Hemmelgarn initially saw herself joining a corporate job, she decided to pursue her dream.

“If I don’t do it now, when am I ever going to do it?” she said. “You know what, I’m not going to be that person that looks back with regrets. I want to do this now.”

Hemmelgarn said she didn’t realize how quickly it would come together. She received a quote for her pre-fabricated building in July 2022 and began planning while taking classes at Ball State University.

She graduated in May with a master’s degree in business administration — she served as a graduate assistant for the Information Systems and Operations Management department for about a year — and she graduated with a groomer’s license from Master Grooming Academy at Prestigious Dog Grooming School in January.

Hemmelgarn has also taken some courses with American Kennel Club.

She’s been grooming animals out of the house next to her current facility at 508 S. 400 East — it’s located next to Indiana 26 — for months. Her building arrived June 6, and just over a week later, she started boarding animals.

Her business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with boarding drop off between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and boarding pickup from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Sunday boarding pickup is also at the same time.) Grooming services are available by appointment.

Hemmelgarn has been grooming Brandon McIntire and Chelsey Zimmerman’s dogs for about eight months. Their aussiedoodles, 2-year-old Matteo and 1-year-old Miko, have been regular visitors.

“The dogs have never looked better,” said McIntire.

“She does a great job. Our dogs love her,” added Zimmerman.

A basic package for dogs include a bath, ear cleaning, nail clipping, cologne and expressing glands (if needed). A full-groom package also includes a full body trim and teeth-brushing. Costs vary depending on the size of the animal.

For all animals, boarding costs $23 per night.

Hemmelgarn’s plan had been to solely board animals. After talking to others who owned boarding facilities, though, she decided to start grooming as well. It’s a service she wasn’t expecting to offer but has come to enjoy.

“It’s definitely a little more challenging than I intended,” she said. “I think a lot of people look at grooming as, you know, just making dogs pretty, but there’s a lot that goes into it. Each breed is different, and there’s a different groom for each breed.”

Currently, Hemmelgarn is the sole employee at her business, although she would love to expand her facility someday.

To schedule an appointment, visit Paws and Claws Pet Care on Facebook, email [email protected] or call (260) 251-7946.