For dogs, a grooming trip can be stressful. So one groomer is taking her business on the road.

Florence, an 18-year-old puggle, is deaf, blind and not a fan of other animals. She was adopted from a rescue shelter at age 5.

“She … tends to get really nervous when her owner brings her to the groomer,” says Renee Bautista, owner of Zen Dog Mobile Spa. “When they come from a shelter, they really don’t like being in a kennel or being around other dogs from whatever they experienced being in a shelter for a couple of months.”

Older, special-needs or shelter animals that were victims of cruelty, abuse or neglect may especially be prone to anxiety, which can explain why pups don’t do well at the groomers.

“She’ll yell and scream when we take her to a loud grooming place, so it’s nice not to have that embarrassment,” said Kaira Kristbergs, Florence’s owner.

A 2020 study from Scientific Reports found that more than 70% of dogs express anxiety-like behaviors, with 32% exhibiting noise sensitivity.

After 20 years of working at a traditional pet grooming salon, Bautista decided to go into business for herself and open Zen Dog Mobile Spa.

“The dog knows they’re right outside their home, they’re close to their people and it’s a one-on-one groom,” said Bautista. “In the grooming shop, it’s more of an assembly line.”

And while she spends most of her days tending to her four-legged friends, Bautista is not a pet owner.

“I’ve had Portuguese water dogs since I was 16 years old, and the last one passed away a year ago,” she said. “That’s what makes me love my job even more right now, because I don’t have a dog at home, so I can still get my dog fix and cuddles.”