Puppy Love Pet Grooming

On North Wood Avenue in Florence, Puppy Love Pet Grooming has spent years building a reputation as the kind of shop where dogs are treated like family pets rather than customers on a conveyor belt. The business is owned and operated by Gary Basham, who opened Puppy Love on January 14, 2014, and now brings more than 15 years of grooming experience to every appointment, having trained under a number of different groomers over the course of his career. Basham has said he started the shop after noticing that many grooming salons prioritize their own preferred style over what a client actually wants for their dog, and he built Puppy Love’s approach around the opposite idea, summed up in the shop’s own message: “You love your dog, so bring it to someone who will as well.”

The shop’s approach centers on grooming dogs to each owner’s specifications rather than pushing a single standard cut on every breed. Services include deep cleansing baths, de-shedding treatments, dental cleaning, and nail trimming, along with ear cleaning and anal gland care included as part of standard grooming and bathing appointments. That bundled approach means most dogs leave a single visit fully refreshed rather than needing separate trips for different services. Basham has said the shop keeps references on hand for the more unusual and rare breeds that come through the door, so a dog with an uncommon coat type or grooming standard still gets handled correctly rather than guessed at.

Beyond the core grooming menu, Puppy Love also offers training services for a range of dog breeds, giving owners a resource for behavioral help alongside the shop’s regular coat and hygiene care. Basham describes his philosophy simply: treating every client’s dog like his own, with the goal of making each visit as exciting and enjoyable for the dog as it is for the owner dropping them off.

The shop keeps a steady weekly schedule, open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sundays and Mondays. That early opening time makes it convenient for owners who want to drop a dog off before work and pick it up again at the end of the day, without needing to take time off to manage the appointment. The shop accepts cash, credit cards, and checks, and every grooming or bathing appointment includes nail trimming and anal gland care, with ear cleaning added in whenever it can safely be done.

Being a single-location, independently owned shop rather than part of a regional grooming chain, Puppy Love has built its client base largely on repeat visits and word of mouth across Florence. The shop’s focus on de-shedding services in particular has made it a go-to option for owners of heavier-shedding breeds looking to cut down on loose fur at home between visits. The business also keeps an active Facebook page, facebook.com/plpetgrooming, where clients can see recent grooms and shop updates between visits. Service and pricing details are listed on the shop’s own website rather than negotiated case by case, so owners can review the general scope of a groom or bath before calling to book a specific appointment time.

For Florence pet owners looking for a groomer who knows their dog by name rather than by appointment number, Puppy Love Pet Grooming offers a personal, experience-driven alternative to bigger pet store grooming counters. Between Gary Basham’s long tenure in the trade and the training he received under multiple groomers before striking out on his own, the shop’s full-service approach to bathing and grooming, and its consistent weekday-through-Saturday hours, Puppy Love has remained a steady fixture in the Florence pet care scene.