Meet the Family Behind Pooches & Smooches

With over 23 years of experience in grooming, from competition to shelter dogs, Stacey has groomed them all! However, she has always dreamed of having her own shop and in 2021, that dream became reality with Pooches & Smooches! She had a vision and went to work on it, with great success. Pooches & Smooches has grown from a small shop of just her and her daughter, Alexis, to a staff of 8, a larger space, and even more exciting plans for the future. She is most grateful for the support that she has received from her customers and the community. She also loves that her family is such a huge part of Pooches & Smooches! Stacey’s favorite breeds to work with are Bichons, Westies, Airedales, Standard Poodles, and any (ALL) bird dogs. She also has a very special place in her heart for the older-aged pups. In her free time, she’s head-over-heels in love with her granddaughters, Livi, Aubrey, & Annalise and her fur-family of five, Sloan, Cooper, Buddy, Kyle, and Skipper.

Alexis has been professionally grooming for 3 years. However, she has been working with dogs as a bather, daycare/kennel attendant, and groomer assistant since she was 17 years old. As Stacey’s daughter, she has picked up on grooming technique, pet handling skill, and time management very quickly. She has been here at Pooches and Smooches since the very beginning and handles most of the day-to-day operations of the salon on her own. Some of her favorite pooches to groom are Golden Retrievers, Schnauzers, and Doodles too! She also has a special place in her heart for Jack Russel Terriers as she has a JRT mix of her own at home, named Rocky. Alexis’ favorite part of grooming is being able to make the dogs look stylish & elegant while keeping in mind all of our clients’ requests and also keeping their fur-babies as comfortable as possible. Even though she is still pretty new at grooming, she plans to continue her education in the craft to ensure it is a great experience for everyone (Although, most of it just came natural, of course!!). When she isn’t here at the shop, she is spending time with her three beautiful daughters and her husband Rome.

Spencer is new to the Richmond area! She has been a professional groomer for over 8 years. She has groomed in several states, but originally hails from Indiana. Her favorite dog to groom is a Yorkshire Terrier and she has two kitties at home, Lana and Sox. In her free time, she likes to paint and play video games. She also has a little side business of hand-poured resin dog tags! Her favorite color is purple, she loves Dr. Pepper, and we are so happy to have her here with us!

She has 19 years of experience in the field of canine aesthetics and at one time, even owned her own groom shop in Venezuela. Denisse is a very important part of the Pooches & Smooches team as she can handle anything that comes her way! She works on many of our geriatric pups or those that might be a bit spicy, never missing a beat! Gentle, caring, and detail-oriented, she’s a fantastic groomer who stands out with fancy poodle grooms, schnauzers, and shih tzus. She also enjoys working with any of the extra furry breeds. Her strongest attribute is the great respect that she has for all pets, treating them like the family members that they are. The genuine love that she has for animals can be seen in every groom she does.

Jerome, a.k.a. Rome, is new to the grooming world! He is our bather here at Pooches & Smooches and is often in the back making sure your fur-baby is as clean as can be! He does a great job of making sure your pooch is sparkly clean and keeping their skin & coat perfectly conditioned. Yorkie-poos have become one of his favorite breeds to work with. He even says that’ll be his next family pet. He also loves being able to work with white-haired pups, proving that he can take them from shabby to shimmering! Rome takes those extra steps to make sure every part of your pup is clean, working with exfoliating gloves and small tooth combs to get that grit & grime off your pooch. (He’s the guy that even handles the dirty work like ears, teeth, and anal glands.) We’re super excited that he has joined the team! On his off days, he loves spending time relaxing and making memories with his three beautiful girls that he shares with his wife Alexis.