South Fork welcomes groomer, first of kind in area

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SOUTH FORK— It has been a while since the residents and guests of South Fork have had a dog groomer in the immediate area, having to travel to neighboring towns for services like nail clipping, haircuts and regular grooming needs. Now, with the help of new residents Dale and Elizabeth Secor, they will no longer have to make those expensive trips. They can visit the new Shampooch located next to Community Banks of Colorado on Highway 160.

Elizabeth and her husband have been coming to the South Fork area for many years and have a home located just off the Rio Grande River where they enjoy fishing, rafting and sightseeing in the area. They came to South Fork from Colorado Springs after retiring to enjoy the beauty of the area and found themselves looking for something to fill the vacant hours between their much-deserved vacations. “As many know, it can get kind of boring after retirement and we wanted something to do to fill the extra hours,” explained Elizabeth.

She continued, explainong that during her time in Colorado Springs she had undergone training at a local groomer and learned the ins and outs of grooming. “I learned from a man that had a grooming shop in the area and ended up working for him for three years. We love our dog Abigail and I loved being with animals, so we decided to open Shampooch and offer grooming services to the area,” said Elizabeth.

It was shortly after their retirement that they combined their love of the area and Dale’s enjoyment for skiing at Wolf Creek to make the decision to move and make South Fork their home. “There is so much to do around here, and the town seems wonderful. We have been here since February of last year and have enjoyed every minute of it. We wanted to do something that would help fill the hours and boost the economy, so we opened this place,” said Dale.

Shampooch opened their doors to the public on Feb. 1 with an open house for the public. “I am pretty much going to do this in my free time and keep things based on appointment only. I want to enjoy this and not get worn out by it, so at first, we are going to take it slow. Eventually, I would like to have a kind of doggy boutique, where people can bring their pets to be pampered,” explained Elizabeth.

Shampooch offers several services including nail trimming, bathing basic grooming and short-term pet sitting. “I plan on being able to take my time with the animals and do the best I can for my clients. Part of why we opened this was because our dog Abigail came home from a local groomer with razor burn. We don’t want anyone else to have to deal with that,” finished Elizabeth.

The shop is located at 29919 U.S. Highway 160 in South Fork and is open for appointments. For more information or to book an appointment, please call Elizabeth at 719-510-6462. Be sure to stop by and welcome them to the area.