Hi my name is Danielle! I have been a professional groomer for 15 years and recently opened my first business this year with the support of friends and clients. I learned to groom in Alaska specializing in double coated dogs, I later moved back to Vegas where I was raised, and fine tuned my grooming skills and started to learn creative grooming techniques as well. I was born in Missouri so in 2019 I finally decided to come back and live my life here. I took on the roll of salon manager at a local business that is no longer in existence and that decision changed my life forever. I fell in love with running everything and doing whatever I could to make life better for all of the dogs in my care. I started rehabbing dogs and building long lasting trust and confidence with the dogs I cared for. Because of that I started creating lasting relationships with my clients and each family meant so much to me and I have become friends with many of them. I could be my genuine self, and they respected me and loved me for my determination to be honest and genuine and to always put their dogs first whether it be good or bad. My clients trust me so much that I have saved numerous dogs from serious health issues and I have also had to grieve with them when we would lose them as well. My clients and their dogs (cats now too!) mean the world to me. I worked tirelessly to build the salon up to what it was, when I first started I was grooming a few dogs a day after about a year and a half especially after covid I was working from 8-7, 6 days a week to groom as many and help as many dogs as I could. After my 5th year there I found out the business was being sold, I was devastated but I couldn’t lose my job, so I pushed on and tried to do everything I could to make things work. It ended up not working out and I feared that, like my coworkers that were let go, that I was also getting pushed out after getting written up for doing what I always did, and standing up for my clients. I couldn’t risk losing my income because I built my entire life around what I was able to do at there. I never wanted the stress of running my own business but I couldn’t just give up so I pushed forward and found the strength I needed to take the plunge. I got everything done that I needed to quietly and just kept doing my job. Unfortunately they found out before I was ready to tell them and I was forced to resign or sign a non-compete agreement and a non-disclosure contract. I couldn’t do that so I was treated like a criminal as I packed everything I owned, leaving some equipment behind that was essential to operation for the other groomer they brought on, I didn’t want to be petty it was just stuff after all. I was escorted out and told I wasn’t allowed back on the property. It broke me I built the salon, it was going to be shut down by the old owners because it was losing money. I came in and I changed that, I worked my butt off to turn it into everything it was, literal blood sweat and tears, I gave my all to that place and now I had to start over. I was lucky enough though that most of the clients had my phone number or Facebook and everyone came to me to support my new venture. Just because I didn’t want to open my own business doesn’t negate the fact that I have to so I can still offer my particular skills for the people that trust me the most. If I went somewhere else, I couldn’t do things the way I needed to do them that was already the problem with the new ownership. I couldn’t do what I needed to do to offer the best services that I had been for years I chose me and I chose my clients. They deserve the best of me and I couldn’t give them that there anymore. Unfortunately because of my success and people choosing to follow me, I am being sued and being made out to be a horrible person for just trying to protect myself. I’ve spent my whole life advocating for dogs without a voice, that just needed a little extra love during the grooming process. Providing a safe trusting environment for the dogs and their parents. I love everything that I do and I just wanted to protect that. Opening a business and at the speed of how I had to do it has put me in a really hard place financially, now I have nothing and with the support of some of my clients I am deciding to do this in hopes that with the support of the community that I might be able to keep going so I can continue to provide the services that everyone loves me for. I’ve borrowed money, I’ve maxed out all of my credit cards and all I’m able to do is pay the bare minimum for bills. I am making it work by the skin of my teeth. I’m doing it, but the lawyer fees are another issue on top of the debt I have taken on to get the business off the ground. All the extra expenses are drowning me while I fight against these false allegations against my character. I just wanted

to move on with my life and do what I do best But because people chose me, now I have to suffer for it. I’m really struggling emotionally and mentally with this heavy burden, and if I can ask for help in anything, the financial side of it is really the only thing people can help with and as ashamed as I am to ask for help, if I don’t, I don’t know how much longer I can keep going. I truly am so grateful for the support I have received so far and at this point anything helps me and takes a little bit of weight off my shoulders. Thank you, with love, Danielle