Special to the Lake Okeechobee NewsCLEWISTON — Humberto Calvo, master groomer and owner of Petman Grooming Salon, gently and carefully trims a client’s sweet, older dog.
CLEWISTON — Humberto …
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Special to the Lake Okeechobee NewsCLEWISTON — Humberto Calvo is the master groomer and owner of Petman Grooming Salon, one of many small, local businesses that have reopened after the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders had forced them to close for many weeks. Mr. Calvo has been a master groomer for 20 years, and a dog trainer for 16 years.
“We just reopened after being closed for six weeks because of the pandemic. We’re using a very strict protocol of disinfection to keep everyone safe,” explained Mr. Calvo.
Originally from Miami, but having lived in Clewiston for 12 years, Mr. Calvo found Hendry County to be “a perfect place to raise a family.” He went on to say he loved Clewiston because it is a “small town community with easygoing people.
“I’ve worked with pets almost all my life,” said Mr. Calvo. “I was a manager for a big chain pet retailer. I took advantage of the education programs they offered, and became a pet stylist. In 2002, after working for them for four years, I decided to open my first pet salon in Miami. After 10 years, we opened a second salon in Miramar. Both salons were successful. After 17 years of working in Miami, we decided to relocate the salon business to Hendry County and opened Petman Grooming Salon in Clewiston.”
Special to the Lake Okeechobee NewsThe family-run salon offers more services than just grooming — “We are a small family business that keeps high standards in performance and procedures. We want to be part of the community and develop a better business to serve the people in Hendry County and surrounding areas. One thing that is unique about our business is the combination of pet grooming and dog training. We specialize in behavior issues in grooming.” Mr. Calvo added, “We also do cat grooming.”
“Our clients range from young kids that want to groom their pets, all the way to police officers, firefighters, retired armed forces personnel, to elderly people and snowbirds — they all have one thing in common: They love and care for their pets. They come to me looking for beautiful hairstyles or solutions for behavior issues with their pets,” Mr. Calvo continued.
One of his favorite parts of the job is “to be able to witness firsthand the human-pet relationship,” he said. “I’m inspired by the people that come to my shop, and I see how important it is for them to have a healthy, beautiful pet.” He said he also finds motivation when he sees major transformations, as a result of his skills and knowledge. He is proud when he can achieve behavior modification with problematic animals who have challenging behavior issues.
When they aren’t working, they enjoy their time together as a family. They are actively involved in their children’s 4-H activities, participate in community events and help the local animal rescues. While they’ve stayed busy during the closure, they are looking forward to getting back into their busy grooming and training routines.
On a recent Facebook post, they announced: “Thank you so much for your patience with us during this unfortunate time, when the shop was closed six weeks. We are prepared to welcome you to the salon. In this first phase of reopening, we’re working at 25% capacity. We’re working four days a week, and planning on increasing in the coming weeks. We’re working strictly by appointment following all the CDC guidelines. We are cleaning and disinfecting after every client and offering hand sanitizer. Our personnel are wearing masks, face shields and gloves at all times. Our front counter is covered with plexiglass social barriers. We’re also using UV sterilization and chemical disinfection at the end of the day. We advise you to call us for appointments and to be patient with us through the reopening phase, since all these procedures will take longer than usual. We appreciate all your support.”
Petman Grooming Salon is located at 206 E. Sugarland Highway In Clewiston. You may also visit their website — petman.dog — and they can be reached by phone at 863-301-3681, or via email: groom@petman.dog. Or search Facebook under Petman-Grooming.
