A spring cleaning for your critters

Apr 08, 2010

Chris Wittish of Critter Creations

Springtime is not only the time to spruce up your home and garden; it is also a great time to give your pet or pets a tidy up and/or hair cut as the warm weather approaches.

Chris Wittish of Harrowsmith can do just that at her new home-based business called Critter Creations, which she opened in January this year.

Chris, who worked as a veterinary technologist for 15 years at the Cataraqui Pet Hospital, decided long ago that a home-based business would be ideal for her and her young family and took an eight-week course with Barb Matheson of Pets Beautiful in Toronto.

For Chris this business is a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to have a home business that involved animals. When my husband and I were looking at houses we knew that my home business would be a part of it.”

Her shop is an immaculate, brand-new 400 square foot workshop attached to her home, fully equipped with 2 tubs, a lower and higher one for small and large dogs, four cages with a cage dryer and a professional groomer`s table.

There is ample space for animals to mingle and play while they wait their turn and Chris is also planning to fence off an outdoor area where the animals can spend time outdoors.

Chris offers a full range of grooming services for cats and dogs including grooming, nail trims, ear cleaning, baths, full clippings and stylized clipping for special breeds like poodles and cocker spaniels and others.

She also carries a wide variety of specialized shampoos for pets with skins conditions. Her veterinarian background provides her with a thorough knowledge of various pet issues that might become apparent at a grooming session and she is comfortable with animals that have medical issues.

"Once I had a dog who after his grooming showed a large tumour on his face that needed medical attention. Though I cannot diagnose I can always offer an opinion, which with my 15 years of experience as a veterinary technologist, can be helpful for owners."

It doesn’t take long to realize that Chris’ business is indeed a labour of love. “Some of the animals are just so happy and excited to be here that for me it doesn’t feel like work at all. I get to play with animals all day so it’s really enjoyable for me too.”

Pet grooming does not come without its own set of challenges, which Chris also pointed out. “When you have a more nervous animal you have to try to understand why that is and work with them to alleviate their stress. Because I’ve been around animals for so many years I know what I have to do to make them feel comfortable.”

Chris explains that regular grooming is important especially for certain breeds with long hair that can get matted, become painful for the animal and cause skin issues.

Chris prefers clients to call and make appointments but admits that she is pretty flexible. She is also happy to take animals for the entire day if it is more convenient for owners.

Chris stresses that her business is most definitely here to stay and says,” For me this business is definitely something that I am committed to. It is not just a whim. I have put a lot of time and energy into the shop and it is something that I am very proud of.”

Chris prefers clients to make an appointment but says she is pretty flexible. Anyone looking for a professional grooming service for their critter can make an appointment with Chris at 613-377-1717 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Critter Creations is located at 5084 Wallace Road in Harrowsmith.