About us
A barber shop, but for dogs
Paw Me Up is a small, independent grooming shop at 84 Washington Street in Des Moines, Iowa. We cut, massage and groom — and we do it one dog at a time, with no clock running. Open every day, 10 am – 6 pm.
Grooming should feel like a good haircut, not a car wash.
Most dogs don’t hate being groomed — they hate being rushed, restrained and dried in a cage while somebody else’s dog barks. Take all of that out and most dogs are perfectly happy on the table.
So that is how we run Paw Me Up. One dog in the shop at a time. A proper conversation about what you want before the clippers come out. Hands on the coat to feel what’s actually going on underneath — the mats behind the ears, the dry patch on the flank, the hip your dog is guarding.
We work with every breed and temperament, and we’re glad to take the dogs other shops find difficult: the nervous ones, the seniors, the ones who have had a bad experience somewhere else. They are usually the ones that change the most.
How we work
One dog at a time
Your dog is the only dog on our table for their appointment. No stacked kennels, no waiting their turn in a corner while someone else is clipped.
Hands before clippers
Every visit starts with a proper hands-on check of the coat and skin, because that tells us more than the breed name ever will.
Hand-dried, never caged
We dry every dog by hand with a warm air flow. It takes longer and it is worth every minute — it is where a coat actually comes up.
We do it all
Cuts, massage, baths, nails, ears, teeth, de-shedding. One shop for everything your dog needs, so you are not driving between three of them.
Come and see the shop
We’re at 84 Washington Street, Des Moines, Iowa — grooming every day from 10 am – 6 pm. Call or text and we’ll tell you what’s open this week.