Meet our Team
Kelly Marino - Owner
Groomer
Hello!
A little bit about me and my life with dogs and why I love my job!
I grew up in Upstate New York where, pretty much as soon as I could walk and hold a leash, I was helping around my family's kennel. My family bred and showed German Shepherds in the AKC and so, I have been involved in dog sports and animal care my entire life.
As a teenager I was ranked as the #1 Junior Handler of German Shepherds, and made it to the finals in two national invitational competitions. Around the age of 16 I began to show and groom dogs professionally. Many of my first clients were family friends who I am so grateful to for trusting me with their dogs!
My passion for animals continued throughout college and although I had to take a big break from my usual dog show involvement, I was still able show, groom and train dogs on weekends. After graduating college I decided that my passion really was all things dogs, and so instead of starting a career in my field of study(Environmental Science), I decided that I would open my own grooming salon and continue to show and train dogs professionally. I opened my own grooming shop in the Poconos in 2016.
I moved to the Lancaster area in 2019 for my husband's career and because of that I had to sell my grooming shop. It was a difficult decision because I knew I would miss my clients very much, but ultimately my family and I are very happy to be here! After settling in to the area, and working part-time at another local grooming shop, I decided it was time for me to open my own grooming salon here, in Columbia, PA!
I have been grooming dogs since I was very young at my family's boarding, grooming and training facility. I have been grooming professionally for over 12 years now and I began taking on my own clients at the age of 16! My passion for pet grooming was one that I always had, but it has really solidified throughout these last several years and I really look forward to my new adventure in Columbia, PA with Grand Champion Grooming and can't wait to meet all of the lovable dogs in the area!
Since I come from a background in dog shows, I am highly skilled at attention to detail and being able to meet the needs of both the dog and their owner. I am a very detail-oriented groomer and always strive to do my best job. Your pet's safety is always my number one priority!
Some of my favorite dog breeds to work with are all types of poodles and doodles! The creativity and beauty of those types of dogs are endless and being able to groom them is such fun!
I also really enjoy grooming double-coated breeds like Rough Collies, Australian Shepherds and Goldens! They can be a lot of work, but I enjoy it!
I also love grooming schnauzers and shitzus!
I have experience with countless dog breeds and have expertise in dealing with dogs that are difficult and aggressive to groom.
Rylee Pessolano
Groomer
Hi, I’m Rylee and here's a little bit about me. I grew up in Columbia, PA. I always had a passion for animals from a young age, my Mom and Nan were both hairdressers, so as a kid I grew up in the hair salon. While they did their customers' hair I was sitting at my little side table cutting the hair on my stuffed animals. I always knew I wanted to be a groomer so once I graduated highschool in 2016 I went straight to grooming school. Once I finished I went right into my first local grooming shop and continued to perfect my passion. Grooming is my life so the more I can educate myself the better. I'm consistently taking different classes, seminars, live demos, etc. I love to educate myself to the full extent and be able to provide as much information to my customers as possible. I strive to provide quality grooms and create a relationship with you and your pet. I want to be able to educate my customers on not only the grooming of their pet but also the health and diet. I am currently working on learning hand stripping and creative grooming. My dog, Olive, is currently dyed with a cheetah pattern, and she absolutely loves the attention she gets from it. I can't say there's a specific breed I like over another because they all have such different personalities, coat types and looks! Which are all super fun to work with.
I am a certified pet groomer through the Grooming Training Center in Annville but also have several other certifications under my belt.
AKC Safe Groomer
Fear Free Certified
Canine & Feline CPR Certified
Hair and Skin Certified
Salon Sanitation Certified
I am a new mom to my precious son Vinny and a wife to my husband James. I have a Boston Terrier, Olive and two cats, Ava & Eva (who are sisters from the same liter). All of my pets were adopted from the same local rescue. My boston terrier is a spunky little girl and is always willing to be my guinea pig when trying something new! She loves to be outside playing ball or snuggled up with my son. In our spare time as a family we love to be outside or camping/atving at our family farm.