Hill Country Grooming give your pup the beauty treatment

It’s the little dogs you have to watch out for, says Cheli Soza.

Cheli Soza—Cheli is short for Araceli—along with her sister Elizabeth Soza have been running Hill Country Grooming since their father bought the business in the Plaza Del Sol center on RR12 a couple of years ago.  They get all breeds of dogs that come in shaggy, matted or smelly, and leave fluffy and fresh.

It goes without saying, you have to love dogs to do this job. Cheli and Elizabeth have five dogs of their own at home in San Marcos.

When owners drop off their dogs for a bath and a trim, the dogs can often be a little scared and wary so a groomer has to have pretty quick reflexes.  There are often “warning nips” but those are no big deal to these pros.  Cheli and Elizabeth have groomed Irish Wolfhounds, which can be three feet tall at the shoulder, and Great Pyrenees which can weigh well over 100 pounds. But it’s the little guys who become testy.  Both young women have been bitten once, Cheli, by a 5- to 10-pound toy poodle and Elizabeth, by a small West Highland Terrier.

“When I get a Yorkie (a 4-7 pound Yorkshire Terrier), I always watch out,” says Cheli.

Cheli’s favorite breed to work with is an Australian Shepherd. “When I groom them and I am done they look like perfect little fluff balls,” she says. “I like Maltese, too, because when you are done they look like little puppies even if they are old.” Lily, a little Maltese, paid a visit recently and from the look on her face she obviously enjoyed being pampered.  She had her bath which included a blueberry, stain-removing facial, a haircut and a nail trim.  

Typically, the whole treatment takes about two hours with non-stop attention to the dog. Cocker Spaniels are the biggest challenge and take the longest because “their coats are so thick it takes forever for them to dry,” says Cheli.  

Cheli and Elizabeth learned their trade on the job and while working with other groomers.  Elizabeth does the bathing and Cheli specializes in haircuts and nail trimming. Typically a complete treatment for a small dog runs around $50.  Larger breeds can run $50 for just a bath.  It depends on the time it takes.

Now and then, a dog will tangle with a skunk.  The end result isn’t pleasant so there’s a bottle of “skunk shampoo” on the shelf next to the scented shampoo and conditioner.  There’s also flea dip for those who need it and plenty of insect balm for the groomers afterward.

Hill County Grooming has been around for more than five years, with a few different owners.  Wilfredo Soza purchased the business about two years ago and Cheli and Elizabeth took over.  Business is steady and most are repeat customers.  “If I had another groomer I could double business,” says Cheli.  The Plaza Del Sol center is getting new tenants, Cheli notes, and that helps her business.

Hill County Grooming also provides boarding for $12 a night.  Many owners don’t want their dogs in cages, so after they are finished being groomed, the dogs have plenty of room to romp in 5-foot by 10-foot pens that get washed down after every use.

“I rarely get a bad dog,” says Cheli.  “Almost all of them are good.  I’m pretty lucky.”

Since 2005, the state dog of Texas has been the Blue Lacy. The breed was developed in Texas in the 1880s for herding and working around the ranch. Its traits: territorial, sensitive, loyal, protective, strong, fast and needs large spaces. A Blue Lacy weighs about 50 pounds.