Corttni Bobek, an owner of What the Fluff Pet Grooming in Plumas Lake, grew up surrounded by animals.
“We lived on a property surrounded by every animal. My dad had every animal that you can think of. We had an alligator at one time,” Bobek said. “My mom, if there was a stray cat, it was at our house. Even to this day, she’s got a ton of cats.”
So fittingly, with her grooming business, What the Fluff Pet Grooming, that she owns with her husband Kenny Bobek, she continues to be around animals. What the Fluff Pet Grooming offers services for dogs and cats.
“There’s a couple that when I’m here, they love me, but when (Kenny’s) here – they go nuts. They love him. Or, I have a couple of dogs that love my son,” Corttni Bobek said.
Dogs are just comfortable to be around, she expressed.
“I come out here and wash a dog, you know, like a chocolate lab, and they don’t care if you’re tired. They’re just happy,” Corttni said.
Corttni said that she likes dogs more than people; she has always been good with dogs. With the grooming, they have even had a few crazy incidents.
“We had this boxer that we loved – we both loved for this lady,” Corttni said. “She had a doodle and a boxer, and I loved her doodle also. But I have a thing for boxers; to me, they’re just, you know, right up next to a Boston terrier.”
(That is high praise from her.) And one day, the boxer was not acting right.
“I opened her mouth all the way, and I said, ‘Sh*t. She has cancer.’ And she was gone in two weeks, but we were able to tell them,” Corttni said.
Loss is a difficult part of the job.
“We’ve had an old lady who was sick a lot, and she asked us all the time; she said, well, can you please take Romeo?” Corttni said. “At the time, I had four cats and two dogs and no more room for another cat. I wish I could have taken him. So I don’t know where he went after she passed. But, yeah, emotional connections to all the dogs, but then to the people.”
Corttni even said she watched a client go through pregnancy, and then she watched the client’s little girl grow up a bit.
In 2017, Kenny Bobek and Corttni Bobek started operating a mobile pet grooming business in the Bay Area. They did that for five years before moving to Plumas Lake. However, they sold their vans and they now operate an in-home salon.
“I have a 4-year-old son now, so a home salon is just a lot easier for me,” Corttni said.
Going back in time to before this scene, Corttni and Kenny Bobek did not meet while grooming dogs. They met in the Air Force.
“After serving, Kenny and I moved back to his hometown of Danville, California, where I decided to pursue my passion of animals and become a certified pet stylist while working at Petco for four years. During this time, I also graduated from vocational training and received my Registered Veterinary Technician License,” Corttni said on the business’s website.
Kenny is not a groomer, but he can bathe pets and sometimes does their nails, depending on if they are going to bite him. He is actually a bookkeeper for groomers. So, yes, he is entwined in the grooming world without being a groomer.
According to Kenny, as soon as the client is done, Corttni sends a photo of the pet along with a message. The photos are crafted.
“I’ll grab the blanket and the props, and I'll pick the perfect bandana trying to match the collar that they bring, or whatever,” Corttni said.
She uses a duck noise to get her dogs to look at her for photos.
“They tilt their heads,” Kenny said.
