Meet Tia: Certified Small Dog Specialist • 21Years of Experience • Kirkland's Mobile Groomer

Kirkland's Certified Small Dog Specialist Since 2010

Hi, "I am Tia", the owner and sole groomer at Urban Doggie Mobile Salon — I've been a professional dog groomer for 22 years, and for the last 15 of them, Kirkland has been my home and my community. I know the neighborhoods, the families, and honestly — I know all of my dogs by name before I even check my schedule. I have become a trusted fixture for small dog families across Everest, Central Houghton, Highlands, Norkirk, Market, Downtown, Bridle Trails, Totem Lake, North Rose Hill and the surrounding Eastside neighborhoods. Many of my clients have been coming to me for five, seven, even ten or more years — trusting me not just with their dog's appearance, but with their dog's comfort, health, and emotional wellbeing.

I started Urban Doggie because I kept seeing the same thing: small dogs in big salons, stressed out, waiting in crates, surrounded by noise and chaos that had nothing to do with them. It didn't sit right with me. Small dogs are not just smaller versions of large dogs. They have their own temperaments, their own coat types, their own anxieties — and they deserve a grooming experience that's actually built around them. So I built one.

What I do — and what I don't

I groom one dog at a time. Always. There is no other dog in the van, no crate waiting for your pup while I finish someone else, no assistant handling the parts I don't have time for. When you drop your dog off at my door, they have my full attention from start to finish.

I work exclusively with dogs under 25 lbs. Not because I can't groom larger dogs — but because small breeds are my specialty, and specializing means I'm genuinely better at it. I've spent two decades learning the specific coat types, breed standards, and gentle handling techniques that small dogs need. It's not a side skill. It's what I do.

Professional Training & Small Breed Certification

The title Certified Small Dog Specialist isn't something Tia gave herself — it's the result of years of formal training, real-world experience, and a genuine passion for getting small breed grooming right. Here's what that looks like:

Professionally schooled groomer with foundational training in breed-specific styling, coat science, skin health, and safe, gentle animal handling.
Certified Small Dog Specialist with dedicated study in the anatomy, temperament, and grooming needs that make toy and miniature breeds wonderfully unique.
21 years of hands-on experience with more than 35 small breed types — Maltipoos, Yorkies, Bichon Frisés, Pomeranians, Havanese, Shih Tzus, Miniature Schnauzers, Cavaliers, Malteses, Morkies, and many more.
Deep roots in the Pacific Northwest — and a real understanding of how Kirkland's wet, humid climate affects small breed coats, skin moisture, and matting in ways that most from sunnier climates don't always anticipate.
Ongoing education in fear-free handling — because a great groom isn't just about how your dog looks when they leave. It's about how they felt the whole time they were there.

When you book with Urban Doggie, you're not squeezing your Maltipoo into a packed schedule between a Labrador and a Husky. You're working with someone who has spent two decades devoted to dogs exactly like yours — and who built her entire business around making sure they're in the very best hands.

Why Mobile Dog Spa? The Real Reason It Matters

My Mobile Spa isn't just a convenience — it removes everything stressful about a traditional grooming appointment. No car ride to an unfamiliar building. No drop-off where your dog watches you leave and has no idea what's coming next. No waiting in a crate while another dog is being finished. Instead, I pull up to your curb, you hand me your dog, and an hour or so later I knock on your door with a freshly groomed pup who never left your property.

For anxious dogs especially, the difference is remarkable. Many dogs that struggled in traditional salon settings — too much noise, too many smells, too many strangers — do beautifully in my van. The calm, private environment changes everything.

The Mobile Grooming Salon — A Private Spa at Your Kirkland Curb

My custom-built Mercedes Sprinter van is not an afterthought — it is the centerpiece of the Urban Doggie experience, and it is unlike any mobile grooming setup you will find elsewhere on the Eastside. Every detail of the van has been deliberately designed to deliver a salon-quality groom in the quietest, cleanest, most comfortable environment possible for small dogs.

Solar-Powered, Climate-Controlled, and Built for Small Breeds

My mobile dog spa is fully self-contained — powered by battery and solar energy, with no generator required. This means no loud engine rumbling outside your window during the appointment and, more importantly, no generator noise stressing out your dog inside the van. For small breeds with sensitive hearing and anxiety triggers, this is a meaningful difference. The interior stays climate-controlled year-round — warm in Kirkland's wet winters and cool during the summer months — so your dog is always comfortable regardless of the weather outside.

Every piece of equipment inside the van is sized and calibrated for small dogs. The tub height, the grooming table dimensions, the precision shears, the gentle dryers — all of it is chosen specifically for dogs under 25 lbs. Nothing is oversized, makeshift, or borrowed from a large-breed setup. And between every single appointment, the van is deep-cleaned and sanitized so each dog enters a fresh, hygienic space.

At a glance:

• Solar and battery powered — no generator, no noise, no disruption to your dog.

• Climate controlled interior — comfortable for your dog in every season.

• Deep-cleaned between every appointment — a genuinely sanitary environment every time.

• Equipment scaled for small breeds — tubs, tables, and tools sized for dogs under 25 lbs.

• Parked at your curb — no car ride, no drop-off, no crate waiting time.

The URBAN DOGGIE Difference:

There are other groomers in Kirkland. What makes Urban Doggie genuinely different is not just one thing — it is the combination of specialization, privacy, experience, and philosophy that I bring to every single appointment. Here is what that means in practice:

• Exclusively small breeds under 25 lbs — this is not a weight limit, it is a quality commitment. Specializing means I am always at my best for your dog.

• All-inclusive, transparent pricing — one flat rate covers the full 15-step spa process, travel to your door, and every grooming product used.

• Cage-free from start to finish — your dog is never crated, never left alone in a kennel, and never in a holding pen waiting for their turn. They are in my hands the entire appointment.

• One dog at a time — I do not book multiple dogs in overlapping windows. When your dog is in my van, they are my only client.

• Compassion is the standard, not an extra — every dog gets patience, gentleness, and the kind of attention that makes the difference between a stressful experience and a spa day.

See everything included in a full Urban Doggie appointment

Ready to Meet Kirkland's Small Dog Grooming Specialist?

If your small dog deserves one-on-one, kennel-free, specialist grooming delivered directly to your Kirkland door — I would love to meet them.

Check availability online or call 425-820-1000 to speak with me directly. I serve Kirkland and the surrounding Eastside including Houghton, Moss Bay, Lakeview, South Juanita, Bridle Trails, Grass Lawn, south Rosehill and more — zip codes 98033 and 98034.

When you book with URBAN DOGGIE, you're not booking a salon. You are booking me.