About Us
At Wags & Wild Dog Spa, we deliver fear-free pet grooming in a boutique setting. Our expert dog groomers in Chattanooga focus on calm handling and gentle restraint for anxious dogs, with absolute dedication to pet welfare at every turn. When you choose us, you can expect clear communication about needs and progress, as well as aftercare guidance to maintain welfare and comfort. Our quiet environment and scheduled appointments with careful timing and privacy are designed to be calming, offering dignity for every dog.
Our Mission
As trusted dog groomers in Chattanooga, our mission is to deliver premium private pet grooming services through a care philosophy that centers on calm handling and privacy.
What makes a private grooming experience calmer for dogs?
This guide explains how calm, anxiety-aware dog grooming spa services support the welfare of all pets. It highlights our private booking options and practical steps you can take to reduce stress before, during, and after visits.
Read Our Guides Now
Rochelle Rankin - Grooming Specialist
Jeni
Jenifer or "Jeni" grew up in a military family, moving from place to place before eventually calling Chattanooga home. No matter where life took her, one thing remained constant—her dogs were always by her side. That lifelong bond is what sparked her passion for working with animals and ultimately led her to dog grooming.
Before stepping into the grooming world, Jeni gained hands-on experience in doggy daycares and even worked with exotic animals. While she loved every part of caring for animals, she discovered her true calling was helping dogs—and their owners—feel happy, confident, and cared for. She went on to attend a professional grooming academy in Georgia, where she developed the skills to ensure every dog is safe, comfortable, and looking their best.
Jeni has a special gift for working with shy or nervous dogs. She finds nothing more rewarding than watching them grow more relaxed and confident with each visit, building trust along the way.
Outside of the salon, Jeni enjoys drawing, exploring nature, and spending cozy time at home with her Bernese Mountain Dog, Dutch, and her fiancé, Luke.
She takes pride in creating a positive, low-stress grooming experience and treats every dog as if they were her own
John Hayes - Behavior Specialist
John Hayes founded Wags & Wild Dog Spa after noticing how stress affects grooming outcomes. As a professional dog trainer working with our grooming specialist, Rochelle, we created a boutique space designed for privacy and tranquillity. Our empathetic team prioritises gentle handling and high welfare standards to support anxious dogs. We keep you informed with clear progress updates after every visit. If you’d like to learn more about John’s experience and approach, continue reading.
John Hayes’ dog training career over the last decade has blossomed from hobbyist training into various facets of the dog training community professionally. Aside from his strides in helping families train their pets in obedience professionally, his time spent researching canine behavior and competition obedience provided the opportunity to begin service dog work.
His preferred method for dog training is behavior modification. Rather than teaching transactional obedience, he aims to teach a dog to think critically, overcome stress by working with stress thresholds, and condition the pet that being calm is a rewarding behavior.
John is an IACP Professional member, certified with the AKC for Canine Good Citizen. He is an AKC Judge and the Chattanooga AKC Fit Dogs Club owner. He is certified to perform evaluations through Therapy Pets Unlimited, Canine First Aid, and CPR. John was a member of a team in Knoxville who helped train the world’s first Addison’s Disease Alert dog. John has since gone on to train Therapy Dogs, PTSD Service Dogs, Emotional Support Animals, Police K9 Narcotic and Paraphernalia Detection dogs, Diabetic Alert, Psychiatric Alert and Support, Mobility and Autism support, and SAR dogs. He is also one of a limited number of trainers certified to train cancer detection dogs through the InSitu Foundation.
With past experience working in TV, John has also networked as a professional dog handler on set for Discovery ID shows “Murder Decoded” and “Exhumed”.
Lauren Hayes
Office Manager
Lauren’s love of animals has been evident since childhood. During her high school and college years, she earned experience working in vet clinics, volunteering at shelters, and taking her therapy dogs to visit assisted care facilities.
Lauren graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Biological and Environmental Sciences. Over 15 years ago, she and her husband, John, launched a home-based rescue organization to rehabilitate and rehome abandoned and abused dogs, which later grew into a full-time dog training career. John and Lauren own “The Dog Wizard Chattanooga” and partner with “Animal Behavior Center”, both of which are located on-site and allow a space to host the grooming wing for Wags & Wild Dog Spa.
Supporting John’s training career over the past decade, Lauren interacts directly with clientele while playing an active role in the customer service at Wags & Wild Dog Spa. Additionally, Lauren keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes and loves helping the dog owners of Chattanooga achieve their training goals and enjoy pet care as a partnership between dog and handler built on a foundation of respect and trust.
Calm, compassionate care that respects your pet.
Our dog groomers in Chattanooga combine low-stress techniques with clear progress updates and personalised care to meet your dog's needs. By offering private appointment slots and gentle restraint, we help anxious pets stay comfortable during every visit. Additionally, our aftercare guidance supports welfare and long-term well-being.
Had a solid experience with Rochelle. My Aussie came in with some matting from poor care and she was very well taken care of. Rochelle also gave us some great advice on how to maintain a healthy coat.
Marco Chacon
Rochelle was awesome to work with !! My girls can sometimes be a little weary of new people but they didn’t seem to skip a beat with Ro. They came out looking sharper and happier !! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience 10/10 would recommend.
Angel Merche
Major is my darling shih-tzu but he can snap while being groomed . Rochelle understands and works with him so well that today he had a “no issues” and “good dog” grooming report! I couldn’t be happier. AND Major is happy - he is unstressed - and he looks awesome!
Toni Bolton
Wags & Wild Dog Spa is a boutique pet grooming service offering low-stress, fear-free grooming in a private appointment setting. We proudly serve pets and their families in Chattanooga, Red Bank, Hixson, East Ridge, Signal Mountain, and the surrounding areas.