There’s a 2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter rolling through Sewanee and surrounding towns where a dog can get on board for a blueberry facial and nail polishing, topped off with a bandana. Of course, those no-frills canines can just grab a warm bath and blow dry.

Richard and Laura Lee Ray opened Zoom Groom Mobile Pet Spa earlier this month, a full-service grooming van they’ll pull right into a customer’s driveway. Richard is the driver and Laura is the pet groomer, boasting more than 30 years’ experience.

“I like being able to take a dog that’s in pretty rough shape and make it beautiful, and I can watch the reaction of his mom or dad, his human parents, when they see the dog when he’s done,” she said. “There’s a lot of creativity.”

Richard retired from the Air Force after serving 12 years in multiple countries and states, working in public affairs, including radio and TV jobs for the Armed Forces Network.

He said Zoom Groom saves people time and is less stressful for dogs and cats because they get one-on-one service at home and aren’t caged while they wait.

The Rays had just finished grooming a Lhasa-Poo in Winchester—a cross between a Lhasa Apso and poodle—on the day of this interview.

“The lady was able to sit in her house and do whatever she wanted to do,” Richard said. “She handed us a dirty dog, we gave her back a clean one.”

The van is equipped with a generator and propane gas to power and heat the water and grooming equipment. Decked out with pawprints and a logo of a cat and dog in a bubble bath, Laura said the Sprinter draws attention.

“Kids stare and have their mouths wide open,” she said. “Of course, I was the same way when I saw it myself.”

A handful of the many services Zoom Groom offers include yucca flea and tick treatment, de-shedding, teeth and ear cleanings, pads shaved and trimmed, and massage.

Zoom Groom primarily uses natural Quadruped products, Laura noted.

As for that blueberry facial, she said it’s a great way to pamper a dog.

“I like the smell of it and the results. It brightens up the face; if they have a white face it makes it whiter and it makes them smell really good for two weeks,” she said.

Laura, who also served in the Air Force and is originally from California, is a graduate of the Pedigree Professional School of Dog Grooming.

The Rays moved to the Sewanee area from Crestview, Fla., near Destin. They owned a mobile grooming service from 2009-10 in Florida, Richard said. After the Deepwater Horizon massive oil spill in April 2010, the area’s economy suffered and they closed the business.

Laura said the family fell in love with the Sewanee area just driving through when their kids were much younger and the mountains, cost-of-living and four seasons lured them to their new home.

The Rays attend Morton Memorial United Methodist Church in Monteagle, where Laura sings in the choir. In his spare time, Richard is a ham radio operator.

For more information about Zoom Groom call (931) 313-9950 or (423) 403-0123, or visit <zoom-groom.com>.