Salty Dawg Pet Salon

John Kanski founded Salty Dawg Pet Salon in 2018, when he noticed that typical grooming shops took his
Springer Spaniel behind closed doors and left her in an anxious state during her visit. Kanski, a Paul
Mitchell School owner with locations across four states, dreamed of redefining the grooming experience
by creating an expedited process to teach licensed hairstylists and barbers to groom animals. Turning
his dream into a reality, Kanski teamed up with Winn Claybaugh , founder and co-owner of Paul Mitchell
Advanced Education (the franchisor of 100+ cosmetology and/or barbering schools operating under the
Paul Mitchell School brand), and Gary Ratner , a lifelong expert in the beauty industry with over 40 years
of experience in retail, real estate, store operations, and franchising.

Thanks to their robust experience in the hairstyling industry, the three co-owners offer ties to prestigious
talent pools, giving Salty Dawg an array of options when it comes to finding pet stylists. The brand
works to develop relationships with potential candidates rising through the beauty industry to ensure that
the stylist's and brand's mission align. In addition, Salty Dawg's tailored training program caters to the
stylist's individual learning style, allowing them to thrive. This approach, replicating that of the Paul
Mitchell School network, has resulted in talented and prepared pet stylists who feel confident in their
transition from human to pet clientele. This attractive program not only trains candidates but offers a
successful career path.
"Salty Dawg's unique approach to attracting and training stylists is certainly a key ingredient to our
success, but what truly sets us apart is our culture," Claybaugh adds. "We've built a culture of being
nice, structured on meeting three basic needs: helping our customers and pet stylists feel safe, feel that
they belong, and feel that they have a purpose."

WHY Salty Dawg Pet Salon?

Pet Care Industry- This Pet Care industry is constantly growing.
Workforce Solution- Access to 10,000 graduating cosmetologist per year.
Training Curriculum- Our training program allows us to quickly develop and grow Pet Stylist.

OUR IDEAL FRANCHISEE

Leader / Communicator
Adaptability
Results Driven

AVAILABLE MARKETS
US markets available: All U.S States aside from the ones listed as "Not" accepting referrals below

HOT Regions/Desirable: South East Region from Texas to Florida

NOT available: Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska,
New York , North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Wisconsin

Available in Canada: No

International Referrals: No

BACKGROUND
Year founded: 2018

Year Franchised: 2020

Number of franchises currently operating: 1

Number of corporate owned franchises: 2

Home Based: No

Absentee ownership available: Yes

Accepting Master Franchisor and Area Developer Referrals: No

Average number of employees required: 6

E2 Visa Friendly: No

FINANCIAL DETAILS

Franchise Fee: Single: $49,500

Providing earnings guidance in Item 19 in FDD: No

Total investment range: $198,750 - $378,500

Net worth requirement: $500,000

Royalty: 6%

Additional fees: Ad 2%

Financial assistance available: No

VetFran program: No

Veterans/Minorities/First Responders Discount? Yes, $5,000 Veteran’s Discount

SUPPORT & TRAINING PROVIDED
Training and support program details:

The Salty Dawg Neighborhood is led by a common vision to inspire and mentor happy pet care professionals toward
professional success. We are guided by a mission that says “When Pets Come First, Success Will Follow.” Our vision and
mission are much bigger than merely creating Pet Salons. We’re out to change the pet salon industry by doing things
differently than the others. We start by having our pet professionals do their part with a strong commitment to things like
giving back, going green, raising awareness, spreading the BE NICE culture, fostering personal and professional growth,
saving the planet, and gathering best practices and ideas, many of which come directly from our franchisees—our partners
who are right there on the front lines, living the business of running your pet salon day after day.
A big part of our job is to listen to you and to make sure your best ideas and practices become part of the systems and
curriculums implemented into every Salty Dawg. With our vision and mission in mind, our job becomes clear: to guide,
mentor, and educate you and your team toward successful implementation of the programs and systems within the Salty
Dawg program. We are committed to helping you develop your salon and providing you with exceptional service and
support. We do not assume or expect that your salon is following the systems, we inspect. An important part of our job is to
inspect your salons. To ensure that our salon network is built on quality and consistency, our job also involves developing
standards and systems for every aspect of the salon business. We have developed state-of-the-art support trainings, tools,
and materials as well as innovative programs and systems, to help you establish and sustain the Salty Dawg culture within
your salon.

Cost for Training: Pre-Opening Training $5,000 through $10,000

Lodging and airfare included: Yes

Site Selection Assistance: Yes

Lease Negotiation Assistance: Yes
Mentor following training: Yes

Length of mentoring Franchisee: Will assist as needed.

Last updated: 9/29/2025

Liaison: Angela Alvarez, CFPC