Kirsi Ball is one pet groomer who makes house calls.

The 27-year-old Rexburg mom of two has owned and operated her aptly named Fluff Ball House Call business since 2019. It’s a job she enjoys and one that takes her all over the Upper Valley.

Ball has earned several grooming certifications and grooms both cats and dogs. She finds that felines are much easier to groom than their canine counterparts.

“I think they’re easier to handle,” she said. “I feel they’re less anxious. They seem so much more comfortable and much more relaxed. The handling is easier.”

Ball especially enjoys grooming Himalayan cats.

“They’re really fun,” she said. “They’re so cute.”

Ball sets a weight limit when grooming dogs and doesn’t groom pooches that are more than 60 pounds.

“I do any dog breed as long as they fall within that weight restriction,” she said. “Some have anxiety. In a house call, it works a little better with one-on-one because I’m in their comfort zone.”

In all the time she’s been doing house calls, Ball has only been bitten by dogs twice.

“One was just a puppy and didn’t have a whole lot of training,” she said. “She broke my skin, but I worked with her again and have had no more issues working with her.”

Mom to Elijah, 10, and Emily, 8, Ball says that her grooming business gives her the flexibility she needs to be there for her children.

“It's really nice being able to make my own schedule,” she said. “I can drop my kids off at school and be there for all their activities.”

Ball started grooming in dog salons in 2017 but later expanded to her own business in 2019. She travels between Idaho Falls and Ashton and occasionally she pampers pets in Island Park, Shelley, Teton Valley and Mud Lake.

Ball has earned certificates from various schools but received much of her training in Idaho Falls. She’s visited the Teton Grooming Expo where she earned advanced certificates.

“I was grooming on my own within a month of starting my training,” she said. “It was really nerve-wracking. I started doing some online research learning more about the breeds and cuts.”

From there she started working in a salon where she got to work with different breeds of animals.

“Before I was comfortable to work on my own, it was two years,” she said.

Born and raised in Rexburg, Ball grew up around horses, cattle and numerous dogs and cats. At one time, Ball wanted to work as a veterinarian and began classes as a “vet tech” while working at the Snake River Animal Shelter. After being introduced to animal grooming, her career was launched.

Ball says that someone interested in starting their own business first needs to investigate the career field to gain as much knowledge as possible.

“I did as much research about grooming, about products and tools,” she said. “Whenever anybody asked me a question, I had the answer. I wasn’t unsure.”

From there, Ball met with financial agencies and checked into what was required to register her business.

“Make sure you meet the requirements for your business in your state, county and in your cities,” she said.

Ball later papered the town — and Facebook — with postings advertising her unique services.

“The big thing is that word-of-mouth is going from one client to another,” she said. “It’s keeping good communication to the people you’re selling to.”

Ball even suggested keeping communication open with competitors — yes, competitors.

“If anything were to happen to your business or theirs, you have somebody to lean on. It really helps,” she said. “Go in and talk to your competition and say, ‘This is how I can help you guys. This is how you guys can potentially help me.’ It helps you both build your business to have that competition.”

Ball said her business really stands out because she offers to groom pets in their owners’ homes.

“I was offering something unique,” she said. “Not that many groomers around the area do cats. I went and marketed and advertised to people who could potentially use that help.”

Initially some customers balked because they didn’t “want the mess in the house.” Others said, “Yes, let’s try it.”

Ball says she cleans everything up.

“There’s not a mess,” she said.

Ball says that by going into pet owners’ homes, she gets an idea of the pets’ general lifestyle, how owners are using certain brushes and what the pets’ diets are.

“I get to strengthen my relationship with clients,” she said. “I can say, ‘This could potentially help you with your relationship with your dog or cat.’”

There have been occasions where Ball has been asked to help groom an animal that was abandoned at a client’s home.

“It's definitely taxing sometimes,” she said. “(They’ll say) ‘This dog got dumped on me’ or ‘This cat ended up on my property.’ (I deal with) a lot of matting situations — health situations that are heartbreaking. Having that knowledge and expertise to help the owners is amazing.”

Ball says that she loves what she does and feels fortunate to have the opportunity to do so.

“I get to express my creativity,” she said. “It’s something I truly do enjoy.”

For more information on Fluff Ball House Call Dog Groomer, call 208-881-3098 or visit facebook.com/ball.housecall.