Meet our Team

Kendra Otto, Owner and Founder

Kendra founded The UpScale Tail Pet Salon in 2013. Since childhood, she had always wanted to work with animals. At age 2 years old, she would play doctor with her American Cocker Spaniel, Toby and at age 7 she drew up plans for her own pet store. At the age of 19, she combined her love of animals and art into a career,  graduating from The Great Lakes Academy of Professional Pet Styling.

After many years of working for other salons, she decided it was time to open a salon where both pets & their guardians feel safe. She will only employ or apprentice like minded individuals that believe in quality work, building strong trusting relationships with pets & their guardians, behavior modification through positive reinforcement and client education. 

Kendra holds certifications through PetTech CPR and First Aid; National Dog Groomers Association of America; International Professional Groomers Association, is an American Kennel Club Safety Certified Groomer;  is a Certified Canine Esthetician and a lifetime member of GroomTeam USA. She is also a retired educator for Andis Company & Chris Christensen Systems. 

Throughout her lifetime, Kendra’s had many pets to include Snakes, Lizards, Hermit Crabs, a Bird, a Guinea Pig, a Rabbit, Fish, many Cats, a Scottish Terrier, an American Cocker Spaniel, an English Setter, a Gordon Setter, a Pit Bull Mix, a German Shepherd, 4 Miniature Poodles and is currently owned by her 4th Miniature Poodle named Sprocket.  One could also say she is owned by the countless number of pets she has groomed and fostered along the way too. 

In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family & pets, travel, hiking, gardening and anything related to art.

Cassie-Bathing Assistant & Reception

 Cassie-found her passion for animals when she was 9 years old when she received a kitten for her birthday. She adores cats, dogs and ferrets, but most of all Angel, her now 14 year old kitty.

Ryan-Pet Stylist

Ryan, a 2nd generation pet stylist bringing more than 25 years of grooming experience, to The UpScale Tail. From a young age, he was immersed in every part of salon life, learning to bathe, prep and handle dogs with confidence and skill. In 2001, Ryan decided it was time to take his knowledge base to the next level and asked his mother (who taught Kendra how to groom) for formal grooming education.

He has been active in the grooming industry’s educational and trade-show circuit for many years working for vendors such as Geib Scissors and EZ Groom; speaking in classrooms on topics of leadership and management, customer-qualification strategies, grooming-salon engineering and equipment planning, groomer fitness and recovery.

Ryan now a retired competitor, won First Place in the beginner division and Best First-Timer with a Poodle in 2006. He is Pet Tech 1st Aid & CPR certified and maintains a strong commitment to continuing education and professional growth. 

Over the years, he’s managed, aided in the development of grooming programs and mentored stylists for a local franchise. In 2008, he and his wife purchased his family’s grooming salon & academy where he went on to train pet stylists in grooming fundamentals for over a decade. After many successful years in business with his wife, he decided to join our team to further refine his work in a high-level, award-winning grooming environment. 

Ryan and his wife are owned by a Chihuahua named Audrey and a terrier mix named Charlotte. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, working on & riding his motorcycles. 

Shelley-Pet Stylist

Shelley has been grooming dogs professionally since 2001. To her, grooming always begins with attention to detail. She likes to learn about the dog’s needs, lifestyle and personality while taking into consideration the client’s requested look. She enjoys researching about problematic skin and coat and is happy to make recommendations to benefit the dog’s wellbeing in addition to a great look! If, during the grooming process there is something she’s doing that the pet doesn’t like, she looks into the possible reasons; Is he arthritic? Are his feet itchy? She takes this practiced consideration into her work. 

But what truly makes her day is helping and grooming dogs with disabilities or chronic issues. For her it’s personal, as she cared for her dog, Piggy, whom became disabled and required a wheelchair, later in life. She understands in a very real way just how important our dogs are to us and just how important it is to give them the best treatment possible.

Shelley is passionate about continuing her education and strives to be the best advocate for her fuzzy clients. She holds the following certifications: AKC Safety; Canine Esthetician; ISCC general grooming/skin & coat; Pet 1st Aid/CPR and from Vetvine Arthritis: -Part 1 Physical Medicine, Exercises & What Owners Can do at home; Part 2 – Integrative Medicine & Therapies.

She is currently owned by a Schipperke Mix named Winston, enjoys movies, cooking & gardening in her free time.