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After several years of serving pet owners across the area, a local business has broken ground on a new facility as it looks to expand and increase services.

Mae’s Mutts opened in Andalusia in 2019, but owner Elisha Bowling has been at it much longer starting a pet grooming business about 12 years ago in Indiana. She and her husband, Robert, moved to Andalusia where Elisha continued her business by opening Mae’s Mutts.

Elisha is a trained nurse, but took up pet grooming while she assisted her husband with therapy as a disabled veteran.

“We were building a store front up north, but my husband is a disabled vet and wasn’t doing well at that time. We decided he would do better in a warmer climate so we sold our business there and took a blind leap of faith. We moved south and it’s been great,” she said.

Since opening Mae’s Mutts, Elisha said the business has continued to grow, serving customers and pets from miles away with grooming and boarding. Now, the business is ready to expand.

“We are in the process of building an 8,000-square-foot facility that will include 40 boarding suites, a grooming shop, a retail front, and doggy daycare,” Elisha said.

Also included in the plans is the construction of a dog park. The construction project is adjacent to the current location at 212 Huckleberry St. in Andalusia.

“We’ve been here going on four years and we look forward to expanding to offer the doggy daycare, the dog boarding and retail. We’ve been all grooming in the past,” she said.

For Elisha, Mae’s Mutts allowed her the opportunity to work with dogs.

“I started it as a side job so that I could be home more with my family and take care of my sick husband. It progressed from there and it has been great. We have customers who come from three hours away to see us. We even have people from up north wanting to board their pets here on their way to the beaches. This expansion will also allow us to provide long-term boarding for military personnel.

Elisha said if all goes according to plan, the new facility could be fully operational in about nine months, although some services could be available sooner.

For more information about Mae’s Mutts, call 334-488-7387.