About

Hi, I'm Ashlyn.

Owner and groomer at Way of the Dog Grooming, inside Nature of the Dog in Ada, Michigan.

Ashlyn Grasmeyer, owner and groomer at Way of the Dog Grooming

About me

I've loved animals for as long as I can remember, dogs most of all. I think some people are simply blessed with a particular kind of love and patience for them — the kind you need to do this work well.

My nana is where grooming came from. She had two doodles, and we used to watch grooming videos together — the funny ones, the mishaps, the big transformations. I had a coworker at my last job who, knowing how much I love dogs, encouraged me to pursue grooming. I got to groom my nana's dogs for her once, which I'm very thankful for, and she's the reason there are two little hearts in my logo — she drew them in a note to me the week she passed away.

I started at the Michigan School of Canine Cosmetology about three years ago, then worked for a groomer for a little under a year afterward. That year taught me things school can't — how long a coat really takes, how differently two dogs can handle the same ten minutes, and how much of this job is reading the dog rather than working on them.

I opened Way of the Dog Grooming in August 2025. The Lord blessed me with the people I landed with: my bosses at Nature of the Dog allowed me to renovate part of their facility into a salon of my own. Working alongside them has taught me an enormous amount about canine body language and about running a business, and I look up to them in both worlds.

Being around animals brings me so much joy. Watching a dog who was nervous on their first visit walk in loose and wagging on their fourth is the best part of this job — and it's the reason I built things the way I did.

"My mission is changing grooming with a Fear Free approach that puts the comfort of each dog as my top priority."
Michigan School of Canine Cosmetology Fear Free Methods All Breeds & Sizes
The Way of the Dog Grooming logo

The two little hearts beside her are my nana's — drawn in a note to me the week she passed away.

The Dog in the Logo

Meet Bean.

The dachshund in my logo is my Bean — a mini dachshund, almost three years old, and the quirkiest girl I have ever met.

She whispers. She howls on command. If she decides she wants food, her go-to move is to sit pretty and hold it until somebody gives in. She loves a walk more than almost anything in the world, and once she has decided you're safe, she is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. She is my little best friend.

Bean also struggles with reactivity and separation anxiety. We have worked at it through training and she has made wonderful improvements — but living with an anxious dog changes the way you see everything, grooming included. Once you have watched your own dog be frightened by something, you start noticing it in every dog you meet.

She is a large part of why I groom the way I do. She taught me what it looks like when a dog is asking you to slow down, and she taught me to listen.

Bean sitting pretty for a treat on the grooming table
The front desk and Way of the Dog Grooming sign Bean standing on the grooming table The grooming room, with the bathing tub and desk The grooming table, dryer and supply cabinet Towels, shampoos and the stainless bathing tub Bean standing in the grooming room Bean sitting in the salon doorway, yard behind her
The Space

A room of your dog's own.

Way of the Dog Grooming is a private grooming room inside Nature of the Dog, a small family-owned boarding and daycare facility that has been caring for Greater Grand Rapids dogs since 2011.

Your dog doesn't share the grooming room with anyone — no other dogs on the table, no waiting around in a crate. It's a working facility, so you'll hear dogs elsewhere in the building from time to time, but in here it's just your dog, the table, and the time they need.

Between stages, or if we need a break, there's a spacious kennel with fresh water and its own potty run attached, so your dog can go outside before or after their groom rather than holding it.

If your dog already boards or attends daycare there, you can take care of both in one trip — and receive a discount for it.

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Why Fear Free

The dog's experience matters as much as the haircut.

When I started grooming, what stood out to me was how much stress so many dogs were carrying through the process. Grooming asks a great deal of an animal who has no idea what is happening or why — the noise, the water, the dryer, standing still for a long time, a stranger's hands everywhere at once.

I kept thinking there had to be a way to do this where how the dog felt counted as much as how they looked at the end of it. I wanted to build something with that at the center of it.

So that is what this is. One dog at a time. As many breaks as they need. Nothing forced. If a nervous dog needs three visits before they are comfortable with a nail trim, that is what we do — the haircut can wait. Trust cannot be rushed.

Ready to book?

Fear Free methods, one dog at a time. Real-time availability, secure payment, and a calm day for your dog.

Book an Appointment Call (616) 287-2648