Maci Leggett has always loved animals, but over the past few years, that passion has grown into a career built around caring for pets and earning the trust of the people who love them.

The path here started while she was still in high school.

“I began working in the pet grooming industry about three years ago through the work study program at Southeast Bulloch High School,” Maci said. “I started out as a bather, learning the basics of animal care, handling, bathing, and the importance of making pets feel safe and comfortable. From day one, I knew this was something I truly loved.”

As her experience grew, so did her vision. She wanted to create a space of her own, where animals would be treated with care and owners would feel confident leaving them in trusted hands.

“That dream eventually became Furry Friends Pet Spa,” she said.

Now, as the owner of her own grooming studio, Maci has built her business around a simple idea: All pets deserve to feel safe, loved and cared for.

“Every animal is different, and you can’t treat them all the same,” she said. “You have to slow down … and meet them where they’re at.”

That approach is especially important when working with anxious animals — something Maci encounters often.

“With nervous dogs, my biggest approach is patience,” she said. “I never rush them. I let them get comfortable at their own pace, pay attention to their body language, and adjust everything to what they need.”

Trust, she said, doesn’t happen all at once. It’s built slowly, over time, visit by visit, both with animals and their humans.

“My goal is to create a calm, positive experience so each visit gets a little easier,” she said. “Seeing a nervous dog start to trust me is the most rewarding part of what I do.”

One dog in particular has stayed with her — not because of how he started, but because of how far he came.

“(He) came in shaking, terrified, and wouldn’t let anyone near him. You could just tell he’d had a rough experience before,” Maci said. “That first visit took a lot of patience — I mean a lot — and I pretty much just worked at his pace the whole time.

“But over the next few visits, something clicked,” she said. “He started to trust me, relaxed more and more, and before long, he was letting me do my job without fear — and even wagging his tail a little.”

Moments like that, she said, are what the work is really about. Each pet’s unique personality and quirks are what keeps things fun.

“I groom (a dog) who is obsessed with the soap dispenser,” Maci said. “Every time I use that little sprayer, he tries his absolute best to eat the stream of soap bubbles like it’s the best treat he’s ever seen.

“I’ll be mid-bath, and he’s just snapping at the bubbles, completely locked in, like it’s his life mission,” she said. “It never fails to crack me up.”

Maci says she’s learned so much over the past three years, and she’s passionate about sharing that knowledge with pet owners to help them better understand how to care for their animals.

“One of the biggest misconceptions I see is with double-coated dogs,” she said. “A lot of owners think shaving them down will help keep them cooler, especially here in the South, but in reality, it can actually do more harm than good.

“That double coat is there for a reason,” she said. “It helps regulate their body temperature and protects their skin. When it’s shaved, it can affect how the coat grows back and even make it harder for them to stay cool.”

Instead, she encourages proper deshedding techniques and regular maintenance to keep pups comfortable and healthy.

That kind of guidance, Maci said, is part of the larger responsibility that comes with the job.

“When someone trusts you with their dog, they’re trusting you with something they truly love,” she said. “That’s not something I take lightly.”

That commitment to care is one reason Furry Friends Pet Spa was voted Best Place to Take Your Pet to Be Groomed in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards — something Maci said came as a shock.

“Knowing that people took the time to vote and support Furry Friends Pet Spa means everything to me,” she said. “It shows that the care, patience and love I put into every single pet doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Still, she’s quick to add that the recognition belongs just as much to the loyal clients and wider community that have helped build Furry Friends Pet Spa from the ground up.

“This is home,” Maci said. “It’s where I grew up, where I got my start, and where people truly show up for one another.

“From a business standpoint, the support here has been incredible,” she continued. “People trust me with their pets, recommend me to their friends, and continue to pour into my business.

“Being able to serve my own community and build those relationships while doing something I love is really special to me,” she said. “I still feel grateful every day that I get to do something I genuinely love.”