About Us

Wow Take A Bow Boarding & Grooming is a small kennel facility pleasantly located on 6 acres of field and woodland in Warren, MA, between Springfield and Worcester.

The owner is Jillian Gartner. She has been active in the dog community since puppy-raising her first assistance dog when she was 11 years old. When Finlay began advanced training, Jillian started volunteering in the training kennel of NEADS and continued to do so for many years, eventually becoming the 'official' volunteer groomer for the service dogs there. She gained valuable experience working with many dogs of various breeds/sizes, grooming, walking, playing with them, and cleaning plenty of kennel runs.

Jillian was homeschooled her whole childhood, meanwhile registering and completing the animal care certification program at Becker College and finishing a formal grooming apprenticeship. Free to follow her interests, she studied sign language and Braille, learning to appreciate the challenges faced by folks having disabilities. She joined the Holden Huggable Hounds 4H club, renowned for their promotion of therapy dogs.

Pursuing her passion for dogs, she started a small home-based grooming business by the name of 'Wow Take A Bow'. After her 18th birthday she moved to California to pursue an Associate's Degree in Assistance Dog Education from the Assistance Dog Institute. Upon graduation, Jillian received a business offer to renovate a recently closed boarding and grooming establishment back in her home state of Massachusetts. That kennel is now Wow Take A Bow Boarding & Grooming. She was gratified to receive several awards for teen entrepreneurial businesses in 2007.

A Life Centered Around Canines

Jillian has competed in 4-H, AKC, UKC, and IABCA events with her Standard Poodles, Max (now passed away) and UKC Ch, Int'l Ch Charlie CGC. They participate in conformation, obedience and rally.

At ADI Jillian worked with 11 dogs ranging in age from birth to 2 1/2 years (old enough to graduate into a permanent placement). She spent time teaching all of these dogs how to be well-behaved, unobtrusive service dogs. As part of the training process, one-at-a-time they accompanied her to classes, errands, restaurants, field-trips etc - even on weekly visits to an elementary school to listen while children read to them, and various therapy settings (nursing homes, hospitals, special ed. classrooms). She has also a working knowledge of hearing, guide, and lap-top service dog training.

If you live in Warren, West Brookfield or the surrounding towns, you will see her often with a service dog puppy in training, acclimating the dog to all the various sights and sounds of the real world. Massachusetts law is progressive and allows a service dog still in training to enter most establishments while accompanied by their trainer, so if you see a trainer leading a young caped dog at the movie theater, a restaurant or the library, then that might well be Jillian.

Besides assistance-related experience, Jillian has some familarity with hunting (for retriever competition) and is currently training for canine Search & Rescue in the Berkshire region. She has plenty of experience teaching basic manners and many tricks (cute, smart, and helpful!) - including teaching dogs how to READ!, which is described in the training area of this website. Jillian, and her personal dog Charlie occasionally audition at casting calls and dream of being Hollywood stars someday.

Jillian is a certified Red Cross Pet First Aid instructor and is a trained volunteer for the United Animal Nations' EARS (Emergency Animal Rescue Service) program. Jillian is a certified Pet Care Technician recognized by the American Boarding Kennel Association (ABKA) and is a member in good standing of the New England Pet Grooming Professionals (NEPGP).

You can rest assured when your dog is boarding at Wow Take A Bow - Jillian lives on the premises and can intervene immediately should there be an emergency.

© 2007-2008 Wow Take A Bow Boarding & Grooming, LLC