MEET THE CREW
Lisa Whitlock, Owner, Dog Stylist
Born an animal lover in California, Lisa moved to Indiana when she was 6, and she grew up in Carmel, Indiana where her dog grooming career began. With 25 years of working with dogs under her belt (21 of which as a professional dog groomer), she decided it was time to make some BIG moves. In the summer of 2021, Ruff-N-Roll Fur Studio was born.
If you're lucky, you'll get to see her handsome husband Matt around the salon when he's not managing the Starbucks down the street. You may also see her human son named Graham (10) and human stepson Wes (14). She rescued her hound mix Norman in 2018 when he was just a big-eared pup. She has an adorable 14-year-old little kitty named Ducky.
Lisa's love for dogs started at birth and has lasted just as long as her love for music. She has had many dogs over the years, but one poodle named Striker will forever hold a special place in her heart. He is THE reason for her obsession with Standard Poodles. She eventually inherited a gorgeous senior chihuahua named Tammy Tutu (RIP) who changed her forever, and chihuahuas have now crept up to a close 2nd place.
Lisa loves almost every kind of music out there, but her favorites are every kind of rock, showtunes, hip hop, and jazz. She spent 12 years singing in choir, and she has spent many more years attending concerts of all kinds.
Lisa is passionate about old dogs, and she has kept many of the same clients through multiple generations of dogs. She wholeheartedly believes in caring for dogs from puppyhood through adulthood and onto senior living. She believes the most important job a groomer has is to earn each dog's trust, and this happens with patience, consistency, compassion, and love.
Lori Halstead, Assistant, Professional Dog Lover
If you stop by Ruff-N-Roll, you will certainly have the pleasure of meeting Lori (assuming you can see her over the counter). She is the shortest person in the salon but the biggest ray of sunshine. She is our all around right-hand woman. You will find her doing just about every and any task in the salon!
Lori began working with dogs in 2013 at a doggy daycare in Zionsville before becoming a professional dog groomer. She quickly learned that dogs were in fact her passion, and she wanted to be involved with them in some capacity going forward. Lori started working with Lisa and Mallory in 2014, and they have all been friends ever since! She is a phenomenal dog groomer, however, unfortunately a hand injury has prevented her from grooming dogs at this point in her career. She is helping us with other aspects of the grooming process, such as bathing and drying your pups and doing their nails.
Lori has an amazing (and much taller) husband Jason who she has been married to since 2005. They have a beautiful daughter and dog-lover named Zoe. Together they have a kitty named Sophie, and she hopes to soon have an Irish Wolfhound if someone can bribe her husband. Please and thank you.
Lori likes to rock out to some 90's grunge/alternative and 90's R&B. Her dream dog is an Irish Wolfhound (hence the tall husband), but she always says the uglier the dog the better (not applicable to Jason). She speaks Spanish, has gorgeous curly locks, and she will give your dog ALL of the hugs and kisses.
Mallory Soliven, Dog Stylist
Mallory started working with animals in 2008 when she was just a young pup herself. She met Lisa in 2009 at the beginning of her grooming career, and they quickly bonded over their Asian heritage, love for art (in all forms), and their passion for pets. They have remained friends and worked in several salons together over the years. Mallory will make you and your pet instantly feel comfortable and welcome when you come into the studio.
She is the MOST passionate about rescue animals and has dedicated time over the years volunteering with rescues and even donated to help with animal care and rescue as well as military veterans. She has a big heart, caring soul, and giving spirit.
Mallory is a single mom of 2 extraordinary furry children. She has Lady Emma of Borkenshire (ulti-mutt) and Sir Oliver La Floof (bichon/poodle mix). Her pets' names tell you everything you need to know about Mallory's creativity, sense of humor, and personality. You will love her just as much as her spoiled animals do!
Mallory loves all dogs, but she has a soft spot for senior pets and any good Heinz 57. She also loves a saucy terrier! Just like her eclectic taste in dogs, she shares the same all-inclusive taste in music.
Mallory cares SO much about each and every dog in her care. She treats her clients (furry and human) like family, and she will do everything in her power to make your dog look fantastic and make sure that you are happy with their haircut.
Maddy Card, Dog Stylist
Maddy began her grooming career in 2021, and she has enough drive, passion, and love for dogs to make her seem like she's been grooming for a million years. Prior to grooming, she had several years of experience as a dog walker/pet sitter, and she worked at a doggy daycare/boarding facility. She is eager to please her clients and make her new furry friends feel as comfortable as can be in her care.
Like most of us groomers, she grew up a dog lover. Now it's her mission to make all of her dog friends reciprocate those feelings no matter what it takes. She shows incredible patience and compassion when dealing with anxious or difficult dogs. The only thing bigger than her heart is the smile on her face when she gains the trust of your pup.
The love of Maddy's life is her best friend/partner in crime/snuggle buddy Ireland. She's a gorgeous 7-year-old shepherd mix, and she truly is the apple of her mom's eye.
A creative woman at heart, Maddy is also a brilliant photographer. She even helps with some of our social media photography/videography!
She enjoys music of all kinds, and she really enjoys a good concert. Maddy has a hunger for knowledge, and she is always researching and learning about new techniques to enhance her skills and advance career. No matter what, you can always trust that your dog is in safe and caring hands with her!
Maria Mora, Dog Stylist
Maria started her grooming journey in Venezuela almost 30 years ago! She developed a passion for grooming at a young age, and she was able to turn that into a career to pay her way through college. This extremely talented and driven woman has her degree in Industrial Engineering. She was also on her university's fencing team! Basically, she can do anything she puts her mind to.
Her desire to groom stems from her first family dog when she was only 15. They had a beautiful miniature poodle named Maicita, and they took her to get groomed. It was a traumatic experience for Maicita, and Maria was determined to learn how to groom her dog herself. She made it her mission to gently, patiently, and compassionately groom her own dog and every dog she could by watching videos and working with other grooming professionals in Venezuela. By 17, she was a professional dog groomer, and little by little she filled her books with regular and loyal clients. When I asked Maria what her favorite dogs to groom are, she said doodles, poodles, shih tzus, and yorkies. I told her she is in the right place for that kind of clientele!
Maria is incredibly kind, patient, understanding, and compassionate. She has a calm and gentle energy towards the dogs and the people around her. She has tons of tricks up her sleeve to help our crew with different challenges as well! In her free time, you will find her with her husband Manuel, her two adorable French Bulldogs (Amy the angel and Penny the not-quite-an-angel), or visiting with her brother who lives in Canada or her parents who still live in Venezuela. She enjoys the outdoors, taking her dogs to the park, riding her bike, dancing, and watching tv! She loves all kinds of music, and she describes fencing as a dance. We knew that she would fit right in with the rest of us music lovers!
Being from Venezuela, Spanish is her first language. She is doing a great job working on her English, and we are quickly learning that most of us are way behind on our Spanish. Lo siento, Maria!
Allison King, Dog Stylist
Our sweet Allison is the youngest groomer of the bunch, has an old soul. Born and raised here in Indiana and raised as a groomer here at Ruff-N-Roll, we are so proud of how far she's come since joining our crew in 2022.
She started working at a doggy daycare/rescue back in 2021, and she quickly realized that working with dogs is where she belonged. At that time, she rescued the love her life, an adorable mixed breed named Pumpkin. According to Allison, Pumpkin loves going on long walks, learning new tricks, playing tag, and most importantly she enjoys a good treat! She is Allison's first and only dog, and up until her she was actually a cat mom! She has a big soft spot for Calico's and used to have a cutie named Olivia.
Allison wholeheartedly loves what she does. She loves the trade and continuing to learn about it and making sure your dogs are beautiful and cared for is truly her passion. You will never meet a more kindhearted, compassionate, and patient human being. Since she started her grooming journey, she has found a true love for Golden Retrievers! She loves their goofy fun-loving personalities.
In her free time, Allison loves hiking and game nights with her friends. She also enjoys her semi-alone time (snuggling Pumpkin is necessary) and reading a good book! She loves all music but especially R&B. If you're lucky you might see her doing a little dance with her headphones on while she's bathing and drying your pups!
Hailey Gallant, Dog Stylist
Who knew a degree in Biochemistry could lead to a career in dog grooming? Believe it or not, that was Hailey's path, because she chose to follow her heart.
Hailey grew up in Elkhart, IN and eventually went to Purdue University where she received a BS in Biochemistry. She worked for a pharmaceutical company where they performed bioanalysis of drugs in trials. She spent 2 years there as an intern throughout her undergrad and was doing bench lab work. After graduating, she accepted a position there as a data reviewer in the quality control department. She also worked as a TA for General Chemistry classes and taught both a lab and recitation class. To say this was a far cry from where she ended up would be an understatement!
She credits her now wife for her journey into the dog grooming world. While they were dating, her then girlfriend had a Standard Poodle named Owen who she fell in love with (in addition to his mom). Although she was busy doing scientist stuff, she found the time and the passion to learn how to groom and care for all of his hair! She watched tons of dog grooming videos and practiced on him, and she realized how much she enjoyed the process and the bonding that came with it. Growing up she had cats and a schnauzer mix, and she always enjoyed bathing, brushing, and caring for them. It's not surprising that she enjoyed it once again at this point in her life.
As time went on, she realized the repetitiveness of her lab and office work no longer made her feel fulfilled. She is very creative and enjoys being hands on, and she is obviously an animal lover. Her wife suggested dog grooming, and the rest was history!
Other than being a recovering scientist, Hailey has been playing the viola since she was 10 years old. Throughout high school, she played in both the school orchestras and community youth orchestras, and she was in the pit orchestra for high school musicals. She played at Purdue in both the large ensembles and quartet groups, and this lifelong musician currently plays in the Circle City Orchestra! Despite her classical roots, her go-to music is indie/alternative pop. She also loves to read, crochet, do hot yoga, and hike.
Hailey lives with her wife Brooke, Owen (their standard poodle), Villanelle (a spicy tripod cat), and Janet (a toothed elf cat - a type of Sphynx). Very soon they will be adding to their collection with a Standard Poodle puppy who we are dying to meet!
Thanks to Owen, poodles have made their way into the #1 spot in her heart, but she also adores Malteses and Cavaliers.
With her science background, Hailey has a unique perspective and niche within our studio. She loves to research and learn about specific techniques, products, and applications to implement in her daily practices with your dogs. She loves our Groomer to Groomer Magazine subscription and dives into all the articles to be able to provide informed care to every dog she meets. Her patience, attention to detail, and calm demeanor make her the perfect groomer for your pup!