Animal grooming specialist Piper Downing provides unique haircuts with Bare Bones

Bordeaux Jones admires his rainbow-dyed wings, poms, and afro in the mirror, after a final blow dry. Jonesis a Standard Poodle and a beloved son to animal grooming specialist, Piper Downing. Downing rescued Jones from a poodle-packed barn in Central Oregon. 

“He was eleven inches long, with horse-poop matted fur. He didn't know what a leash was,” Downing said. “I had to carry him upstairs for the first three weeks of being home.”

Jones has come a long way from barn life and now rocks eclectic haircuts and frequently hangs out at his mom’s business Bare Bones Dog Wash, located on Amazon Drive in Eugene, Oregon.

Following her partner’s death, Downing decided to make the move from California to Eugene. On January 5, 2020, she found the groomer position at Bare Bones. A few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic started, and the shop shut down for six weeks. When the business resumed, only Downing and her former boss Connie Manning returned. Manning then made the difficult decision to retire, and Downing became the new owner of Bare Bones.

Downing’s dream of dog grooming began when she visited Eugene at age nine.

“I came here to visit with my grandparents, and they had a long-haired-Doxie, and we took him to Suds ’em Yourself, which is the same exact business as mine,” Downing said. We bathed him there and I was like ‘I want to do this, this is awesome. Like I want that.’ I ended up working here and my first dog that I groomed was the same exact dog that I bathed at Suds ’em Yourself, and he was 18 years old. It was crazy. I felt like it was very much meant to be.”

Before the move to Eugene, Downing attended Animal Behavior College in Southern California for two years. She earned both grooming and animal CPR certificates.

Downing currently teams up with hair-dye specialist Aspen Brooks for more unique haircuts.

“We kind of just pick a color, and then we go from there. We don’t really know what we’re doing until we’re in there,” Downing said. “I think it’s really awesome when we’re creative, and it’s basically an art. No one else can replicate what you do.”

Downing’s shop encompasses art from her family members. Her Grandpa built a “Bone Bar” to organize gourmet dog bones. On one wall of the store, there is a colorful mural by her sister. 

“All of my family lives about six to eight hours away, so I’m the only of my blood here. It’s really nice to be able to come in here and know that my family's here. Oh my gosh, I’m getting emotional,” Downing said, tearing up and looking at her sister’s mural.

Downing described the dogs she’s worked with as extended family. “The hardest part is when they pass away. It’s something that nobody tells you about in this job. You feel like you lose your dog every two months, because they start aging out, and that’s really, really challenging,” Downing said.

Downing finds comfort in the memories of dogs she has worked with. Others find comfort in visiting her dog Todd the Chiweenie at her shop. Todd get pampered with warm towels and a plush bed. Children will often visit him when getting off the bus from school.

“There’s one little girl that comes in and Todd screams,” Downing said. “He cannot wait for her to come in. It’s like every day after school. It’s so cute. He’s my celebrity.”

Downing hopes to expand her business one day and continue to nurture every animal that comes through her doors.

| Made in Dr. Peter Laufer’s Feature Writing I course at The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication |