While new to the Vale Park Animal Hospital team, Animal Groomer Jayce Gasiorek has been working with animals for eight years and knew he would one day turn his passion into a career.
Gasiorek is a Region native, and worked at the Merrillville PetSmart for almost eight years. He enjoyed the work so much that, when he moved to Evansville, Ind., he also took up a job at the PetSmart down in the area as well. He was in Evansville for eight months before making the move back up to Northwest Indiana.
Upon coming back to the Region, Gasiorek wanted to continue following his passion and work with animals in a way that also helped him grow his skills and career. He had a few coworkers from the Merrillville PetSmart who heard Gasiorek was coming back up, and they jumped on the opportunity to help him find a job in the area in a field they’d know he’d love.
"One of the dog trainers that I used to work with at the Merrillville PetSmart, along with two of the vet staff from there as well, told me about this awesome job opportunity that I couldn't refuse. As much as I did enjoy working with my coworkers at PetSmart, I needed to grow and go further with my grooming and just overall learn more about animals,” Gasiorek said. “It was a great opportunity, so I couldn't say no.”
Gasiorek originally wanted to work in a zoo, and although his career path took a slightly different turn, he jokes that he has a zoo at home with three cats, three dogs, a bird, a rabbit, five ferrets, and a tarantula.
Gasiorek was drawn to animal grooming because he wanted a career that was very hands-on. He also had a friend that was an animal groomer, which gave Gasiorek a glimpse into the field and piqued his interest.
“A friend of mine helped me get into grooming through the Merrillville PetSmart where I worked with some amazing groomers who taught me a lot along the way,” Gasiorek said.
While he’s learning to groom other animals as well, he said his favorite to work with is dogs and wants to learn as much about the craft as possible
“I mainly do dogs. I don't do a lot of cat grooming yet, since I'm not too familiar with it and I'm still in the process of learning to work with cats,” Gasiorek said. “I prefer to do dogs, and I would like to actually learn how to do show grooming, and at least do maybe one show just so I could just see what that's like.”
Gasiorek knows he definitely made the right career move coming to Vale Park. He said the people and the atmosphere make the animal hospital a great place to be.
“I just love the people,” Gasiorek said. “I love the environment; it’s a lot more friendly, a lot nicer, and much more relaxed. I mean, it's a job, but it's still a lot more relaxed and not as stressful as my previous job. The people are awesome here.”
Gasiorek enjoys a large range of hobbies to keep him busy outside of work, including wood burning, visiting reptile conventions, and participating in Renaissance Fairs. He’s been attending the Bristol Renaissance Fair in Wisconsin for nine years, cosplay and all.
“It's worth it,” Gasiorek said. “It's a lot of fun. Even if you don't dress up, there's a lot to do. There's lots of food. There's lots of entertainment. It's awesome, just to plan for it to be a hot day.”
For more information on Vale Park Animal Hospital, visit valeparkah.com.
