KAREN “DOC” HALLIGAN, DVM

Renowned veterinarian, author, and devoted pet owner Karen “Doc” Halligan has developed a distinguished veterinary medical career while gaining acclaim as a national authority on animals. The driving force behind this challenging and demanding career path is Doc’s lifelong commitment to animal welfare and pet-owner education. She has appeared on many national television shows as a spokesperson and pet health expert as well as on programs including Animal Rescue 911, Dog Tales and Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 and Cats 101. Doc Halligan is also a regular contributor to PARADE magazine.

Doc Halligan is currently the Director of Veterinary Services at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Los Angeles (SPCA LA), where she oversees the health and well being of all the shelter animals and routinely performs surgical procedures and other medical treatments. In addition, she is an expert in animal-cruelty cases and regularly testifies for law enforcement, having successfully won judgments in many court cases.

She is well versed in the art of dog grooming, routinely assisting with the grooming of shelter animals as well as working with numerous groomers during her 12 years of private practice. Doc’s nurturing personality and years of experience make her a savvy and supportive judge on Animal Planet’s reality show Groomer Has It. A devoted advocate for both the show’s canine guests and their groomers, she ensures the safety and proper care of the featured animals.

Other accomplishments include providing veterinary care in Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; lecturing on pet healthcare across the country; rescuing and adopting abandoned cats and dogs; recording the breeding habits of the California condors at The San Diego Wild Animal Park; and helping hatch baby penguins at San Diego’s Sea World. She is also the author of the award-winning book Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs (HarperCollins, 2007).

A native of San Diego, Calif., Doc Halligan double majored in theater and zoology while performing in animal shows at the San Diego Zoo. In 1989, after graduating from the University of California, Davis, she began working as the chief of staff at one of San Diego’s busiest veterinary hospitals. It was there that she became acutely aware of the tremendous pet overpopulation problem and the need to better educate the public about animal health issues. Seeking to give a voice to animals and help pet parents everywhere, she moved to Los Angeles in 1993 and began to passionately lobby on animal- welfare issues.

Doc Halligan has donated hundreds of hours of volunteer time to various animal-rescue groups and entertainment nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the California Veterinary Medical Association, Southern California Veterinary Medical Association and The Association of Shelter Veterinarians.

Drawing on her extensive knowledge from the front lines of veterinary practice, Doc Halligan regularly shares practical tips and eye-opening advice with pet owners on diet, health, exercise, vet bills, disaster preparedness, and many other topics. She is the doting parent of cats Kinky and Nathan.

JOEY VILLANI

Joey Villani, a leading U.S. expert in grooming, began his remarkable career apprenticing for industry visionary John Nash. Having trained thousands of groomers as a top instructor for Mr. Nash's schools, in 1998, Joey became president, director and owner of the Nash Academy of Animal Arts in New Jersey. He completed his term as president and director of the organization in 2008. In addition to his 34 years of grooming experience and his impressive teaching career, Joey is an IJA (International Judges Association) registered judge and has been nominated four times for the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for excellence in dog grooming show judging.

He is deeply involved with Intergroom International, the largest international grooming conference, and has been instrumental in the organization's branching out into Belgium, Italy and France.

Joey is the creator of Dogs in Style, which is a line of pet cosmetics. In addition, he is a co-developer and director of advertising for Nash Canine and Groomers Reference, online dog and grooming instructional guides. Both are revolutionary, educational web sites geared toward grooming professionals and everyday pet owners.

As a judge on Animal Planet’s "Groomer Has It," Joey brings tremendous knowledge and insight into the technical aspects of grooming and likes to keep groomers on their toes with his probing questions. He looks for a number of key things when he’s judging: the amount of coat hair, the degree of difficulty, preparation of the dog, balance and overall transformation. He also wants to make sure a groomer knows how to clipper, scissor, hand-strip and that they know their equipment, products and the process of grooming for both long and short hair dogs. Joey tells it like it is, and when impressed, he offers a giant grin and his trademark, "That's it, baby!"

When not working, Joey spends time with his wife, Elaine; his three cairn terriers, Myles, Buster and Simon; and his 31-year-old umbrella cockatoo named Gurney.

XAVIER SANTIAGO

Xavier began working with dogs as a second-generation owner/handler of Alaskan Malamutes and the working breeds. Since then, he has expanded his knowledge and expertise with handling and grooming to the other groups, including the sporting, non-sporting, herding and hounds. With years of experience in canine competition and an average attendance of 75 shows per year, Xavier has won first place ribbons, Best of Winners, Best of Opposites and Best of Breeds at major competitions around the country. Trained by some of the top breeder/owner/handlers and groomers in the dog-show industry, including Carlene Way, Nancy Zinkham, Linda Whitney, Maura Ptacek and Mary Curtis, Xavier has a well-developed knowledge for dog-grooming and breed standards. He has taken over the family tradition from his mentor and father, champion Malamute handler Ladislao Santiago.

With a superb eye for what a coat should look like for each group of dogs as well as an incredible breadth of knowledge of the techniques necessary to achieve such grooms, Xavier has created a line of specific breed-grooming videos to help the first-time owner/handler. His work and research for these videos have imparted Xavier with a unique perspective and a specialized eye for grooming.

Recently, Xavier served as a judge at Groom Expo West in Burbank, California. With this experience, Xavier has intensified his drive for perfection, and as a Groomer Has It judge, he expects every hair to be not only perfectly in place but that the experience for the dog should be a rewarding one in the end. Nothing angers him more than untapped potential, and Xavier's unwavering standards come across in his harsh yet constructive criticism of the show's groomers.

Xavier is a graduate from Bowdoin College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre. When not showing his dogs, Xavier enjoys training in Jujutsu and Judo and spending time with his wife and friends back home in New York City.