CARMEL, Ind. — Louie the labradoodle sits contentedly on a table at Platinum Paws. He’s a regular here for his monthly trim.
Groomer Kat Henschen takes pride in making Louie look great.
Henschen calls herself "The Ninja Groomer”. She and her husband own the grooming shop and pet food store just north of I-465 on Michigan Road in Carmel.
"Any groomer out there is a ninja,” said Henschen. “What we have to do on a daily basis takes stamina. It takes endurance. It takes patience. It takes calmness. It takes focus."
Henschen, a former gymnast, is competing this season on the NBC reality competition show "American Ninja Warrior." She trains at the same Trainyard 317 gym that has produced other local contestants in past seasons.
Henschen spent a week in St. Louis in June, competing and recording shows on the obstacle course.
"I had a dream, and I pursued that dream, and I made that dream come true,” said Henschen. “That's what I want people to know is no matter how far down you have fallen, you can come back, and you can believe in yourself, and you can put one foot in front of the other and accomplish what you want to do."
Henschen often donates grooming services for shelter animals, a passion she believes helped her entry be accepted for the TV show.
"Whenever we have the opportunity to make a dog look beautiful, because they're already beautiful on the inside, they just need to be made beautiful on the outside, and we are experts at that,” said Henschen.
Henschen isn’t allowed to reveal how she performed on the show, only that at least some of her run on the near-impossible course will be shown in an episode scheduled to air Monday, Sept. 28.
"It's not really about falling,” said Henschen. “It's about what you put into it, what your heart puts into it.”
Henschen’s appearance on NBC and WTHR might get pushed back a week because of the Stanley Cup Final.