Picture this: You wake up in the morning from your personalised bed and choose from a selection of designer clothing, hair accessories and shoes. When you’re ready, not forgetting a spritz of David Beckham perfume, a taxi escorts you to a luxury salon for a pampering spa day, in preparation for your birthday celebrations with your friends the following day. You get your hair cut and dyed, your nails manicured and painted, a massage and a facial before heading home to feast on delicious goose and duck. Sounds like the perfect day… for a dog!
Even in today’s financial climate, dog owners in South Wales can still indulge in dog glitz and glamour, as Pawfection Pet Boutique is the first luxury dog grooming parlour to open in Barry and business is booming.
Michelle Inch, 25, opened Pawfection Pet Boutique four months ago and already has 2000 dogs on her books. The boutique offers everything from designer clothing for every occasion, gourmet food from their Pawtisserie range and extravagant grooming including hair dye, glittery nails and facials. The unique boutique in Barry has even attracted attention from the cast of The Only Way is Essex and members of the boy band Five, who have purchased clothing and accessories from the shop.
“It is amazing to know that I have something special to offer,” says Michelle. “The facials are the best and most beneficial treatment as it removes the hard tear stains and lightens the whole area. The dogs LOVE it! Everything is tailor made to give the dog a pleasant experience.”
Mucky Pups in Cardiff is a luxury dog grooming salon which was opened by owner, Leanne Couch, to fund the lavish lifestyle of her own dog Lucy.
Leanne treats Lucy like royalty spending up to £10,000 on her a year, which is more than she spends on herself and her children. Leanne also smothers Lucy with more attention than she gives her husband. “I spoil Lucy because I love her so much,” gushes Leanne, “and she is my baby, so why not?”
Mucky Pups, inspired by Lucy the Maltese, throw spa days and birthday parties for their canine clients, which are becoming increasingly popular. The ultimate experience is The Dogfather, which includes everything from anal cleansing to a blow dry and pretty hair ribbon and costs between £25 and £45, depending on the breed.
“I think these treatments are important in regards to celebrating the dog’s life,” says Leanne proudly, “for many people, dogs make their life enjoyable and get them through the hardest times.”
The Head to Tail of it
Historically, altering a dog’s appearance was purely for health reasons. Poodles were originally used as gundogs and the pompom clipping was a practical solution to protect their fragile joints from the physical requirements of hunting. Even the topknot and ribbon were introduced to help owners identify their gundog as they searched for game amongst the bushes.
Caroline Cowan is the founder of Cardiff Canine Citizens, a centre for dog training and behavior. Caroline offers an insight into how the dogs feel about their more recent beauty queen status. “The creative clipping and dying where the dog has to remain tethered for many, many hours and often days, for competitions, is excessive. I would think a couple of hours is all that most dogs could manage but if they are happy and their welfare is paramount, it is fine.”
Caroline, 44, is also a fully qualified dog behaviorist. She stresses that ultimately over grooming is better than no grooming. “Some dogs are so matted that the skin is torn and infections can set in,” says Caroline, “or so matted that lumps and bumps can go unnoticed and untreated.”
Caroline explains that, when getting your dog groomed, it is important to look out for canine conmen. In the current recession lots of people are entering the pet care industry with no qualifications or after attending a very short course and dog training, grooming and behavior titles are unregulated. If the service is cheap, Caroline suggest checking the credibility of the groomer.
It’s Raining Diamantes and Dogs
Luxury dog grooming is undeniably becoming increasingly popular in South Wales. But as Leanne Couch perfectly sums up, “If you’re not a dog lover, you’re very unlikely to understand.”
Picture this: You wake up in the freezing cold and head off to work for a day of meetings and paperwork. You have 20 minutes at lunch to grab a coffee, something to eat and manically answer emails and texts. At five o’clock, you get in the car and listen to the dreary headlines on the radio as you sit in the rush hour traffic. You squeeze your last bit of concentration dry when trying to park, before making a b-line for the front door and the kettle. You open the door and who is there to greet you with that same adorable, undemanding face? Your best friend, your companion… your dog. So why not thank them with some extra special care and attention?