Haverhill dog grooming business Dog & Collar opens first shop in High Street

Two years to the month since first launching the business, the owner of a dog grooming salon is celebrating its expansion after opening her first shop.

The Dog & Collar Salon began the next chapter of its story last Saturday, when it opened the doors to clients at its new premises on the High Street, Haverhill.

The businesses owner, Anna Pavey, has been running it since November 2021 from a converted garage at her home in Haverhill, but decided to move into a shop premises in order to be able to offer more to her clients.

Just a few days after the move into what was once an e-cig shop, but one that stood empty for many months, Anna, 20, said: “It’s going great. It’s going really well.

“It’s a bit like anything. It is just one of those things, you’ve got to go and do it and hope for the best.

“It’s going well so far. We are pretty busy until January.”

To help with what comes in being in a bigger premises, Anna is being assisted by her mum, Jo, who is able to help with the washing and drying, with the other aspects of the grooming down to Anna, who has the required qualifications.

Anna’s interest in dog grooming began while still at school, where she already knew it was a career for her. Getting her first dog – a cockapoo – at the age of 12 only helped to deepen that interest.

After finishing school she spent two years at college acquiring City & Guilds qualifications in dog grooming.

She also used to volunteer at the dog groomer’s to whom she took her own pet, and having the extra space afforded by the shop premises will, said Anna, give her the chance to offer the same opportunities to others who want to learn more about the profession.

Anna offers a full range of dog grooming services.

A full groom, bath and dry, hand stripping, nail clipping, ear cleaning, puppy intros, mud baths and spa treatments. All breeds and sizes of dogs are catered for.

Her business has developed a strong customer base since being founded, fuelled purely by word-of-mouth and her presence on Facebook and Instagram. She does not have a website.

And she has not been affected by the cost-of-living crisis because, as Anna pointed out, dog grooming is a necessity and not a luxury for their owners.

“People love their dogs.

“It’s more of a maintenance thing rather than ‘we will treat our dog’,”