'I was a hairdresser but I prefer styling pets'

A hairdresser turned dog groomer said she made the change from people to pets after struggling to find someone to pamper her own animals.

"I did hairdressing for two years and I loved hairdressing, but I also love dogs, so I decided to do hairdressing on dogs," Allie Underhill said.

The 24-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent has converted her garage into a salon, and tends to pamper around four canine clients a day.

She describes it as her perfect job, and said the skills involved in grooming are very similar to her old job.

"Like blending out the fur, using the clippers and all that sort of stuff, it's the same, it's just a different style," said Underhill.

She said she misses "a good solid hour of random gossip" with her hairdressing customers, but still gets the odd five minutes with her dog grooming clients when they drop their pets off.

"I have my little chit-chat then, and then I get my nice peaceful time with the dogs."

Working with canine clients means daily drenchings as they shake themselves off after their bath.

"I end up soaking wet every single day and covered in hair, but at least it's with dogs," she smiled.

Although the local dog grooming market is a competitive one, because so many people have a pet, there are a "lot of dogs to go around," said Underhill.

Grooming can take up to two hours, but that depends on how nervous the pet is.

Some customers will give her pictures of an equivalent dog to their own, and ask for theirs to be styled in the same way.

"Sometimes it's not that easy, because their dog will have curlier hair, which is the exact same for hairdressing as well."

"A lot of people don't realise that hair type matters with what you want."

Underhill has also started working with a local dog rescue charity to groom some of the animals to help them find a new home.

"They deserve a little pamper and to feel better," she said.

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