18/06/2025
Meet the family that makes up Diva Dogs!
As I haven’t actually introduced myself to my page yet- I’m Rachael, a dog groomer located in Cowfold, West Sussex with the helping hands of my daughter for those dogs who require more than one pair of hands!
I have been grooming dogs for the show ring for 30 years but decided if I was to put my heart and soul into grooming full time for the public, I would go back to college and take official qualifications. I took Level 2 and Level 3 City and Guilds Dog Grooming Diploma, gaining an overall Distinction. I then invested in a purpose built salon in the garden of my home and moved my business from inside my house to the salon. This makes it great for nervous or anxious dogs as it is a quiet environment and on a 1 in 1 out basis (unless they come with a friend or family member).
Throughout my childhood, dogs have always been part of the family. My first dog was Penny, my sweet rough collie. I distinctly remember brushing her long coat daily at the young age of 6. Since Penny, my experience of owning dogs has ventured across a large array of breeds including: german spitz klein and mittel, schipperkes, chihuahuas, miniature schnauzer, border collie, parson russell terriers, rottweilers, jack russell terrier, yorkshire terrier, golden retriever, rough collie and cairn terrier. Together with my late mother, we have groomed and shown our dogs since 1995 gaining champion titles with 12 of our dogs.
We currently show our two German Spitz Klein and our Miniature Schnauzer, at championship level (including our yearly trip to Crufts). This involves regular grooming of the double coated spitz and hand-stripped wire coated schnauzer to keep them in show condition. I welcome all coat types and have experience in most breeds within my salon but due to my own current dogs I specialise in double coated breeds, breed standard and pet schnauzer full grooms and hand-stripping.
My day to day life not only involves grooming all of my lovely dogs who pass through the salon doors, but also as a committee member at our local canine society to help train and advise those entering the world of showing, training and competing our own dogs in showing and agility but also finding new and enriching places of the country to walk, run and swim with our dogs… its a rare sight to see me without a dog in hand!
My salon is my pride and joy and is located at my home, at the end of my garden where the only focus is the dog that is with me. I have a new, modern, purpose built salon with new equipment to ensure every dog is given the treatment they deserve. Unlike some commercial busy salons, all of my dogs are given all the time they require to allow their groom to be taken at their pace to maintain a positive experience and care for their welfare with regular breaks to toilet and drink or just to stop for a fuss. Due to the one dog/ family of dogs at a time policy, the dogs are never crated or left alone. I work with every dog as an individual as I know how different each dog is and am willing to adapt my grooming to their needs or triggers for example changing methods of drying or adapting handling techniques to avoid those unique tickly spots or elderly dogs with lumps and bumps and mobility issues. I do NOT use or own a drying cabinet or use any forceful methods of grooming and treat every dog as a member of the Diva Dogs family 🐾
