On Bell Street since 2017
A small salon, one dog
on the table at a time
Wagtail Grooming opened in a converted shopfront with two tables and
one dryer, and
one rule we have kept since: no dog waits in a crate for its slot.
one rule we have kept since: no dog waits in a crate for its slot.
9
Years on
Bell Street
Bell Street
6000
Grooms since
then
then
4
Groomers on
the team
the team
340
Dogs and cats
on the books
on the books
About us
One dog at a time, and no crates
Wagtail started in 2017 with two tables, a second-hand dryer and a
diary kept in pencil. The crates went out in the first year: a dog
that waits gets wound up, and a wound-up dog is harder to groom and
less happy to come back.
Nine years on there are four of us and the diary is digital, but the rule has not moved. One dog on the table, one dog in the salon, home the same afternoon.
Nine years on there are four of us and the diary is digital, but the rule has not moved. One dog on the table, one dog in the salon, home the same afternoon.
Our story
From two tables to four
2017
December
The shopfront on Bell Street
Two tables, one second-hand dryer and a diary kept in pencil. The first month of bookings came from the window.
2019
October
Cats, by appointment
A quiet back room and separate hours, so a cat never shares the floor with a dog that has just spotted it.
2022
September
Puppy introductions
A short first visit for puppies, because a dog that meets the dryer at twelve weeks is a different dog at two years.
2024
December
Four tables, and a waiting list
A second grooming room, Saturday slots, and for the first time a list of people waiting for one.
How we work
Six rules we have not
found a reason to break
One dog at a time
No crates and no queue on the floor. Your dog goes on the table, then it goes home.
Coat first, shape second
We will not cut through tight matting to save a haircut. If it has to come off short, we say so first.
Priced before we start
Size bands on the board and a written quote for anything unusual, so the bill is never a surprise.
Slow with the nervous ones
Rescues and old dogs get more time and fewer tools. Sometimes that means two short visits instead of one long one.
Clean between every dog
Tables, blades and tubs washed down between dogs, and the tub emptied rather than topped up.
We tell you what we found
Lumps, fleas, ear gunk, sore pads. You get a note, and we suggest you take it to the vet.
Tell us the breed and the coat, and we will
come back with a slot and a price
Coat care
