Dog Tails & Dreams

Dog Tails & Dreams is a small grooming salon in Alkimos, on Perth's northern coastal fringe, run by Andrea, who swapped a corporate career to work with animals full time. The business pairs hands-on grooming with a handful of supporting services across the surrounding suburbs, but the salon and the dogs that pass through it are clearly the heart of it.

The approach Andrea describes is "sanity over vanity": a dog's safety, comfort and wellbeing come before a perfect finish. Sessions start with a chat and a cuddle, breaks are allowed when a pet needs them, and there is no force used, which makes the salon a sensible fit for nervous or anxious dogs. While pets wait there is a "Dog Tail Lounge" stocked with water, toys, treats and beds, and owners receive a post-groom report afterwards. Grooming is done with Secret Weapon products, chosen because they are organic and gentle on pets with skin allergies, and Andrea is pet first aid trained and fully insured.

For owners in Alkimos and the nearby northern suburbs who want an unhurried, low-stress groom from someone who treats the work as a calling rather than a conveyor belt, it is a considered choice.