Happy Chappy Pooch

Happy Chappy Pooch is a dog grooming salon in Port Melbourne, in the bayside pocket of Port Phillip on Melbourne's inner-south fringe. Established in 2015 by a professional groomer with four decades behind the clippers, it pairs hands-on grooming with a small retail side that stocks food, treats, natural medicines, clothing, accessories, toys and grooming supplies.

The salon runs cage-free, and that choice shapes the whole experience: dogs wait and dry out of crates rather than in them, with calming music, plenty of hugs and treats throughout the session. It is an approach built around keeping the day low-stress, which tends to suit dogs that find the usual salon routine overwhelming. The team is upfront about its limits too, noting that it is currently unable to take large-breed dogs with double coats, so the focus sits with the dogs it can groom well.

For Port Melbourne locals after a groomer who treats the visit as a calm outing rather than a production line, it is a long-running, owner-experienced option.