Kustom K9’s Dog Grooming Salon

Kustom K9's Dog Grooming Salon is a small salon in Cardiff, in Lake Macquarie, and nearly every review circles the same subject: how the groomer, Amy, handles dogs that find grooming difficult. Rescue dogs, a dog with severe separation anxiety and older dogs that hate the clippers all turn up in the feedback, and owners describe a consistent routine of cuddles, reassurance and music playing until the dog settles enough to be worked on.

Beyond the temperament side, customers describe a full service — clip or shave, bath, nails trimmed and a spritz of dog cologne — and one credits Amy with sorting out badly matted hair that had built up behind her dog's ears. The salon is described more than once as feeling like a family business rather than a commercial operation, and pricing comes up as reasonable, with a couple of owners noting they now pay less than at their previous groomer. It suits nervous, rescued and elderly dogs above all.