THE RECEPTIONIST at Muriel Jennings' dog grooming parlour in the Dublin suburbs is Pogo, an outgoing Australian silky terrier with a winsome personality.
Pogo is quite unperturbed by the procession of dogs who arrive for short back and sides or a shampoo and set in the beauty parlour at the end of her garden; her only little weakness in life is a sweet tooth.
It is four years since her owner took early retirement from her post as an assistant manager with Bank of Ireland and embarked on a new career as a canine beautician. A former breeder of silky terriers, she now grooms everything from west Highland terriers to Pyrenean mountain dogs in her purpose built parlour, which even boasts a terracotta tiled walk in bath.
Muriel Jennings trained as a canine beautician in Britain, where the five-day course cost in the region of £1,600, excluding travel and accommodation expenses. Initially she had planned to set up in a high profile location, but participation in a FAS "start your own business" course at the Loughlinstown training centre, Dublin, changed her mind about this.
"It was an excellent course which had a very practical orientation - and we were advised to look very carefully at jumping in too deep," she says. "Had I gone with my original plan I was immediately facing into significant overheads in terms of rent, heat and light and so on. So instead I started from my box room before building and equipping a garden shed sized room at the end of my garden."
Grooming a dog can take up to three hours, and it is hard physical work with its share of risks. "Lifting a big dog could cause a back injury and there is always the chance of being bitten. I've had a few nips - but nothing serious, and most of the dogs I groom are very well behaved," Jennings says.
"Basically my work demands patience and an understanding of dogs, and I find it very rewarding and satisfying.
I meet a lot of people with whom I share a common interest and I think it would make a very good career for both young people who want to work with animals and older people who want to change career or retire early but want to remain busy.
"For someone starting up in business for the first time I would recommend that they do a market research survey in their area and get some knowledge of business procedures such as bookkeeping."
For Muriel Jennings, being able to offer her customers and their dogs her personal attention is important. "With today's over emphasis on speed and computers in the working environment, it is very nice to have a career which has time for people," she says.
SAMANTHA RAWSON is a canine behaviour and training consultant who also "pet sits" and minds houses for absent owners; in addition, she walks dogs for those out at work all day.
The behaviour and training side of her business is a recent addition; she received her training through a British correspondence course. "Behavioural problems with dogs can become a major headache if an animal is overly aggressive or destructive within the home and the owner feels he or she is no longer in charge of the situation," she says.
Frequently the problem is to do with the "pack" relationship within the family, when the dog thinks it belongs at a particular level in the hierarchy and starts behaving in a dominant way.
"My job is to try to change the behavioural pattern, having first ruled out any medical reason for the change in behaviour. Approximately 70 per cent of behavioural problems can be fixed," Rawson says.
Another aspect of aberrant canine behaviour which she treats is phobias; dogs may develop an unnatural reaction to something, such as loud noises or children. "Dog phobias will be dismissed by many people as nonsense, but such phobias can be very distressing for an owner who has a pet with this kind of behavioural difficulty," she says.
A Dubliner who has been interested in dogs all her life, she started her pet care business three years ago when her job in broadcasting folded. The business was funded from the sale of a car she had won, and while winter time can be quiet, she is kept busy the rest of the year, she says.
"The kind of work Muriel and I are doing would not have been feasible here 10 years ago," she says. "People's attitudes to their pets have changed, and I suppose there is more money around to pay for such services. People have also realised that their pets contribute to the quality of their lives, and they are prepared to pay to have them well looked after.
