Welcome to this month’s blog of 1-2-1 sessions with our members. This is an opportunity to expand on a member’s profile and give some personal insight into what they do and why.

This month is Francesca Culff of Pride and Groom – a dog grooming company based in Westcliff-on-Sea.

Fran has always had dogs. At an early age one of her dogs developed skin complaints which required regular grooming and bathing.

“I realised that regular grooming is very important and that having a groomer who cares about your dog makes a difference,” she says. “I love animals, as you might expect, and after my A Levels I decided not to go to university. My love and passion for dogs meant dog grooming was an obvious choice, so I trained under one of the few Master Groomers, Denise Westbrook, and achieved my Level 3 City and Guild Qualification.”

Fran’s qualification covers dog handling, health checks (lumps, bumps, teeth, eyes etc) and grooming to breed standard. She also joined the British Dog Groomers’ Association and the Pet Industry Federation, and Pride and Groom was established in 2017.

“Dogs are family to me,” she says. “I have my own dogs and any dogs that come to me to be groomed are treated as one of the family. I only use products that I have used on my own dogs to ensure quality.”

But grooming is not all the service. Fran is happy to chat to those considering a dog for the first time.

“I have many people come to me for advice about ticks, fleas; advice about breeders; advice about breeds. These can be people who aren’t customers since they don’t have a dog yet, but I find they come back to me for grooming as a result of being there to help beforehand.”

Pride and Groom offers a professional, relaxed approach at all times and strives to make the grooming process as stress-free for your pet as possible. Fran has early and late slots so that clients can fit their dog groom in around their work.

“I always have an initial consultation – I discuss with the owner what I can do for their dog, considering their breed and coat quality etc. I then have some time alone with the dog. I have a salon geared to the dog and have it set up to allow time out if the dog gets too anxious, for example. It is fully accessible for all types of dogs, eg arthritic dogs can still get into my salon.”

“Most of my work comes via recommendations. What my clients have said is they like my one-to-one style. It’s just me – it’s not a staff of groomers. Every time your dog comes to me they’ll get groomed by me. I therefore build up a relationship with both owner and the dog. Of course, since it is only me, your dog gets my full attention and isn’t distracted by other dogs and if they need a break and time to run around they can.”

A quick bit of research finds quite a few groomers in the area. What makes Pride and Groom unique is specialist techniques.

“My main unique selling point though is being fully qualified. This means I can hand strip dogs,” adds Fran. “This is plucking/pulling out dead hair on their coat. Some breeds need it, for example border terriers. It isn’t painful, provided you know what you are doing. Many groomers these days don’t offer it and simply cut the coat, but these leads to a build up of dead hair anyway and so creates more work. This is a good example of why you should go to a qualified groomer – we don’t just do the same thing for every dog, we take into account your dog’s breed and coat type to provide the best service and cut customised for your dogs needs.

“It isn’t just cosmetic either – the procedure improves direction and growth of fur and helps to maintain the waterproof nature of the jacket while also enabling the coat to breathe. Clipping dogs that are meant to be hand stripped, and not using an antibacterial wash when hand stripping, can lead to a coat infection called ‘coat funk’ so it’s important to use a groomer who understands this and uses the right products.”

Dog grooming therefore is more than just making your dog look good. It’s part of maintaining their health and wellbeing.

Fran adds, “Overall, grooming is not just about looking good for a dog show. We check for skin, eye and teeth issues as part of the groom. Grooming improves overall health of the coat and skin. Just remember what your head can feel like if you haven’t washed your hair for a while!”

If you want a personal, dedicated and family groomer get on the “dog and bone” and contact Fran.