For Charlene Donnelly, owner of Dazzling Dogs in Littleport, becoming a dog groomer was never really part of the original plan.
Her journey into business came through a period of significant change, loss and reflection — and ultimately a realisation that life is too short not to do something you genuinely love.
Now, 18 months into running Dazzling Dogs, Charlene has built a thriving grooming business, expanded into a larger salon and is beginning to think about what the next chapter could look like.
We caught up with her for the latest episode of Made In Ely to hear how it all began.
Sometimes, the unexpected path is the right one
Before Dazzling Dogs, Charlene was a childminder, bringing up her children while running her own business from home.
After losing both her mum and nan, followed by the disruption of COVID and lockdown, Charlene found herself reflecting on what she really wanted from life.
She loved childminding, but it could also be lonely — particularly when the usual network of other childminders disappeared during lockdown.
Then came Roxy.
Charlene bought a Pomeranian and quickly discovered just how much she enjoyed grooming her.
She started thinking about the different grooming styles she saw and wondering how she might do things differently herself. Eventually, after telling her husband that she simply wasn’t feeling completely fulfilled, he suggested dog grooming.
A visit to Milton College to look at the available courses was all it took.
“As soon as I went in there, something was telling me.”
Her first dog on the course was a Cane Corso called Dave — quite a daunting introduction for a 4’11” beginner.
But Charlene immediately felt comfortable handling him, and her tutor noticed that natural confidence around dogs.
From there, the idea became a career.
From qualification to business owner
After completing her qualifications, Charlene knew that there was still plenty to learn.
Dog grooming is a practical skill, and she wanted more experience before going it alone, so she took a job at a large salon in Huntingdon.
After around a year, she began considering working from home. Unfortunately, the council wouldn’t give her permission.
At the time, it felt like another setback.
But then an opportunity appeared.
A local groomer at Saxon Business Park announced that she was giving up grooming for health reasons. Charlene went to look at the available unit, initially finding one that felt too isolated.
Then she discovered another unit becoming available in the main courtyard.
It was more visible, there were other businesses around it, and — importantly — the timing worked.
Charlene gave her notice and opened Dazzling Dogs on 6 January.
She describes the journey as a series of things falling into place at the right time. Even the unit number — six — felt like another little sign that she was on the right path.
Her advice to other people facing setbacks is simple:
“Just keep going.”
Sometimes what feels like a closed door is simply sending you in another direction.
Building a business one dog at a time
The early days weren’t easy.
Charlene groomed just 20 dogs in her first month. Today, that figure is around 110 dogs a month, with a longer-term target of around 120.
The growth hasn’t come from one huge marketing campaign or overnight success. Instead, Charlene has focused heavily on doing a good job, listening to her customers and building relationships.
And one of her biggest sources of new business has been something that costs absolutely nothing:
Word of mouth.
One happy customer tells a friend. That friend brings their dog. Then another person hears about Dazzling Dogs.
For Charlene, those recommendations are particularly meaningful because dog grooming involves an enormous amount of trust.
Owners aren’t simply handing over a haircut. They’re handing over a member of their family.
Communication is at the heart of the business
One of Charlene’s strongest business lessons is the importance of communication.
She makes a point of asking customers whether they’re happy with their dog’s groom and actively encourages them to give feedback.
If an owner wants their dog’s ears slightly longer, the tail fluffier or something changed from the previous appointment, Charlene wants to know.
Her attitude is that it isn’t personal.
It’s their dog.
And if something isn’t quite right, she’d rather the customer tell her so she can fix it than quietly decide not to return.
That approach also extends to managing expectations.
Sometimes a customer might bring in a photograph of a particular style, but their dog’s breed or coat simply won’t allow that exact result.
Charlene’s role isn’t just to groom the dog — it’s to explain why certain things are or aren’t possible, without making the owner feel uncomfortable.
For her, good customer service comes down to treating people how she’d want to be treated herself.
It’s not just about making dogs look good
One of the things that really comes through in Charlene’s approach is that grooming isn’t primarily about aesthetics.
It’s about the dog’s health and wellbeing.
Different breeds and different ages require different approaches. Older dogs, for example, may struggle to stand for long periods, so the grooming process needs to be adapted around their needs.
Sometimes that means the finished groom isn’t necessarily the “perfect” style from an aesthetic point of view.
But if the dog is more comfortable, healthier and happier, that’s what matters.
Charlene particularly enjoys working with double-coated breeds, including Pomeranians, German Shepherds, Huskies and Keeshonds.
And she has a particular passion for Pomeranians.
In fact, when asked which breed has the most personality, her answer was unsurprisingly a Pomeranian.
Finding companionship in an unexpected place
There’s another interesting side to Charlene’s business journey.
When she first opened, she sometimes found the salon lonely.
Grooming is a hands-on job, and there aren’t always opportunities to chat while you’re working.
Then Charlene discovered podcasts.
What started with her daughter recommending a ghost-story podcast became part of her daily routine. Listening while grooming gave her the feeling of having company in the salon, while also helping her keep track of time.
It even became a source of business inspiration.
One business podcast encouraged her to treat returning customers with the same care and attention as new customers.
It’s a simple idea, but one that Charlene has taken to heart.
Growing the business — and bringing the family in
The next big development for Dazzling Dogs has been the arrival of Charlene’s husband, Michael.
Originally a lorry driver and former lorry mechanic, Michael had helped Charlene out occasionally as the business became busier.
He enjoyed it.
So much so that he decided to train and qualify as a dog groomer himself.
The original salon wasn’t big enough for the two of them, which led to another change: Charlene moved into a larger unit.
The new salon has given them considerably more space, and Michael is now working alongside Charlene one day a week while continuing his self-employed driving work.
The plan is eventually for him to join the business full time.
For Charlene, there’s a particularly lovely motivation behind that.
She wants Michael to experience the same feeling she has found through Dazzling Dogs — going to work and genuinely enjoying what you do.
What’s next for Dazzling Dogs?
Charlene isn’t planning to simply stop when she reaches her current goals.
Once Michael is fully established, she’s considering a number of possibilities for the future.
One is bringing an apprentice into the business, particularly someone who might benefit from additional support and confidence-building.
Another is renting grooming tables to other groomers.
Grooming equipment is expensive, and Charlene understands how difficult it can be to get practical experience when you’re starting out.
Having experienced that herself, she would like to create opportunities for other people that weren’t readily available when she started.
It’s an approach that feels very true to Charlene’s journey.
She started out wanting to work from home.
Then she moved into one unit.
Then she moved into a bigger one.
Her husband has now joined her.
And she’s thinking about apprenticeships and helping other groomers get started.
As she puts it, you don’t always know where the journey is going to take you when you start.
“You only fail when you stop”
Perhaps the biggest lesson from Charlene’s story isn’t really about dog grooming at all.
It’s about persistence.
When she first opened, she had 20 dogs in a month. There were plenty of opportunities to doubt whether things would work.
She worried about what people thought of her work. She worried when customers didn’t rebook. She worried about whether she was good enough.
But she kept going.
Eighteen months later, she’s grooming around 110 dogs a month, has built a loyal customer base, moved into a larger premises and is working towards building a business alongside her husband.
And perhaps most importantly, she’s become considerably more confident along the way.
Charlene admits that the person who first opened Dazzling Dogs probably wouldn’t have imagined herself sitting confidently in a podcast studio talking about her business.
But that’s what growth looks like.
Not necessarily having everything figured out from day one, but taking the next step, learning as you go and refusing to stop.
As Charlene puts it:
“You only fail when you stop, so just don’t stop if you really want something.”
Meet Dazzling Dogs
Dazzling Dogs is based in the courtyard at Saxon Business Park in Littleport, where Charlene offers grooming for a wide range of breeds.
You can find Dazzling Dogs by Charlene on Facebook and Instagram.
And if you’re wondering what one word sums up a day at Dazzling Dogs?
Charlene’s answer was exactly what you’d expect:
Pawsome
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