“As far back as I can remember, I have been obsessed with dogs. In 1996, when I was 5 years old Disney’s live action movie 101 Dalmatians was released and I went to see it in the cinema, I was mesmerised. Everything I wore and owned bore the iconic black and white spots for a year after the film’s release. At the time we lived in London (where the movie was set) and I begged my dad for a Dalmatian of my own. Sadly our lifestyle didn’t allow for a dog and a few years later we moved to Ireland. Living in Ireland we now had the space and appropriate lifestyle for pets and my dad brought home our first dog Rua, a truly majestic Irish Setter. Rua filled our lives with joy for many years, and over time we owned many small terriers, a Cocker X Springer spaniel called Scampi, another Irish Setter called Roxy and a chocolate Labrador. I moved to Glasgow aged 19 and left the countryside and my beloved dogs behind. I floated in hospitality from job to job, always feeling that something was missing from my life but unable to work out what that something was. One of the places I worked was dog friendly and I soon realised the highlight of my working day was interacting with dogs. I would spend the entire day willing a dog to come in so I could stroke it, chat to it and bring it water (and sometimes forgot about my other tables because I was more concerned about the dog’s experience than anyone else’s.) I quit my job that December, unsure of what I was doing but I knew whatever I did in the future it would involve dogs. The following January I enrolled at Scotgroom, Scotland’s number one grooming training academy and trained under the wise and experienced eyes of Agnes Murphy – and I haven’t looked back. I loved every minute of my learning experience and grooming is a difficult skill to master. I can wholeheartedly say it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I found employment as a groomer very quickly. My first grooming job taught me a lot – but I’m an independent spirit, I need to be free to make my own choices and from there I decided to open my own shop. So here we are, 2 years in, continually growing and expanding in a variety of new directions. Don’t worry, grooming will always be at the heart of what we do but look out for our brand popping up in a variety of new places.”

Rosie – Owner & founder of Jemima Puddledogs