A Stowmarket woman is opening up a new dog grooming parlour and personalised treat kitchen, with her own chocolate Labrador, Spud, at the heart of her business' philosophy.
Zoe Booth, 27, is opening The Pampered Pooch Hut in Stowmarket, on Tuesday, January 10.
Her philosophy is to treat every dog in her care exactly how she'd like her own dog to be treated, "with lots of love and care by putting their needs first".
Two-year-old Spud, named after Miss Booth's favourite food, is chief treat tester and play-mate for the dogs who come in to The Pampered Pooch Hut.
Alongside offering grooming treatments, Miss Booth also bakes personalised dog biscuits, cupcakes and birthday cakes and even expanded into treat boxes at Christmas.
Miss Booth has been dog grooming on a professional level for five years but says it's been one of her dreams since childhood.
"I used to play dog grooming with my grandad in the garden, so I guess you can say it's my dream job," she added.
After studying fashion at university, Miss Booth decided that it wasn't the industry for her and took the plunge to retrain at Groomarts Academy in St Albans.
She initially started dog walking to earn the money necessary to pay for her course but, after gaining her qualifications, this developed into offering grooming services and baking pet treats.
Determined to take the next step out of her mother's garage in Kent, she has now relocated to Stowmarket to open up a grooming parlour from her own home.
Miss Booth said she is "really excited" to be starting up again, adding: "I'm proud of myself for taking the plunge again and resettling in a new area.
"I know there's a lot of hard work ahead but it'll be so worth it."
To celebrate the opening of her new Stowmarket workspace, The Pampered Pooch Hut is offering 10% off throughout January and February for people booking in their dog's first appointments.
To pet-owners in Suffolk, Miss Booth says: "Bring your dogs along and try a 1-2-1 grooming in a home environment.
"It's quieter than a salon and I can build a relationship to earn their dogs trust, making it fun and exciting for everyone."
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