Hi everyone, my name is Di and I’d love to hear from you.

I offer a variety of professional grooming services for your pet. Whatever the breed of dog, you can visit my salon for an exceptional grooming experience for your furry friend.

All Fur Coat and No Knickers is a home based salon and I work from a very large ‘summer house’ which is fully equipped, clean, modern and warm. It also has patio doors which open onto a secure garden area for fully supervised comfort breaks. Perfect for older and more nervous dogs.

I don’t use drying cabinets and only use a cage on rare occasions when it cannot be avoided. It’s all about keeping everything as chilled as possible for the dog.

My focus is on quality, not quantity. Unlike many groomers who operate as many daily appointments as possible and are often managed by the clock, I limit my appointments so that I can concentrate on making your dog relaxed and comfortable and I can spend the time to achieve the best groom possible. It may take a little longer but I find this makes for a more positive experience for the dog.

I believe I’ve achieved the right balance for your beloved fur-baby; a calm and professional service in a friendly, informal environment.

Currently I offer individual 1-2-1 appointments from Thursday to Sunday inclusive, and limited appointments on Wednesday evening.

I’m always happy to discuss any concerns you may have so feel free to contact me ahead of booking so we can tailor the appointment to suit. Every dog is individual.

Just a bit of background about how I became a dog groomer…

I started creating All Fur Coat and No Knickers in 2022; something I had dreamt about and talked endlessly about with my friends over wine & pizza for many years, but never really believed could happen. I came to the party pretty late to be honest, via an unusual and convoluted route but sometimes the best things are worth waiting for, right?

I grew up with dogs and had the privilege of sharing most of my life with the best friends anyone could have, including a beagle cross, numerous Airedales, a number of Borzoi, a few adorable mongrels and finally our beloved Golden Retriever. Throw numerous cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and our cherished Horse into the mix, you will see I am an animal person through and through – except for birds, not sure when it happened but I’m ornithophobic!

Looking back I should have always worked with animals but life was very different when I left school back in 1981 and, after a few different jobs, I found myself joining the Civil Service in 1986. It was a steady job at a time when unemployment and depravation was high. It was meant to be for a few years only but, with mortgages, bills, kids etc. you get used to the salary each month, you start paying into your pension and, before you know it, you’re stuck on the hamster wheel. So I stayed, moved jobs occasionally, got promoted a couple of times but, essentially, I put any other thoughts to the back of my mind for “Maybe one day”.

When I turned 50, my life changed dramatically, I was trapped by life and circumstance and reluctantly I accepted that this was me until retirement. “One day” became just a pipe dream.

And yet, regardless of age and situation, thoughts of setting up my own dog grooming business still wouldn’t go away altogether. My lovely friends would encourage me to dream and we’d talk about how they would all bring their fur-babies to me for cuts, bubbles and cuddles, and how my home was just perfect to use as a salon.

To do it properly would need time and money and, approaching 58, I had neither and I felt stuck. I just couldn’t see how I could make anything happen…

But I’m nothing if not resilient and creative – and maybe a little bit stubborn – so I kept mulling it over and then it finally hit me, my Eureka moment!

I realised that my age, finally, was no longer working against me, there was an opportunity that I never had when I was young. It was now or never. So, I took partial retirement from work. I would still have to work a couple of days a week but this gave me access to both time (the rest of the week) and some funds to invest.

I wasted no time and started transforming my ‘shed’ into a fully kitted out grooming salon and I immediately enrolled to be trained at the brilliant City & Guilds accredited Anrich
Dog Grooming School in Wigan; a Full Time and fully ‘hands on’ course where I achieved the full Diploma in Dog Grooming plus Animal Health & First Aid.

Yes, I wish I’d done this when I was much younger but sometime life has other plans. Yes, using my pension pot is risky but do you know what? I don’t care. They say that you regret the things you didn’t do far more than the things you did, and that’s certainly true for me as this has stayed with me all my life and I feel it was just waiting for the planets to align.

Finally, I can do something that makes me truly happy. Finally I can enjoy meeting lots of lovely new furriends and their hoomans and do what I was probably always meant to do.
It’s been a long time coming but I believe my journey has made me appreciate and value this opportunity all the more and has made me a more dedicated and caring groomer, who’s in no rush and will spend the time, and provide the attention to detail your canine companion deserves.