Ipswich: Dog grooming company set to open after merger

Grooming Dales, a business formed by the owners of TopDog Grooming Salon in Ipswich and The Dales Groomer, will open in early January.

One owner, Mahlia Cope, 39, from TopDog Grooming, has been grooming for the past eight years but has been working in the animal industry for longer, having been a veterinary nurse before.

Lee Taylor, 54, the other owner, has only recently qualified in dog grooming, after working in IT for over 25 years.

One of the owners Lee Taylor with his dogs (Image: Grooming Dales)

Mrs Cope said: "We are very excited.

"Lee and I met because I groom his dog, and we got on really well and we have decided to partner together."

"We wanted to combine because, over the years, it's been a struggle to do grooming and lift things up, because they're heavy to handle.

"In the past, I have had to stop doing the big dogs because of this, so obviously it's great to partner with someone who can do the big dogs.

Mahlia Cope with her dog (Image: Grooming Dales)

"Lee has big equipment, he has a really big electric table, and the biggest bath you can get with doors that slide open and a ramp comes down so that they can get up and down safely.

"Then I can cater for smaller dogs because my tables are smaller, my bath is smaller.

"But now, we can do more dogs and we can do them of all shapes and sizes."

Grooming Dales will also offer ultrasonic pet teeth cleaning.

The new premises will open above Primal Raw Pet Feed on the Dales Court business centre in Ipswich, just off Dales Road.

Inside the new premises (Image: Grooming Dales)

Mrs Cope continued: "The space is bigger than what I currently have.

"It is one room but it is partitioned down the middle so we will still be separate but we are there to help each other."

Mrs Cope has said that they will work one to one with the dogs, so there aren't multiple dogs in at the same time.

Grooming Dales is set to open on January 4, with renovations currently nearing completion on the premises.