Paws for thought... meets one of the latest rising stars in the grooming world….
H
elen Kirby loves the world of dog grooming, and despite being just 30 years-old is already making her mark. Taking up the profession aged 23, Helen has travelled to Malaysia to learn the art of Asian Fusion, appeared on Pooch Perfect riding her skateboard to work, and now teaches her skills at the Bone Idol Academy in Hove. But despite earning her teaching credentials and serving up iPET Network courses to new groomers, Helen believes that in many ways her own journey is only just beginning. “It was actually my mum that got me into dog grooming. I was doing office work before and I really wasn’t enjoying it, I was thinking “Is this really my life”. “And then my mum said, ‘why don’t you just try doing level one and see how you get on?’ “She had looked into the qualifications too. I didn’t see any route into it other than doing the qualifications because I personally felt that there was no way I would want to start doing it without knowing anything about it.” Says Helen, with a story which will feel relatable to many people who are just starting out in dog grooming. She added: “I was really surprised by how much work is actually involved with dog grooming. I always say, ‘practice makes more practice.’” Helen never had her own dog growing up, but her auntie did, and the young girl loved doting on the pampered pooch. She has only recently got her first dog Sebastian the Standard Poodle, who gets a bath and brush every week. She says that she considers getting Sebastian (alongside appearing on the Pooch Perfect TV show) to be among her greatest achievements, a statement
46 | Total Grooming Magazine
Helen Kirby - one of the grooming world’s rising stars
in-keeping with Helen’s spirit of constantly pushing forward and trying new things. Speaking about how she feels the grooming industry is growing, she said: “I think there are so many more opportunities now than there have been previously, I don’t know whether that is to do with social media. “There are a lot more people
grooming dogs now and there are lots more schools to train with. “I think by the power of Instagram and things like that, people are making a name for themselves. “There are groomers in lots of different counties that I would love to go and train with, but without that connection on social media it would be harder to find out about what is going on in other
