Dog groomer Stacey Gallagher with standard poodle Brandy

OOH, suits you madam.

We all feel better after a visit to the hairdressers and Brandy, the standard poodle is no exception.

She's a regular visitor at the Grooming Salon in Pets at Home at Middlebrook and is just one of many clients who enjoy a canine "shampoo and set".

Grooming assistant, Stacey Gallagher says: "We have lots of regular clients who visit the salon on roughly a six-week basis.

"We also offer a grooming service for cats -- we usually get the Persian and long-haired variety that tend to need lots of looking after."

In Brandy's case, her beauty session takes a mammoth three hours. Stacey explains why: "It takes 40 minutes to dry her then I "lamb cut" the body and scissor cut the legs. It sound complicated but she's as good as gold the whole way through."

However, Stacey admits not all their clients are as easy to groom as Brandy, who obviously realises the sacrifices one must make to look good.

"The puppies are probably the most difficult," says Stacey, "all they want to do is play so they tend to wriggle around a lot. But we love them anyway."