Before: Dog as tweed cushion.
However hard I’ve been trying to convince myself – and believe me I have – there’s nothing festive about balls of dog hair blowing silently across the floor. I considered spraying them with glitter or weaving them into a festive wreath, but concluded that there is a limit to all of this wild, free-range, organic and home-grown business. Barney really needed grooming before I looked like a mad lady walking a tweed cushion on a lead along Church Street.
Groom Dog City recently opened a salon (Is it a salon or a parlour? Parlours make me think of poodles with more pom-poms than the Dallas Cowboy cheerleading squad, so I think we’ll stick to salon) in Ravenscroft Street, just off Columbia Road, so I booked him in for their Drop and Shop service – he gets groomed while I get to raid the market unencumbered by a frisky hound on a search and rescue mission for bits of dropped bacon sandwich. We even managed to fit in lunch at the lovely new restaurant, Brawn – Colchester oysters, pork belly and a delicious pudding of warm pear compôte, crème fraîche and toasted pain d’épice crumbs, thank you very much.
Warm pear compôte, crème fraîche and toasted pain d’épice crumbs at Brawn.
We picked up the dog, transformed* from miniature woolly mammoth to sleek dog about town by friendly, skilled groomers. No pom-poms, but he did get a little green bow on his collar. It looks pretty festive, actually.
After: Barney transformed –though I think he’s looking a bit put out that he missed the pork belly.
* Hand stripping a border terrier takes about two and a half hours and costs £40.
Debora Robertson 
Mariana, Here you go, nothing for MONTHS and then you pop up causing trouble 😉 x
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I rather liked the 'scruffy' look. I think maybe Barney did too. Think of all the goodies you could have bought for him for at that price! I vote keep the dough and let Barney keep his 'tweed cushion' look. Hehe.
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Kath, He's being remarkably stoical about the whole thing.
Karen, Plucked away? It was practically plucking itself by the time he got in there. Verrrrry lucky that the East End is fab food central right now.
Dx
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I'll bet Barney is wondering why he bothered to grow his winter coat only to have it plucked away by natty groomers. Meanwhile, how in the world do you manage to dig up all these amazing restaurants? Everything in the states is identifiable by the NEON arches glowing overhead. Ye gods.
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Ha ha poor Barney, you will miss the tumbleweed of hair, I know you will.
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Leluu, It was great to be able to drop him off and go and shop in the market, have lunch. I loved Brawn. The menu is great and the staff so friendly. Great selection of interesting wines by the glass too. Dx
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Rachel, I think the pissed off look is because he's thinking I might contemplate, horror of terrier horrors, dressing him in dog clothes to keep him warm.
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He is so cute!
Thank you so much for the tip! I have 2 dogs whom I groom myself and they always look very steppy! Must try the pork belly at Brawn too – sounds like a great afternoon x
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That is such a cute dog you have. Although he does look a wee bit pissed of at having no hair.
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