Doggy grooming @ Mutt Ugly: review and CUTE pix. A Vicki and Dora how to

We've given you a heads up about beauty treatments for pets before - Lynnie's Boris loves his pawdicures dontcha know - and I dispatched my dogs Jacko and Dora to try out the facilities at Mutt Ugly last week (read more about this pet beauty salon here).

Jacko visited to be groomed and when he returned he looked (and smelled) like he'd been to a spa.  I wanted to know more about how the magic happened, so myself and Dora enrolled in a grooming class

Mutt Ugly is also a doggy day care, and was puppy heaven when I arrived - about 20 dogs all hanging out. Head groomer Lyndsay talked us through what we'd be doing with Dora, and I learned I'd be largely grooming her myself. Eeeek.

Step One: Dora is a Norfolk Terrier mix, and has a half wiry coat so we didn't use an electric clippers. I had to brush her with a curved, wire brush all over which she loved.

Step Two: I sheared her with a variety of bladed combs, taking all the heaviness out of her coat.

Step Three: This was the fun bit. As Dora is wiry, she is pluckable - yep, like a chicken! I spent a good fifteen minutes plucking all her excess hair which just popped out no bother to her at all.

Step Four: Bath time! This she did not like so much,  but I enjoyed it. She was shampooed and rinsed three times - did you know that if you don't rinse your doggy properly they can get dermatitis from the suds? Lyndsay was very thorough and helpful throughout. After towel drying, Dora was then hand blow-dryed with a vacuum-esque contraption, and then shoved in "The Oven", a pleasant 22 degree celsius box.

Step Five: After more blow drying back on the table, it was trimming time. I trimmed Dora's paws, legs, tummy and bum as instructed (and may have made a slight balls of it several times). I got to give her the impression of having little bum cheeks and shoulders with clevering contouring - who says it's just for humans?

Step Six: Cos I was crap with the scissors, Lyndsay tidied up her precious face and head expertly. Then we decided to have some fun and temporarily dye her little Norfolk fringe and her tail tip pink! Totally safe by the way - and she seemed to love it! It had faded out by the next morning, which made me sad but was probably for the best.

All in all, we had a fab experience in Mutt Ugly. The class lasts three hours and costs €65 for two owners and one dog, and your dog gets a mini groom (the full one includes anal gland emptying [!!], breath freshening, nail filing, talc application and a gorge little bandana).

I now know how to keep Dora looking neat and best of all, comfortable in between full grooms, and it was a great night out for the little family - Jacko came along too, had the LOLZ with all the other dogs and even got a bath himself!

Vicki was a guest of Mutt Ugly, Ranelagh. www.muttugly.com