MEET THE TEAM
Hey! I’m Jade…
I aim to be your dog’s bestie.
Born and raised in London, my animal obsession started at a young age by being surrounded by German Shepherds.
I soon developed an unconditional love and connection with animals, as I grew up with dogs, cats and birds.
My friends and family thought I would be a veterinary practitioner, but it soon became clear that working with blood, was not for me.
Creativity has always played a role in my life. Throughout my childhood, School and College years, I dedicated myself to the Performing Arts … and that will explain why you’ll probably see me dancing and singing with your dogs.
Everything changed in 2010 when I rescued Zorro. I would bathe and dry him at home and take him to a local dog groomer for his nails.
In 2011, I quit my job and enrolled in a City and Guilds Level 3 Professional Diploma in Dog Grooming. It was apparent that this was where my heart was.
I began competing immediately in 2012 and over the years, I competed and won many awards in the UK and Internationally ( View All Awards ).
An emotionally rewarding achievement of mine was participating in a Rescue Rodeo competition in Atlanta, USA, the rescue dogs were bathed and groomed as part of the competition with a chance of being adopted, and thankfully the dog I was paired with was rescued.
An exciting time for me was when my colleagues and I drove through Europe, with our competition dogs in an RV to compete in the International Grooming Championship in Italy, Verbania in 2015. We cheered on friends in Groom Team England and I almost placed in my Poodle scissor class against the greatest in the World.
I immersed myself into all aspects surrounding Dog Grooming and gained Higher City and Guild qualifications, regularly attending seminars and even hosted my own ‘Alternative Grooming’ seminar for a large dog grooming event in the UK, and I frequently wrote Top Tips in ProGroomer Magazine, for fellow dog groomers and dog lovers.
Dog grooming is more than just a job for me, it’s my whole world and so I enrolled myself in a Dog Behaviour and Dog Psychology course and my most recent achievement is gaining a Diploma in Canine Nutrition.
Fun Facts:
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I raised over £700 for Four Paws Animal Welfare Organisation by doing a Tandem Sky Dive
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I am unable to whistle at the same time as someone else
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I have a BTEC in circus skills
Hi, I’m Courtny-Marie!
I am the newest member of the Hackney Barkers family!
My love for animals, and dogs in particular, started from a young age.
I grew up with cats but I would seize every opportunity to spend time with dogs, whether it was a family member’s, a friend’s or even a stranger’s dog!
From the age of 5 years old, I had my mind set on becoming a Veterinarian but as soon as I learned that I would have to help pets across the rainbow bridge, I knew it wasn’t in the cards for me.
In 2019 my family thought it was time for a dog and that’s when we got our Toy Poodle named Koko. We really struggled to find a good dog groomer for him, so I did some research and started grooming him myself! That was when I decided that this would be the perfect job for me!
At the young age of 16, I began working as a bather in a dog grooming salon to start learning more about dog grooming. When I first started grooming a lot of information came from dog groomers on YouTube and Instagram and they really helped me to hone my basic skills like bathing drying and prepping coats.
Once I had mastered prepping coats I started learning popular grooms like teddy bear cuts and practised them on Koko until I was happy with the quality of my work. In these past 4 years that I have been dog grooming, I have learned so much and it has really allowed me to express my creativity by making the styles in my head come to life!
When I first started dog grooming I never would have thought that I would be managing a salon or doing full grooms on standard poodles and giant schnauzers but here we are! I feel so lucky to have discovered my passion in life at such a young age and I am excited to see where this next chapter takes me and I couldn’t be happier!
Fun Facts:
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I absolutely love fish keeping
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My cats and dog have their own Instagram account
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I love singing
Hi there, my name is Keeley...
I was born and raised in the picturesque seaside town of Hastings in the South East of England, where my love for poodles began. It all started when my mom brought home our first family dog, a delightful miniature poodle named Tilly. From that moment on, I developed a deep fascination for poodles and began meticulously organizing and admiring my collection with boundless love and joy.
After completing my BA in film studies in London, I embarked on a new adventure to further explore my passion for study and the arts. I found myself in Amsterdam, where I successfully completed my MA, immersing myself in the rich cultural landscape of the city.
Although I initially pursued a career as a video editor for four years, I realized that it failed to provide the stimulation I sought. It was during the pandemic that I had the opportunity to spend quality time with my parents' Boxer, Hector, discovering the profound joy of being in the presence of dogs.
This experience prompted me to take the time to explore my true passions and aspirations. After conducting thorough research and attending a taster day at a dog grooming school, I made the decision to leave my job once things began opening up again in 2022.
Determined to follow my passion, I enrolled in the City and Guilds Level 3 Professional Diploma in Dog Grooming and dedicated myself to mastering the art.
I am now a seasoned professional in the field, content with having discovered a job that fills me with enthusiasm and purpose.
Fun Facts
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I crochet and attended a knitting club
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I’ve been a vegetarian for 9 years
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I own a tortoise called Franklin
Hello, I am Michele...
I’ll be your first point of contact in Hackney Barkers.
I grew up on the beautiful island of Sardinia, so the accent you heard is Italian.
Ever since I was young, I always wanted to live in a big city and so I moved to England in 2013.
I love meeting people and felt that working in the hospitality industry would help me make friends and present me with skills and opportunities that I could take with me throughout life. I loved the experience and the knowledge gained but I craved more from life.
Media and photography have always been of interest to me, so I decided to enrol at a University in London and have since gained a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and Advertising. I thoroughly enjoyed this and upon leaving University I have worked on projects with fashion shows, sports brands and photographers in London.
Over the years of living with Jade, I could see how passionate she was about dogs. I was so intrigued and would often ask to help when she would groom Azalea, I could feel myself being drawn into her world.
In the past, if you’d have asked me if I would see myself working in a dog grooming salon, I would have said no, but I can’t picture it any other way now.
Fun Facts:
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I love photography
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Favourite food is Pizza
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I can move my ears independently
Hey! Meet Zorro and Azalea 🐾
You’ll find them both in the salon making sure that everything is under control.
They have been brought up in the salon environment and are used to meeting all different breeds of dogs.
Zorro is our senior Pomeranian at a spritely young age of 11.
With age comes wisdom and grumpiness… on the days where his arthritis is playing up you’ll find him in his private bed finding his inner zen.
Azalea is 7 years old and is the sweetest little Poodle you’ll ever meet but she is as awkward, as she is friendly. Beware, she has the loudest bark that will shock you to your inner core.
They both take their position very seriously but may be seen sleeping on the job.