Political Opinion with Alison Bennett MP: Raising standards in dog grooming at Be:Dog Hurstpierpoint

As an MP, I am regularly invited to visit local businesses to better understand their work and the challenges facing different sectors. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Be:Dog on Hurstpierpoint High Street, where I met Sophie and Louise and learned more about their dog grooming salon and training academy. 

Having only recently welcomed a dog into my own family, this is a sector I knew very little about beforehand. Sophie and Louise described their approach as “kind dog grooming”, placing animal welfare at the heart of everything they do. Their salon has been carefully designed to minimise stress, with grooming carried out at a pace determined by each individual dog rather than a volume-based business model. It was clear that they are deeply committed to ensuring every dog in their care feels safe. 

Alongside the grooming salon, Sophie and Louise also run a training academy for aspiring dog groomers. They established this in response to growing concerns about current practices within a sector that remains unregulated in the UK. According to Be:Dog, the cost of qualifications, combined with a lack of formal oversight, is encouraging newly qualified individuals to set up independently with limited practical experience. 

These newly qualified groomers are able to operate from shop premises, private homes or mobile vans without routine inspections or licensing requirements. This lack of regulation also means that some are offering services such as canine dental work after minimal training, with no assurance that their education has been delivered by appropriately qualified professionals. 

As specialists who work with nervous and anxious dogs, Sophie and Louise frequently encounter the consequences of this. They report seeing dogs with long‑term behavioural or physical issues linked to previous poor handling. This has also had serious implications for groomers themselves, with some leaving the profession altogether following injuries caused by inadequate training or unsafe working practices. 

Be:Dog is committed to raising standards within dog grooming to improve both animal welfare and worker safety. Their work exemplifies this, making them a real local success story and a positive force for change within their industry.