Hello, I’m Charlotte of Mud & Sand Grooming Co.

I’ve lived in West Sussex all my life, with much of it spent around the Five Villages area, and I’ve been surrounded by dogs for as long as I can remember. I grew up mostly outdoors, with horses, our own dogs and plenty of other people’s dogs thrown into the mix too. I’m great at remembering all their names (the human names, not so much). My Mum had two successful attempts at home-breeding with our beloved (and much missed) Golden Retriever, Tansy — an experience I absolutely loved, and the smell of Weetabix while they were weaning, still has me in an emotional chokehold! From agility and high-level obedience to fancy dress competitions (which we actually won, I might add), sausage retrieval competitions and musical newspapers, dogs were always a huge part of family life. They were just there – through it all.

As far as I’m concerned, a house isn’t a home without a dog – so it wasn’t long after I bought my first home that Phoebe our ‘Pointador’ arrived (in fact it was the week after we moved in). That’s her in the picture. Together, we’ve tried our paws at flyball and agility, and she’s become a rather impressive trail dog alongside my partner on the mountain bike. She’s picked up a couple of competition wins along the way too, but for casual things like happiest dog or most tricks. These days, though, her most important job is being the world’s best big sister to our son — who regularly dresses her as a doctor, puts hats on her and generally recruits her into whatever game he’s playing.

So, while Mud & Sand is a new business for me – being around dogs certainly isn’t. I’ve lived with a really practical, everyday understanding of them from a young age — how to handle them confidently, care for them properly, recognise when something isn’t quite right, and understand that every dog has its own personality, boundaries and quirks. I’m constantly building on that strong foundation with professional training and qualifications, so I can bring the same calm, practical approach into the grooming studio.

Certificates & Accreditations

Here are some of the qualifications, certificates and training I’ve achieved along the way…