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Meet a local dog groomer + cake inspo

Welcome to The Nugget, a 24k gold newsletter about Castlemaine's people and events

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The Nugget
January 10, 2025

★ MEET A LOCAL DOG GROOMER ★

Arrow “queen of scissors” Black

Arrow Black was 23 when her son was born. She was looking to move to a lovely, quiet place where she could be a single mum.

"I heard about this wonderful community where people were eating organics, growing long hair under their arms, playing music and drinking chamomile tea and I thought, great! I'll get some dreads, that's what I thought, and I'll move to this place."

She sold her dog grooming business in St. Andrews moved to Castlemaine, where she did drink a lot of chamomile tea and hung out with single mums. She found what she was looking for.

"I really wanted a change. There's no word that won't make me feel like a wanker. Anyway, I found it,” Arrow says.

"My son's 25 now, so that was quite a while ago and the town's changed a lot. It still has the undertone... but you can't get a park in Mostyn St. these days."

Arrow has always been a dog groomer. When she was little, she would brush her Poochie doll and daydream about her future job.

"I imagined putting bows in a dog’s hair, doing the blow dryer and brushing them and they love it and they're just sort of going to sleep. I've been grooming for 30 years. The first 20 years were not like that. It was more like getting bitten and pooed on. Now it's like that. Glamourous (in a shed)."

Arrow has built a sustainable, creative business working with people and animals she loves. That can be rare in pet grooming.

"Our industry is hard, it's emotionally heavy and it's physically brutal. People just burn out. I've managed to burn out and come back, probably 3 times. Now, being selective, I have a dream job."

A big source of joy for Arrow is working with mentors.

"I have a handful mentors now and I find magic in that. They're often retired show people who are maybe not as fast as young, up-and-coming groomers and maybe not as cool. But they are full of this wonderful knowledge. I look forward to my time with them and they enjoy being appreciated.”

One of Arrow's mentors is Leesa Pickford, of Chally Rescue Inc. Arrow has a reputation for fostering surrendered poodles and Leesa helps her troubleshoot behaviour issues that crop up.

"Leesa will fix any issue I'm having with a dog. She's just got great advice. I had a toy poodle that was peeing all over the house. Leesa helped me resolve it in four days. There was a lot of work involved, but we got there."

With support and advice, many folks wouldn't need to give up their dogs in the first place, Arrow says.

She often gives her foster dogs next-level grooms that blow up the internet and capture the attention of people looking to adopt.

Arrow can unleash a seriously extra hair style. She also teaches pet owners how to groom their own animals.

"I really love helping pet owners learn to do more with their pets. They get closer to their dog, they get more knowledge and empowered with skills. I enjoy that," Arrow says.

"The reason they come to learn is because the grooming's too expensive, the ears keep getting infected, the dog's not behaving, they need assistance and I can help them."

And she does. If you’re looking for a wildly talented groomer with a giant heart, Arrow is your person.

❀ CAKE INSPO ❀

If Felicity Cripps can do it, maybe the rest of us can, too? Seriously, she whipped herself up a birthday Bombe Alaska to beat the band.

I am feeling inspired to make something a bit involved. Any suggestions?

♡˖ EVENTS ˖♡

𖥔 TALK TO MOI PLOISE 𖥔

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