Introducing Josh

Early 2025, we made the decision to gradually bring Josh into the business. We did have our reservations about a husband and wife working so closely, but no matter what ideas we came up with, the fact was we'd both been on this dog walking and grooming journey together for the last seven years and shared the same passion for working with dogs. Looking back, it almost felt like the natural next step.

With this in mind, we wanted Josh's journey to begin with something new—an additional service we could offer our clients. That's where the teeth cleaning side of the business was born. Josh headed off for training in early 2025, and by the middle of the year we were ready to start offering the service. It was something we'd had lots of enquiries about already, so we knew there was demand before we'd even officially launched.

Anyone who's been with us for a few years will remember the old salon. Whilst it did exactly what we needed it to do, it was definitely designed as a one-person workspace. There just wasn't enough room for two groomers to work comfortably side by side. We spent the next three or four weeks sketching ideas, getting quotes, and working out how we could create a salon that would not only work for us now but also support the future of the business.

By October 2025, the new salon was complete, and we couldn't have been happier with the result. It was brighter, more spacious, and gave us the room we needed to work together while making the experience even better for the dogs in our care.

Of course, a new salon led to another big decision... another name change! After five years as Grooms By Amy, we officially became The Bark Studio. As much as we considered it, "Grooms By Amy (and Josh)" just didn't have the same ring to it! We wanted a name that represented more than just one person, reflected where the business was heading, and gave us room to grow in the future.

The teeth cleaning service took off almost immediately. We already had clients eager to book before Josh had even completed his training, which gave us the confidence that we'd made the right decision. At that point, we were also in a position to start progressing towards Josh becoming fully self-employed within the business.

By the end of 2025, Josh enrolled on a grooming course. Although we work well together, I don't think I'd have had the time—or the patience—to teach him myself! He completed the course in early 2026, left his full-time job, and officially joined me in the salon full time. So far, so good... we still like each other!

The first six months of 2026 have been incredibly kind to us. We've welcomed some amazing new clients while continuing to work with all of our wonderful existing ones. Although Josh is only six months out of training, we've developed a system where we both work on every dog. That means each groom benefits from both the latest techniques Josh has learned and the seven to eight years of experience I've built up. We genuinely believe it gives every dog the very best care.

Whilst grooming will always be our priority—and the thing we both love most—we've always planned to introduce additional services to make life easier for dog owners. That's why we're so excited to announce our next venture: The Bark Studio Splash Labs.

Splash Labs will be a self-service dog wash, giving owners somewhere convenient to wash their dogs between professional grooms without the hassle of cleaning up the bathroom afterwards. No more muddy paw prints through the house, soaking wet walls, or trying to catch your dog as they do the inevitable post-bath zoomies—we've all been there!

We've agreed on a location and had a machine built specifically for our business, and we're expecting delivery any day now. It's something we've been planning behind the scenes for quite a while, and we can't wait to share more once it's up and running. We'll definitely dedicate a future blog to that part of the journey.

And this certainly isn't the end. We also plan to write about what it really costs to become a dog groomer—from training and equipment to setting up a salon and everything in between. If you've ever wondered what's involved in starting a grooming business, keep an eye out for that one.