Gauri and Urmila at the Tail Waggers pet salon

No Humans Beyond This Point?. I find myself in front of this intimidating signboard yet again! I?m with my dog Chipper at the Tail Waggers pet salon in Mumbai. Set in a quaint little villa in the heart of Pali village, Tail Waggers is India?s first-ever pet salon. It?s the brainchild of Gauri and Urmila, two gorgeous women, raring to go that extra mile for dogs.

After doing an assistant veterinarians course abroad, Gauri was working with Sangeeta Vengsarkar, a renowned vet in Mumbai. She would often go to people?s houses to groom their pets and that?s when she realised that though every imaginable foreign breed of dog (poodle, chow chow, boxer terriers, Afghan Hounds, Rotweillers and even the Bichon Frise!) is available in Mumbai, when it comes to grooming their exotic breeds, the owners are clueless.

Thus was born Tail Waggers, out of love for dogs and their healthy upkeep. Initially there were a lot of raised eyebrows because the concept of taking your dog to a professional for bathing or a haircut was unheard of. But both the ladies, armed with scissors, hair dryers and nail cutters started giving the pets of Mumbai a complete makeover. Today they have a loyal and regular clientele that also includes pets of celebrities (Salman Khan, Preity Zinta, Esha Deol?).

Tail Waggers is a one-stop shop in dog grooming. Baths (both aroma and medicated flea/tick baths), haircut, blow dry, massage, nail clipping and a lot more. As Gauri and Urmila put it: ?A visit to the salon is not just about your dog looking good but its also about him feeling happier and healthier.?

So, here are some pet grooming tips from the twosome at Tail Waggers:

Caution: Never use any human products on dogs as their skin pH balance is different from ours.

Check: Every time your dog comes back from a walk, run your fingers through his hair for a hands-on check for fleas, ticks; also feel for any bumps or cuts. This allows you to attend to your dog immediately.

Eyes: Discharge from the eyes must be cleaned with a damp piece of cotton wool to prevent the discharge from sticking to the hair around the eyes.

Bath: After bathing your dog, towel-dry first then sun-dry or blow-dry your dog. Use a wide-toothed comb to de-tangle the hair.

Teeth: Specially formulated dog tooth pastes and brushes are freely available in the market. In case you don?t get these, wrap a piece of gauze on your finger, dip it in Betadine Mouth Wash and rub it on your dog?s teeth and gums to clean them.