A Mackay dog groomer and business owner found long-sought-after success at the Melbourne Royal Grooming Competition earlier this month.
Meagan Lidbetter, who owns dog grooming salon Pamper Paws, walked away with third and first place ribbons, saying she was absolutely ecstatic.
“It’s been a goal that I’ve set myself, to actually get first place in Poodle, it’s something I’ve been working towards for nearly five years now,” Meagan said.
Meagan’s career started as a veterinary nurse in Sydney in the early 2000s.
“I just stumbled into dog grooming by accident, actually,” she said.
That was 18 years ago and six years ago she started Pamper Paws in the regional New South Wales town of Blayney.
In 2020, she and her partner moved to Mackay to be closer to her partner’s children, bringing the business with them.
“I am actually loving Mackay,” she said.
“It is such a beautiful town.”
Meagan has been competing in dog grooming competitions for over five years, using them as an opportunity to hone her craft.
“Because I don’t live in a capital city, training opportunities are really slim,” she said.
“Competitions are my outlet to be able to learn and grow as a groomer.
“When you’re in competitions, you’re doing it in front of judges, really highly acclaimed people within the industry.
“It’s really good to get that feedback – what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong – so it really helps me to grow as a groomer.”
There are a variety of different judged categories in dog grooming competitions including traditional, breed-specific classes as well as salon freestyle, an opportunity for all groomers to get creative.
The competition is judged on dog preparation, handling and groom execution.
Meagan placed third in her Salon Freestyle class and first in the Poodle class.
She now turns her focus and preparation towards a competition in Brisbane in two weeks’ time and is looking forward to north Queensland’s first ever competition in Cairns early next year.
“Hopefully we’ll get a few more locals to the Cairns competition,” Meagan said.
“It’s the first ever competition that’s going to be in north Queensland so that’ll be good for the area.”
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