A Worthing dog groomer who set up her own business at the age of 19 has been named as an Animal Star Awards 2026 finalist for Groomer of the Year in the south east region.

Charlotte Pulling has been running Pooched Paws for 11 years, starting the business in Bridge Road in May 2015 and moving to the current parlour in Manor Parade, Salvington Road, in April 2018.

She has five dogs of her own, as well as two children, aged seven and four, and runs the business with the help of staff and volunteers.

Charlotte said: "I have recently been nominated for an Animal Star Award and I would love to scream about it from the rooftops! I feel honoured to be nominated for the first time."

Charlotte Pulling, owner of Pooched Paws in Worthing

placeholder image — Charlotte Pulling, owner of Pooched Paws in Worthing

As well as working in the parlour, Charlotte has launched a mobile dog grooming service, covering from Littlehampton to Brighton.

She said: "I always wanted to work with animals. After A-levels, I looked at different courses and found a dog grooming course. It was 18 weeks for level two. I knew it was what I wanted to do and I came up with a business plan."

She found a unit with day care and dog grooming on the side. She moved to Manor Parade seven years ago, when she was pregnant with her first child, and made grooming the focus.

Charlotte said: It can be challenging, it is about learning how a dog is feeling when it comes in. There is a lot of hearsay in dog grooming about rivalry but there are hundreds of dogs. We have a Dog Groomers of Sussex group. If you come together, you can share your skills and knowledge. "

Four years ago, she got into teaching and was a lecturer at Brinsbury College for a while but now does private teaching at the parlour.

Winners of the Animal Star Awards 2026 will be announced in March.