A former schoolhouse in Annaghmore has been given a new lease of life as a dog grooming and training academy at the hands of an animal lover with almost two decades of grooming experience.
For Dogs Sake Grooming and Training School started from Mary Ellen’s love for dogs – with that love helping her achieve an award-winning career spanning almost 20 years!
Mary Ellen Bailie (40) originally from Clonoe, Co Tyrone offers dog grooming services to private clients alongside a Grooming Training School.
Speaking to Armagh I, Mary Ellen explained: “I grew up with dogs my whole life and they where my world so I always knew I wanted to work with animals in some way so when I finished High School I began studying animals.
“From an early age it’s always been animals and still is! I have George a 16-year-old Jack Russel, a ten-year-old boxer-crossed-staffie, called Annie and a new playful puppy Poppy who is a seven month old poodle – who you will often find on my grooming table.”
Mary Ellen went to college to study Animal Care and Welfare before moving to England to further her studies in university, taking courses in Animal Behaviour.
From here, she took on her first animal-based employment in Bristol Zoo – with her job inspiring her to research zoo animals – completing her dissertation on ‘Lowland Gorillas’, an animal which Mary Ellen was fascinated with during her time working in the zoo.
Once finished university, Mary Ellen decided to come home but struggled to find a job working with animals.
With her years of studies and hands on experience in working with different animals, Mary Ellen decided to make her first entrepreneurial move and began offering dog behavioural training from a shed in her home.
The training involved working with families and their dogs to train them obedience, tricks and manage any behavioural problems.
Mary Ellen quickly built up a strong clientele with much of her custom coming from word-of-mouth. Time and time again clients would mention how great it would be if they could leave their dogs for longer periods of time to train under Mary Ellen’s guidance – and this got her thinking of how she could expand her services more.
With the help of her father, they built a small secure enclosure with several kennels to house dogs for longer periods of time.
Mary Ellen describes the boarding experience as a ‘24/7 operation’ with the dogs in her care being the first thing she thought of in the morning and last thing before she went to bed at night.
She quickly outgrew her home-built sanctuary and began looking at plots for expansion. Finding a secure space, Mary Ellen worked from here for six years before falling pregnant with her first child.
Realising the responsibility, dedication and time needed to run the kennels, Mary Ellen made the decision to close the kennel services and focus on family life.
Along with running the kennels, Mary Ellen was also offering dog grooming services and when the kennels closed, she continued to offer grooming services and work around her new family lifestyle.
Finding a new love for working closely and building a bond with dogs in her care, Mary Ellen became a full-time dog groomer for 13 years and many of her dogs stayed with her from puppies right through to adulthood!
Mary Ellen’s love for dog grooming never stopped but as she began to reach 40, she thought a lot about her ten year plan.
An extremely physically demanding job, she couldn’t see herself committing to the same amount of work that she was currently doing but knew she wanted to continue a career in working with dogs.
In 2023, she took her next career move and decided to become a trainer in dog grooming.
Based in Derry, Mary Ellen trained under the guidance of Michael Shiels – who she defines as ‘one of Europe’s top dog groomers’. Over the course of numerous weeks, she completed intense training on how to appropriately assess different breeds of dog, canine first aid and all the necessary grooming skills she could then teach to her students.
Mary Ellen is now a ‘satellite centre’ working under OCN Dog Grooming Level 3 with only a handful of teachers trained by Michael who offer dog grooming training services within a certain proximity.
In 2016, she began teaching one-to-one from her current facilities with more and more people looking to train with her but she simply did not have the room.
With demand growing, in January 2025, Mary Ellen and her husband began their biggest project yet and renovated the Old School house in Augnahmore and turned it into her dream training school with ample room for four students.
For Dogs Sake offer both regular dog grooming and dog grooming training courses.
Mary Ellen offers training course qualifications in OCN NI Level 3 Certificate in Commercial Dog Grooming and Salon Management which is monitored by OCN NI Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI).
The qualification provides learners with an understanding of what is required when grooming different breeds of dogs, and the skills necessary to carry out dog grooming and salon management activities.
The objectives of the qualification are to enable learners to: carry out pre-grooming assessments, use tools and equipment correctly, carry out styling and finishing of dogs, address common dog grooming problems, understand the importance of health and safety, legislation and codes of practice for the dog grooming industry, collect and record appropriate information.
Anyone can complete the training course as no formal entry requirements are needed, however learners should be at least 18 years old and are required to have a level of understanding to be able to carry out necessary practical work as it can be “intense”.
The Level 3 training course runs for 29 days with students given the option to complete the course over two or four days a week. The course includes practical and portfolio work which includes grooming a dog from start to finish and writing a diary to detail every step you have completed throughout the groom including utensils and style, students are also given work book assignments to complete at home and a full day of training for Canine first aid.
For Dogs Sake also offer awards in dog grooming which are suitable for any age and run for a shorter duration of time. The award can they be put towards the full level 3 qualification when the student turns 18.
They are also excited to announce that they will soon be offering a stand alone training qualification in Canine First Aid.
Testimony to her incredible care and skills, Mary Ellen competed in her first ever dog grooming competition in 2024 – Groomer’s Got Talent in Belfast – placing third and then re-entered again this year claiming second place – with her aim to take home the gold next time with her poodle pooch, Poppy!
Training and Grooming Services in For Dogs Sake are available Tuesday – Friday.
Click here to contact For Dogs Sake for more information on training and grooming services
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