Townsville: Trustyle studio expands amid dog grooming crisis

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic shortage of dog groomers, according to a Townsville expert who has been forced to think creatively to keep up.

The world needs more dog groomers. Just ask one of Townsville’s best, Aria Inagaki.

Ms Inagaki, who was voted the city’s best groomer in 2020, has just expanded her Trustyle dog grooming studio, relocating to larger premises in Mysterton.

But even with the added space and with several trained groomers on board, the business is booked out for months in advance.

Ms Inagaki said the business had grown so quickly over the past two years they had needed more room to accommodate more dogs.

She said it was an incredibly busy time for dog groomers, not just in Townsville or North Queensland or Australia but worldwide.

Aria Inagaki holding Morris outside her new Mysterton premises. Picture: Shae Beplate.

“There’s a massive groomer shortage. It stems from when Covid and the lockdowns happened. A lot of people started getting dogs,” Ms Anagaki said.

Even so, she said Townsville already boasted high dog ownership.

According to the council’s Townsville Dashboard website, there are 25,372 dogs registered in the city, roughly a rate of almost one dog for every two dwellings.

Ms Inagaki said many of her clients pre-booked for the entire year for appointments every four to eight weeks depending on the breed and its lifestyle.

You don’t have to have a licence to operate as a dog groomer but Ms Inagaki said it was definitely preferred that groomers were well trained.

In fact, after seven years in the trade, she is upgrading her own skills.

Ms Inagaki said she was undertaking her Masters in dog grooming through an organisation in the United States.

Originally published as Townsville: Trustyle studio expands amid dog grooming crisis