Situated in Little Bentley, award-winning Snoopies – Dog and Cat Grooming – Colchester is a husband and wife enterprise that has built an exceptional reputation amongst its customers.

And this is hardly surprising when you consider all the work and dedication Geoff and Kelly Miles have for the business!

Current and future expansion

As we speak, Snoopies is undergoing an extensive extension to its current premises, doubling the size of the building and including improvements to the grooming salon, retail space and holding kennels. 

It is hoped that the majority of this work will be completed by the New Year.

Plus, there are big plans for the future, including Snoopies Pet Care Clinic, which is to be a small animal clinic that cares for your animal's ailments, plus worming and flea treatments. There will also be puppy classes and animal weight loss classes, complete with an all-singing, all dancing treadmill!

A passion for natural products

Co-owner, Geoff Miles' previous work history included a wide range of marketing positions; however, since joining Snoopies to work alongside his wife, he has never looked back. Passionate about his work and the natural products they source, he explains, “I enjoy coming to work; it is so refreshing to do a job I love every day. Our business has grown significantly and it has been a truly exciting time for all of us.”

The staff are keen to ensure that Snoopies doesn't end up becoming another high street pet superstore. “I like the retail space to be used differently,” says Geoff. “Lots of space, no clutter and stocked with quirky, healthy pet products.”

And talking of products, Geoff refuses to compromise his belief that animals both deserve and benefit from healthy, nutritious food, and is totally anti-additives and grain content. Therefore, Snoopies only sells pet food products that contain pure and natural ingredients. 

The Colchester pet shop specialises in only one brand of dog food, Fish4Dogs and all pet treats are healthy, including dried sprats and venison treats.

Crufts, doggy ice cream and Dragons' Den 

At this year's Crufts, Geoff had a chance meeting with Marie, founder of Billy + Margot, who was launching her nutritious, gluten, grain and dairy-free iced treats for dogs. Keenly interested in her product and with a good understanding of its benefits, ordered a wide range of Billy + Margot ice cream and venison dog treats, which can now be found in Snoopies' retail outlet.

In fact, Geoff was so impressed that he suggested that Marie would make a fantastic candidate for BBC's Dragons' Den. Little did he know what Marie had not only been selected for the programme, but a few weeks after Crufts, took part and secured investment from Dragon Deborah Meaden!