From Colombia With Puppy Love

When we first heard that the lovely lady who had taken over Maria’s groovy dog groomers down on Theatre Lane apparently loved dogs more than her predecessor, well, we were skeptical.

Sure, Maria had loved, cherished and obeyed pretty much every dog in this town over the past decade. 

When we swung by V.I.Pets this afternoon, we discovered that the rumours were true, Fernanda Escobar turning out to just about the sweetest, most chucklesome dog lover around here since, well, Maria Sweeney.

Having started rescuing dogs when she was just a kid, Fernanda may have spent 20 years working for soulless corporations such as Coca-Cola and Unilever, but her heart was always with our four-legged friends. 

Twelve years ago, she and her husband, Luis, opened up Colombia’s first mobile dog grooming business, all the time continuing to rescue and find new homes for abandoned dogs. The couple also founded the ecommerce company Ocico Pet Care, a one-stop online store for dogs and cats all across Colombia.

So, when Luis got a job offer in Ireland four years ago that he couldn’t refuse, the young family upped sticks 8,000km to sunny Greystones. And, of course, a new dog, Coco, joined the pack, coming from a rescue centre in Limerick.

Which may explain why this chocolate lab is so giddy today, as we try and have that quick ramble chat outside The Groomers Formerly Known As Vanity Fur. It didn’t take us long to see just why Maria handed over her apron to Fernanda…

Open seven days a week, you can find out more about V.I.Pets on their website here, Facebook here and Instagram here. You can also book your Spot here, or get in touch on bookings@vipets.ie or 012874611.