A passion for dogs led to entrepreneur Michelle Johnson swapping her office job to become a full-time mobile groomer.Ms Johnson, who started her business seven years ago, quit the corporate world after 30 years working in administration to take the plunge in February 2009 and has never looked back since.In her new line of work she has seen it all from getting locked in an enclosed garden for an hour with a yodelling Miniature Collie to battling with a rather reluctant Labradoodle who decided to jump in the swimming pool after a five-hour grooming session. Some dogs have even laid down in front of her car because they didn't want her to leave.“I have been chewed and peed and pooed on by the dogs and had cats climbing over me and birds singing to me,” she said.At church one day she was told by the pastor to follow what was on her mind and so she decided to go onto the internet and look for dog grooming schools and signed up for an intensive course at the New York School of Dog Grooming in October 2004.Returning to Bermuda with a certificate in her hands, she quickly picked up business by word of mouth and having started out doing grooming has now branched out into offering at home dog day care services including walking and feeding them.“I literally left the corporate world and came out and started the grooming full-time,” she said.“Economically there have been a few ups and downs, but as regards the dogs I am doing the job that I love and it has been a fantastic experience.“I have groomed a lot of different breeds of dogs across the whole Island from Dockyard to St David's, big and small and reluctant and willing.”Being mobile has enabled Ms Johnson to keep her overheads down and with her faithful companion Theo, a Miniature Schnauzer, she travels to all corners of the Island.“I take everything I need with me to the client's house so all I need is an area to groom the dog,” she said.She caters to a broad cross section of clients from seniors in need of help to people with busy schedules and works all hours of the day, including nights and weekends.When asked by her clients how she gets the dogs to stay still when grooming them, her reply is simple: “I just tell them and they do.”Doing the job has enabled Ms Johnson, who is affectionately known as ‘Aunt Shell' by her clients, to build up a relationship with not only the dogs but also their owners and families, including see the children grow up, go to college and get married, and has even agreed to groom one of her client's dogs in exchange for them doing her paperwork - an arrangement that suits both parties.“My line of work is great - I get to meet the whole family and people from all walks of life across the Island,” she said.“There are the perks of the job as well of course being invited to birthday parties and weddings.“But above all I like to encourage them to interact with their dogs and do something with them whether it be walking them or grooming them or just playing with them.”She took on three new clients this week due to an increase in the number of people wanting to own a dog, but on the flipside has been impacted by the recession but above all she is just keen to help others and even makes concessions for seniors struggling to make ends meet.“I would say that in the last year nine of my clients have taken on grooming their dogs themselves and I think that is great because my aim is to educate the family how to look after their dog(s) and maintain their health.”Ms Johnson goes the extra mile to help her clients taking all sorts of enquiries related to issues with their dogs and is constantly doing research to keep up with the latest dog care products and developments as well as referring them to the vet or dog breeders or walkers and even on occasion other groomers.“I find that in this business the whole family likes to get involved,” she said.Admitting that while she sometimes missed office life she had no regrets about fulfilling her dream job. What she loves most about it is that no two days are the same with a number of strange requests from shaving a mohawk down their back to dying their coat and even painting their nails - all of which she draws the line at. One day she could be delivering puppies and the next getting dogs ready for special occasions such as parties. Eventually she hopes to start her own kennel and boarding service and she believes that the sky is the limit.“Every day is a new experience,” she said.“For me, I think I have the best job in the world - it's the best thing I could have done.“There is nothing better than the feeling that you get when you come home from work and your dog is excited to see you and that is a feeling I get every day.“This is not work to me - it's my passion.”For more information contact Michelle Johnson on 799-0270 or e-mail mmjohnson[AT]logic.bm