My name is Mia Övernäs and I am originally from Sweden but moved to live in Ireland in 2011 and opened up Dreamdogz in Kilmore Quay in 2012.
Dogs have always played a big part in my life and in most of my working life too. They have also been my profession in different ways. I have worked as a vet nurse for 10 years, teacher at an animal college, kennel maid, pet shop assistant and for over 30 years – groomer and grooming teacher/lecturer.
I have bred and showed apricot Poodles of all sizes and Wire Haired Fox Terriers since 1990 . A large amount of dogs with my kennel prefix “Sisterhood” have reached their champion titles in both the show-ring as in various working disciplines.I have also sucessfully groomed numerous of different breeds for show.
I have trained dogs and their owners to understand each other since 1980 when I become an dog trainer.
This mixed background has given me a wide understanding and knowledge of all aspects of the dog owning life – from coat care, nutrition, training to breeding and healthcare.
I took my grooming career further in 1999 when I started to compete in grooming competitions all around Europe.
During my 15 years in the competition ring, I won several Best in Shows,placements in prestigious competitions like Oster Tournament of Champions and a large amount of 1st placements in different diciplinces such as Handscissoring, Handstripping,Salon styling and Creative grooming. I have also won the title Groomer of the Year twice.
I retired from the competition ring in 2014 and I am now a competition judge.
Education has always been a passion for me and I held my first seminar for dog groomers in 2000. Its been a mix of One on One training to demo/seminars for large groups up to 400 people since then. I have also been asked to run grooming classes for different breed clubs.
Dog groomers from all over Europe have attended my hands on workshops held here in Kilmore Quay.
A part of the education side that I have a huge interest in is Science,and all my training is science based.
I have a blog called the Educated groomer- My hairy universe , where I write about different topics from a science point of view.
My interest in science also lead me to gain the CCE certification- Certified Canine Esthetician
When the Covid pandemic closed us down in 2020 and I no longer could run my classes, the idea of an online option came up.
I started to work on it and I could launch The Educated Groomers Online video library and membership in March-2021.
This membership deals with all aspects of a dog groomers life. Styling,client relations,Ergonomics,business matters.handling,creative grooming to name a few.
You can also learn about different medical conditions that we see in the salon,the science behind the products we use and ways to speed up your work day.
Its a labour of love and I create new material every month and offer mentoring and support to the subscribers.