The Journey Here
Curious how two decades of superyachts, private islands and pie making eventually brought me home, both to Coffs Harbour and to the crazy dog lady I've always been?
Where it started
I've been a dog person for as long as I can remember.
As a baby, before I could walk or talk, I gravitated toward our family dog, Faithful. My mum took photos of me on a picnic rug, sitting up beside him in the sunshine, chatting away as if we were deep in conversation like two old friends. She thought it was so cute that she scribbled captions next to the photos:
"What was that you were saying?"
"Never mind..."
Looking back now, I think she captured something special. I wasn't just playing near a dog. I was really connecting with him.
Faithful was, quite literally, a filthy mongrel. A stray who showed up on our doorstep one day in 1985, hungry and grateful. My parents fed him, and he stayed. He was so loyal and protective of his new family that he would bark at any stranger who dared walk past our home. And every single time, my dad would jokingly yell: "Don't BARK, you filthy mongrel!"
It became Dad's tagline. Any dog he saw, whether they were barking or silent, actually filthy or freshly groomed, he'd yell it anyway. He thought he was hilarious. (And honestly, baby Amy did too.)
The adventure years
I spent my twenties working on superyachts, travelling the world across oceans. The life was extraordinary: Caribbean sunsets, pebbled beaches in the South of France, dolphins surfing on the bow when you're thousands of kilometres from land. Then, in 2012, I was offered an opportunity to manage a private island off the coast of Honduras.
Of course I jumped at it. It was land-based and yet still adventurous. I wasn't quite ready to settle down in Australia, but I was happy to have my feet planted, and even happier to finally have the opportunity to get a dog.
My baby before babies
Cosquilla was my first dog as an adult. My baby before human babies. She went everywhere with me, filled every quiet space with funny frenchie noises, and supported me through some difficult times. She was my constant when the rest of my family was a world away, and my daily reminder of what unconditional love really means.
But one just wasn't enough, and so then came Aussie, a Golden Retriever puppy who bounded into our lives with endless energy and love.
Then, when Coski had puppies, I accidentally kept two: Frank and Bubbles. Suddenly, I had four dogs, and after five years on the island, I desperately wanted to move us all home to Australia.
The journey home
Turns out, moving four dogs to Australia is not a simple process.
I ended up stopping over with friends in the USA while I waited for the dogs to be ready for the next leg of the journey. It was in the snow-capped mountain town of Bend, Oregon, that I reconnected with an old friend who would soon become my husband. Very soon, in fact.
In the space of four months and four days, Josh went from single, dogless bachelor to husband and new furbaby daddy of four. He didn't just marry me. He married into an actual pack.
We started our own Aussie pie business in Bend. We welcomed two human babies and built a great life over the next six years, but for me, it still wasn't home.
So in December 2021, just two months after welcoming our second baby boy, and days after Australia reopened its borders following COVID, we packed up our life and moved home.
And we did what felt impossible to many but essential to us: we brought all the dogs on yet another epic journey. Because family doesn't get left behind. Thankfully, they got to enjoy many happy years living down under, meeting all their extended family here in Coffs Harbour.
The Filthy Mongrel is born
Back in Australia, life found its rhythm. I was working in marketing for an incredible company, raising our boys, and settling back into the Coffs coast lifestyle. But my entrepreneurial soul kept tugging at me, that familiar itch to build something of my own again.
Then I heard the sad news that the pet salon at Garden Mania was closing. Dog grooming? My heart immediately lit up. "YES, I would absolutely love that," I thought. So, what does every bright-eyed entrepreneur do first? Come up with a name!
As you might've already guessed, The Filthy Mongrel is inspired by my dear old dad. He was once a mischievous, hyperactive, hardworking entrepreneur with wild ideas, a wicked sense of humour, and a booming voice. Today, Dad lives with dementia, but that cheeky sense of humour is still there.
When I told him I was thinking about starting my own dog grooming salon and calling it "The Filthy Mongrel," the smile he shot back was just what I needed to take the leap.
"The Filthy Mongrel is not a high-volume pet salon. It's about connection and calm."
Welcome
This salon is built on a lifetime of loving dogs: from that baby on a picnic rug chatting to Faithful, to managing a pack of four across continents, to saying heartbreaking goodbyes in recent years, to starting fresh with purpose.
If you're here, I'm guessing you see your dog the way I see mine: as family. You probably value calm over speed. You want someone who will treat your dog with the care and respect they deserve, even if that means things take a little longer. You understand that grooming isn't just about how a dog looks. It's about how they feel.
We're here to treat every fur baby that walks through these doors as the beloved part of your family they are. Your Cosquilla. Your children's Faithful.
So, welcome to The Filthy Mongrel. I'm so glad you're here.
Much love, Amy