PROUD pet-owners have the chance to show off their furry friends in style as a Swindon retailer searches for Britain’s next top animal model.

Pets at Home, at St Margaret’s Retail Park, is seeking pets to front the upcoming National Groom Room campaign.

The Groom Room is a beauty salon for animals offering treatments including full grooming, a bath and blow dry and puppy grooming in-store.

And for more adventurous animals the creative grooming team provides pet-friendly dyes and nail painting.

Winners will receive a paw-fect exclusive photoshoot giving them the chance to show off their glossy fur and pristine smiles.

The models will also feature on in-store banners, posters and leaflets plus win a year’s free grooming at the store.

Joy Bates, salon manager at the St Margaret’s Retail Park Groom Room, said the competition is an exciting time for town pet-lovers.

“The Groom Room has been so popular since it opened four years ago,” she said.

“It’s important to take care of pets for their health and well-being – especially with long fur because if they aren’t groomed properly it can cause them pain, discomfort or infection.

“The dogs and cats enjoy it too and I think I have the best job in the world.”

Joy said Swindon pet owners are keen to get new looks for their animals and consultants will always sit with them to get a feel for the pet’s needs. “It’s like going to the hairdressers with a photo of Jennifer Aniston. We’ll sit with them and discuss the best look for their pet. The welfare of the animal is the most important thing and making sure it fits what they’re looking for,” she said.

“It’s a great thing for pet-owners to be involved in because it promotes responsible pet-care and the animals enjoy having a stylist to take care of their needs. Dogs are the most popular animals but once every couple of months we’ll hold a cat day which attracts a few feline customers.”

And Joy, who says the loveable designer dog the Cockapoo requires the most grooming, said she already has a few nominations for the prestigious contest.

“There are a few characters we help on a regular basis that would fit perfectly for the campaign because they have such wonderful personalities. Owners always feel that their pet is the cutest in the world and it’s lovely to be a part of that,” she added.

For a chance to become one of the Groom Room’s next top models, pet owners can register their pet to Pets at Home’s VIP club for more details on how to enter their photographs. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, April 22.