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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - It's Saturday afternoon and Karen Miller is lovingly brushing out the long, slightly-knotted tail of Roxie, the shih tzu set contentedly on her grooming table.

The dog's tongue is lolled out in apparent ecstasy as Miller strokes steadily, pausing the rhythm when she hits an especially tough knot.

Karen Miller, owner of Puppy Paws Salon and Spa, brushes out the tail of her Saturday client, a happy shih tzu named Roxie. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL photo

Behind the two, the sun sifts through the dog-patterned valances on Miller's window.

In the kennel room, there are matching pillows, both sets hand-sewn by Miller.

"I really, really like dogs. I love dogs," she said.

So much so, last July she transformed her house and opened her grooming salon, Puppy Paws Salon and Spa, despite already being employed full-time.

Needless to say, the new business has made her a busy woman.

"I've done over 200 dogs part-time," she said.

Miller runs the salon evenings and both days on the weekends when she's not working her regular job.

As word of mouth spreads, she is steadily increasing her bookings and growing the business, including recently bringing in merchandise, such as satin party gowns and bejewelled wedding dresses for small dogs.

Her first paying groom job was an Inuit sled dog, whose picture she has fondly hung on her wall, amongst collages of later clients.

"I'd love to make (grooming) my full-time job," she said.

Miller learned how to groom by practising on her own dog and her friends' dogs- jokingly referred to as her "little victims" - and completed an online course on grooming before taking the plunge into business.

She credits her increasing success to her one-on-one, dog-first philosophy - and plenty of cuddle time.

"If they need a break, take a break," she said. "Call in the dog whisperer and see what the problem is."

Miller will only book one dog at a time, although her own dog Buster, a Labrador-collie mix, sometimes joins in the break-time fun, and said she never rushes an appointment.

Depending on how hairy the situation is, Miller will brush a dog for hours, getting knots out, before she begins to clip and shave the dog's hair and then bathe it before the final groom.

Often, she said, dog owners are not able to set aside so much time to groom their dogs. Other times, owners have tried to do it with less-than-pretty results.

"(People will say) 'my dog looks funny. Can you fix it?'" she laughed.

Not that Miller minds. It's just one more job for the dog whisperer.