S’pore celebrity pet groomer overcomes failure to help rescue dogs, thanks to e-commerce success

When June Tan first started her pet grooming business in 2010, she never imagined becoming a celebrity pet groomer with a regional online presence.

Her journey, however, was far from smooth.

Tan first started with a humble home-based dog grooming business, before opening her first grooming salon with her boyfriend at Sunset Way in 2012.

However, the business failed and they had to start over.

But the couple still believed in the vision they had for their business, as it had stemmed from a deeply personal experience.

Tan’s dog, Winky, had died in 2007, leaving her guilt-stricken.

“When Winky passed, I felt that I had not taken good care of him, hence this inspired me to do more research and attend a dog grooming course,” said Tan.

Despite the initial setback, Tan and her partner persevered.

From a two-person team, their business has since grown to 12 employees, each contributing their unique skills.

“Their diverse talents have been instrumental in our growth,” said an appreciative Tan.

Pivoting during the pandemic

The business faced another significant challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly during Singapore’s “circuit breaker” period, when grooming salons were required to shut down.

But the silver lining was that it gave June the time to set up their online store — something they had been putting on the back burner.

At the time, all June’s Pet House had were their Facebook and Instagram pages.

An e-commerce store was still a pipe dream due to the complex logistics involved.

However, Tan quickly realised that the lockdown created a new demand: pet owners now needed pet food and supplies delivered to their doorsteps more than ever.

She recounted: “We had always wanted to start our own online store, but it was difficult to handle the logistics, delivery and operations while running a grooming business. Product storage and marketing for a new website were also a hassle and added cost.”

She was thankful that Shopee’s platform, however, provided a solution to these challenges.

By leveraging Shopee's network of logistics partners to help ship out their orders, Tan could save on manpower costs and resources as they did not need to procure a van or hire a driver.

More importantly, it saved them precious time.

“Our parcels were collected and delivered without us having to lift a finger, and we no longer had to worry about logistics.”

This trying period turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it expanded the business’ reach and income stream.

Since then, they have also expanded their product range, curating a list of trusted brands and onboarding them to their Shopee storefront.

In addition, with their online presence, Tan has been able to tap into new markets and potential customers in the region, such as Malaysia and Thailand, by joining the Shopee International Platform programme. The programme not only allows sellers to sell on overseas Shopee platforms at no additional cost but also manages logistics and customer service, enabling sellers to explore regional growth opportunities confidently.

“Our business is now able to reach customers that we were unable to reach previously,” shared Tan.

Giving back

“The exposure and support from the platform and account managers gave us the confidence to continue the online store as we saw real results,” said Tan.

But their success hasn’t just benefitted them.

The animals in need also got the help they needed.

June’s Pet House regularly organises charitable initiatives, such as grooming sessions for rescue dogs and outreach fundraisers for animal shelters.

The expenses for many of the rescues have come out of their own pockets, so the additional income generated through Shopee has certainly eased the financial load of running these projects. “[It] puts us in a position to better support and care for these animals for a long time to come,” said Tan.

According to her, some similar businesses have accused them of using such initiatives as a form of marketing, but she doesn’t allow the criticism to deter their efforts.

One memory that constantly reminds them why they are passionate about giving back is when they were called to rescue an abandoned breeding dog in the wee hours of the morning at 3am.

Despite being tired from a full day of grooming and having to prepare for the next day, they made the decision to go down anyway.

Tan recalled that it was heartbreaking to see the poor dog infested with maggots.

“It reminded us why we need to continue to do what we do. If we don’t help them, who will?”

Celebrity clientele

If the name June’s Pet House sounds familiar to some of you, it may be because they’ve also gained a reputation as a celebrity pet groomer, and count stars like Zoe Tay, Elvin Ng, Desmond Tan and Julie Tan among their clients.

Her rationale for how she’s attracted such a high-profile following is simple.

“I personally think that like-minded people will naturally gravitate towards each other. The celebrities mentioned are also adopters themselves who have deep passion and love for animals.”

In 2025, Tan hopes to continue running more fundraisers such as pet photoshoots and grooming for rescued dogs.

She said: “We will still continue to do food donations to shelters and help any dog in need.”

This branded article is brought to you by Shopee.

Top photos from June Tan.