ight years ago, groomer Amanda Madtes discovered she had Reynaud’s Disease. She describes the symptoms as “burning hot on the fingertips, blue or white fingers, and loss of grip and strength in the hand.” Amanda continued to groom professionally until two years ago when she could no longer hold a clipper for extended periods or grip a comb when working through large dogs.

Now, she only grooms her own five dogs and occasionally competes with her miniature Poodle. At most shows though, she sells her dog collars and other accessories through her company, Celtic K9 Dubhlinn.

The native Dubliner originally came to the U.S. to pursue a career in costume design. “I moved to NYC in 1996 to work for Calvin Klein,” Amanda shares. “I discovered and fell in love with dog grooming after getting a Golden Retriever named Dubhlinn (Gaelic for Dublin).”

When Dubhlinn started blowing his puppy coat around seven months old, she panicked and took him to the veterinarian. They kindly laughed and referred her to a local groomer, which is where Amanda was first turned on to world of dog grooming.

“I found a fascinating correlation between my two passions of dogs and art,” she says. “I realized that I could have a career working with dogs, and promptly enrolled in an accredited Dog Grooming School in Manhattan, NYC.

“After my first day of training,” Amanda continues. “I was hooked. Making dogs feel and look their best while sculpting their hair was incredible and addictive.”

By 2018, Amanda and her husband moved to a house on four acres of land in Pennsylvania. Then, Amanda started competing in grooming shows with five dogs and one tolerant cat. But she also set her heart on a Poodle.

“After a lot of searching and reference checks, my very good friend found me a retired show Poodle. We named him Gazpacho or ‘Spachie,’” she shares.

Amanda says that Spachie changed her life. “Spachie came with some clothing items I’d never seen before. A Snood, leg protectors, and a satin-lined and padded collar. I already (thought) I knew how to maintain his coat being a groomer, but was stumped when I saw his clothes,” she says.

Photo by Amanda Madtes

Amanda researched Snoods and found they protect Poodle ears from trailing in food and water during mealtime. “The Leg Protectors,” she adds, “were to be put on during rain/snow or hiking to protect his leg hair from burrs and getting soaked, which leads to hair matting. Also, because sometimes he’s very lazy and doesn’t lift up his leg, he used to pee on the back of his front legs. The Leg Protectors help keep him clean.”

She discovered the padded, satin-lined collar protected delicate neck hair from breakage. “Everything was starting to make sense!” she shares.

As Spachie’s original collar started looking dingy, Amanda pulled out her sewing machine and made something similar from curtain fabric and satin from her wedding dress (which she had made.) However, it turns out that even former fashion designers have a hard time covering stainless steel martingale collars with fabric. So, Amanda created a collar pattern and headed to the fabric store.

“I missed the magical smell of uncut fabric and went a little wild buying all the colors that caught my eye,” Amanda says. “Next, I spent all of my free time making my boy a whole new wardrobe of collars, getting a little more creative with each one.”

Amanda then tapped into a new market when she photographed the collection and posted the pictures on social media. “I was bombarded by fellow groomer friends to make one for their Poodles,” she shares. “Sizing was trial and error; I can’t thank my wonderful friends enough for their patience in working that kink out with me.”

Once she realized people wanted her collars, she expanded, and in May of 2020, Celtic K9 Dubhlinn was officially born. “Bless my Husband and his patience as I took over an entire room of our house with sewing machines, fabrics, and every trim I could get my hands on,” Amanda says.

As soon as she felt comfortable with the patterns for her collars, Amanda started working on patterns for other products to protect the coat. For example, she created Snoods, adjustable for a growing dog. “I also realized they could be water resistant for inclement weather,” Amanda adds.

“Then, leg protectors were a three-week project to get a design that worked for my hyper Poodle,” she shares. “Finding water-resistant fabric that was lightweight enough to let my dog move easily was also a top priority.”

Her full line also includes Cooling Coats, Drying/Sacking jackets for grooming or showing, padded cases for grooming tools, and Quick Release Sets for those who work their dogs in agility and other sports.

Amanda finds inspiration for her designs everywhere, and says that some are mood-based. “I go through phases,” she says. “When I’m feeling sad, that’s when I make collars with the most brilliant and brightest trims that sparkle. When I’m feeling happy, I go off on a tangent, which could be anything from a color theory to an inspiration like moths or dragons. It never feels like work, and I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to work with the most beautiful dogs in the world.”

By May 2021, Amanda had moved Celtic K9 into a newly renovated barn on their property. “Now I have the perfect work studio,” she shares. “I want people to know a groomer makes these. I also want them to know that we try to put every effort into attention and detail, and that we stand by our products. If they ever have a problem, they can come straight back to us and we will make it right. We don’t have a warehouse or manufacturer. Everything is made by hand.”

Amanda’s hard work and commitment to her craft is paying off, too. Celtic K9 Dubhlinn was nominated for the Barkleigh Honors “Vendor of the Year” award in both 2022 and 2023. “This was out of left field for us, as we were trying to nominate our friends and fellow industry people,” she shares. “When we got the email, we were on the floor (literally on the floor, crying and laughing and terrified.) Fast forward to the night of the Awards Ceremony, and seeing our name up there with some of the amazing companies that have been established for many years was one of the biggest moments we will never forget.”

In addition to the nominations, Amanda said that being a vendor at Groom Expo was also one of the highlights of her life concerning the grooming industry. “It’s been an amazing journey from attendee to competitor to vendor,” she adds.

Amanda shares some parting words for groomers: “Protect your body. Your hands and back are your livelihood. If it’s time to leave the grooming table, find your passion. You can work within the industry without grooming!”