They say a dog’s bark can be worse than its bite but judges were taking no chances with this pooch when it was transformed into a Great White Shark for an extreme grooming contest.

Zeppelin and his owner, professional groomer Denise Ower, walked away with first prize at the League of Extraordinary Groomers competition in Rushton, Northampton, on Sunday.

Mrs Ower, who owns a dog grooming service at College Farm, in Church End, Finchley, spent weeks preparing her much-loved party poodle for the unusual talent exhibition.

And she said she was stunned to walk away with first prize in what was her first extreme dog grooming competition.

She said: “I was really surprised – there were some pretty wacky designs.”

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Other entries depicted themes including Venice and Alice in Wonderland, while one dog was made to look like a saxophone and a piano.

But despite the seemingly absurd lengths taken to transform the oblivious pets, mother-of-two Mrs Ower insists there is nothing cruel about the hobby.

She said: “It is completely safe – we only use special dog grooming products and they dogs love the extra attention. They are all immaculately groomed and well looked after.”

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Former hairdresser Mrs Ower now plans to enter the extreme section at the English Grooming Championships in Kent later this year.

She said: “It is more fun and exciting than the usual grooming. You can use your creativity and let your imagination run wild. Hopefully this is the start of more success in the future.”

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