Sayaka finishes every coat
A small team helps with bathing and drying on busy days, but the haircut itself is always Sayaka's scissor work. That finish is what you're booking.
About us
The scissors behind the paws
Scissored Paws is a small salon with one mission: transform pets with such care and craft that owners fall in love with them again and again.
Book with Sayaka
Meet Sayaka
Trained in Japan, at home in Manly
Hello, I am Sayaka. Like most pet owners, I'm a pet lover first and a groomer second.
I genuinely love spending time with dogs and cats, and I believe every pet deserves to be treated with patience, kindness and care. Grooming just happens to be the way I get to do that every day.
I trained in dog grooming and animal nursing in Nagoya, Japan, and have been grooming professionally since 2001. Since moving to Sydney in 2004, I've become known for my precision scissoring, Japanese teddy bear styles and gentle, no-sedation cat grooming.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing a pet leave looking great, feeling comfortable and wagging their tail on the way home.
My specialty is scissoring: the slow, skilled hand-work behind breed-standard clips and the Japanese teddy bear cuts that people love around this area. My cat clients know me for something else, a calm, no-sedation grooming that most salons won't attempt.
Twenty-five years of coats
From grooming school in Nagoya to her own salon on Pittwater Rd.
1999
Nagoya, Japan
Sayaka starts grooming school in Nagoya, training in dog grooming and animal nursing. That double qualification still shapes how she reads and handles animals today.
2001
First salon floor
She begins working as a professional dog groomer in Japan, surrounded by the scissor-first salon culture behind the kawaii styles she is now known for.
2004
Sydney calling
She moves to Sydney and joins Marcia's Dog Grooming (now Pet Design) in Lane Cove, adapting Japanese technique for Australian coats.
2008
First ribbon
First place in Poodle (Novice) at Pet Expo. Her first competition entry, and her first win.
2010
Manly, at last
She becomes manager and senior groomer at Pet Design Manly, and the Northern Beaches gets its first taste of proper Japanese scissor work.
2013
Sydney Royal, 1st place
First in Terrier and More (Master) at Sydney Royal grooming. The big one, in the hardest division.
2014
Freestyle champion
Winner in Freestyle (Master) at Groom Quest, picking up certification in International Professional Grooming along the way.
Today
Scissored Paws
Her own salon on Pittwater Rd, where every haircut is finished by her own scissors. A simple mission: transform pets so beautifully that owners fall in love with them all over again.
The receipts
Straight from the show floor
Competition grooming is where scissor skills get judged in public, against the clock, by people who know exactly what a breed standard looks like. A few moments from the sash years.
How we work
Small salon, strong opinions
Never rushed
We ask owners to allow enough time for the groom. Dogs that aren't hurried learn that grooming is fine, even nice. That's worth more than a quick turnaround.
Honest about coats
If a mat can't be saved humanely, we'll say so. If a shave would ruin a double coat, we'll talk you out of it. Comfort beats hairstyle, every time.
Craft over volume
Hand scissoring takes longer than running clippers. It's also the difference you can see from across the dog park.
Come meet the scissors
Every groom starts with a conversation about your pet. Send a photo, tell us their quirks, and let's book their pamper day.
Book a groom