People going nuts for our dog wash

[Bubbles Galore]

Hey guys,

We had a local news station out at our site about a week ago to show off the new dog wash. If you want to take a look, click on over to our homepage (link is in my signature line) where the video should be posted. In the first week and a half that we have been open, we have averaged about 10-12 dogs per day. I'm sure it may level off at some point, but we have seen an exceptional response from our surrounding community. From there, you can click over to our facebook page where you can see some of the pictures I posted from this past weekend.

All in all it's been a massive success and I appreciate all the help you guys gave me in getting it set up.

Thanks!

 

[bigleo48]

John,

Good free press! Really represented your facility well. Nice bright, clean and looks easy to use.

You may drop below the 12 dogs per day for a while after the honeymoon period, but you'll build back and above after that.

Congrats and nice job!

Big

 

[mjwalsh]

Good Public Relations!

John,

Thanks for taking the time to share with the rest of us. We can definitely relate ---- the exuberance of the some of the dog washers has been a real joy! We the numbers we need up there yet but if we can continue to have happy repeating customers we know that it will be worthwhile.

We are thinking that a website for our business will be helpful --- after we get some loose ends taken care of ---- that will become a priority for us.

MJ

 

[ScottV]

Nice job Bubbles! I need to get my local news station to pay a visit. We've been open for just over a month and are also amazed at the interest / activity at the dog wash. I'm still learning about the amount of work it takes to maintain a clean wash room, but we stay on top of it and the customers tell us that they appreciate it.

One warning for all new dog wash owners..... Make sure to put on a ventillator mask before you empty the water & hair from your pet vacs! UGH I almost lost my dinner the first time I opened that drain valve in the bottom of the vac canister. I had no idea something could smell that bad!!

 

[mjwalsh]

Nice job Bubbles! One warning for all new dog wash owners..... Make sure to put on a ventillator mask before you empty the water & hair from your pet vacs! UGH I almost lost my dinner the first time I opened that drain valve in the bottom of the vac canister. I had no idea something could smell that bad!!

ScottV & others, We rigged up an automatic drain for each of our 2 vacs. It was homemade with a dairy farm supply drain & fittings. Sometimes we deliberately suck a gallon or more of disinfectant into our vacs. So far so good. Also towards the end of our Zurn drain trough we have the intake for our charcoal filter fan to help potential odor situations. The building with 2 stalls is set up as a breezeway with north & south doors which tends to help. If a certain occasional dog has not been washed for a long time ---- I don't think there is much anyone can do about a temporary blast of "wet dog smell"

Somewhere down the road since we have some spare VDC outputs on our PLC we hope to add a dedicated hose & nozzle & a mechanical lighted switch to allow a 10 second mist as another vend item for a dollar possibly ---- similar to Big Leo ???. I visited with a groomer supply out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota yesterday & they sell fragrances. I am thinking that the right kind of tiny gun-nozzle & gravity flow through a solenoid valve & maybe a slight mixture of air from another solenoid valve could be our ticket. Hopefully, the time involved in developing & tweaking won't be too tough. Big Leo said that his fragrance option also helps the smell issues if I remember right.

MJ

 

[ScottV]

MJWalsh and others, I'm learning about these odors for the first time because I'm not a pet owner. Despite all that I read on this forum about keeping the room clean and washed down 2-3 times a day, I didnt realize the gravity of the situation until that first busy weekend when the place stunk to high heaven!!

We've since had our electrician wire in a ventilation unit that kicks on from a motion sensor and runs for 30 mins after no motion is sensed. We also learned at the ICA show to drop toilet crystals (I used Clorox brand) in the hair traps for each drain and that will help with the smell.

I think the biggest issue that I am having is convincing the customers to pick up after themselves. We have doodee bags in a dispenser on the wall, garbage can, wisk brooms and dust pans haning over each tub, and they still leave the dog hair all over!! I've tried subtle signage: Please keep the area clean and place dog hair in the trash can. The next round will be more direct: Clean up your mess or dont use our pet wash!

That oughtta be great for business!! LOL