Barking Blondes: Washing the dog
A few years back, we starred in a Sky series “ A Different Breed”, which explored the lives of a chosen pack of dogs and their owners.
One of the episode’s centred around an automated dog wash in North London.
Situated in an out house, in the car park of The Spaniards Inn, it was an eccentric bit of machinery but cleverly positioned close to Hampstead Heath. The manager of the pub proudly boasted that he believed it was the only one of its type in Europe! It is cheap and cheerful, used by a few locals, and does what it says on the tin.
Much was made in the film of our struggling to operate the contraption whilst dealing with two muddy dogs. It resulted in us using the fur dryer for our own personal “blow drys” whilst our mutts looked on in horror.
(Picture credit: John Jennings)
So, yet more proof of the flourishing hound pound, when, this week, we chatted to a ‘doggy’ entrepreneur who is importing a range of ‘coin operated’ automated ‘dog washes’ across the country.
The machines claim to shampoo, de-flea, condition and dry your dog for as little as £5.00. Popular in the States and Australia they’re found in ‘petrol stations and supermarket car parks. Hoping to take the UK by storm Mac’s DIY Dog Wash offers a practical alternative to struggling with Fido in the your bath or shower.
As dog ownership increases so does the demand for grooming salons. Many breeds need regular ‘clips’ and trims like a Poodle or a Schnauzer, but what if you just want to bath your mutt quickly to clean off a walk’s mud and dirt?
Apart from clogging up the plughole, the experience often leaves you and the bathroom drenched and very mucky.
Unlike most Labrador owners, we don’t have a problem keeping our mutts out of a ditch, muddy puddle, river or lake. Our two bull breeds go to extreme lengths to avoid any contact with the wet or mud and they just don’t get that dirty. But for the ‘outdoorsy’ type dog a cheap ‘coin-operated dog wash en route home makes sense.
Back in the day even when dogs were kept as pets they rarely got the run of the house, so the concern over a ‘smelly, dirty’ dog wasn’t so much of an issue. Some dogs wouldn’t ever get a bath only an occasional groom as nature took care of the rest.
These days it’s a different story. As we take our dogs into pubs, hotels, boutiques, travelling on trains, expensive cars, our modern world demands a sweet smelling, clean pooch.
Some say that too much bathing strips the dog’s coat of its natural oils, leaving it brittle, lack-lustre and prone to moulting. Over ‘washing’ can also dry out a dog’s skin leaving it flakey, promoting an itchy- dog syndrome, and white coated dogs are more sensitive to skin conditions than most dogs. Unlike humans it’s impossible to put moisturizer on a dog’s skin post bath, and a dog might need a drop of flaxseed oil as a supplement to balance the frequent washing.
Nobody likes the smell of ‘damp dog’ or muddy pawprints imprinted around the house. But how house-proud can you be with Fido? It’s important to set standards that don’t compromise a dog’s natural beauty.
We made a great purchase in Black Friday’s sale from one pet supermarket! A towelling , draw string bag for drying the dog. Its so simple, place the dog in, with head outside, and watch them dry off , whilst keeping the house clean!
Barking Blondes by Jo Good & Anna Webb, published by Hamlyn, £12.99www.octopusbooks.co.uk
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