Dirty Dog? Take a Number

Fill tub. Dunk dog. Scrub well. The lurch. The run. The skid. The shake. The soggy mess.

Washing a mutt can be a sloppy business. Francisco Gamero knew that from cleaning up his cockapoo, Tassy.

Now Gamero and partner Gary Flake are cleaning up with a growing business called U-Wash-Doggie, where pet owners pay to let somebody else’s floors get all wet.

The idea was simple. After all, there are car washes, hair washes and Laundromats. Why not self-service dog washes?

Response has been so good, the two will soon open stores in Burbank, Granada Hills, Woodland Hills and Marina del Rey.

“All the customer has to bring in is the dirty dog. We supply the tub, warm water, shampoos, combs and dryer,” Flake said.

There is also piped-in oldies music. “It doesn’t seem to matter to the dogs, but people like it better,” Gamero said. “They sing and dance and have a good time.”

The bill runs $10 to $12, depending on the size of the pooch. Customers get a kit containing a towel, brush, comb, shampoo, apron, noose and--for the least sociable dogs--a muzzle.

After the bath, there is cologne or aftershave and a doggie treat, “if he’s been good,” Flake said.

On an average Saturday, 50 or 60 dogs get all spiffed up at U-Wash-Doggie, sharing the facilities with an occasional cat, rabbit or pot-bellied pig.