Converted car wash welcomes dirty dogs

When Frank Visconti took his 58-pound pooch, Harley, for an outing at a local dog park, he got more than exercise and gossip - he got a doggone good tip.

He heard there was a self-service car wash in Voorhees where you could also wash your dog - $8 for 10 minutes. And if you forgot a brush or a treat, a vending machine selling all things pet would be right on hand.

"It was the talk of the park," Visconti said of the White Horse Road Car Wash and Dog Wash at the intersection of White Horse and Burnt Mill Roads. So inspired by what Visconti heard, he and Harley headed right over.

This dog/car combo is the brainchild of owner Al Nicolosi, who purchased the six-bay car wash last April. He knew Bay No. 6 was underutilized, and he was looking for a way to increase his profits. Having learned about the dog-wash conversion at a trade show two years ago, he took the plunge in February. Now that spring is in the air, business is really picking up.

"It was a perfect fit," said Nicolosi, 37, of Lumberton, an entrepreneur who has been in the car-wash business for more than 15 years. "Cleaning a car makes a person happy; so making man's best friend clean and happy, too, for a reasonable amount of money at the same time, made a lot of sense," he said.

About 40 pooches per week are getting gussied up in the self-enclosed salon that accommodates two dogs, and Nicolosi expects the numbers to grow as warm weather approaches. "There are no other facilities like this in a 50-mile radius," he said.

Visconti generally washes his dog at home, at least once a month. So taking the task to the car wash was a welcome idea.

"It's 100 percent better than doing this at home where I spend 20 back-breaking minutes washing him and two hours cleaning up the bathroom."

Visconti said it was just too expensive to pay the more than $30 charged by a groomer. But given the cost and convenience of the dog wash, he planned to scrub Harley more often.

For Frank Jarosiewicz, 55, of Erial, the self-service dog wash was all about low maintenance. It can cost up to $60 to have his 141-pound rottweiler washed by a professional (in fact, some groomers frown upon servicing such large animals, he said). Plus, he could preserve his home, where 5-year-old Thor can create quite a mess.

The Voorhees wash is one of more than 500 car/dog combo washes at about 100,000 total car-wash sites in the country. Trent W. Walter is the operations manager of the Ohio-based National Pride Equipment Inc., one of just a handful of manufacturers of the dog-wash equipment. He said he expects to see the dog washes double in the next 16 to 18 months as interest grows in providing multiple services at a single location.

"Car washes are turning into cleaning centers," he said, "with some locations even adding Laundromats."

When Visconti first eyed the climate-controlled dog-wash bay, the computer field engineer from Stratford was confident it would work. He led Harley gingerly up the ramp leading to one of two waist-high stainless steel tubs, closed the door to the tub, and tethered his leash to a bar. He put his money into the box posted on the wall, and with the turn of the dial, began the bath.

After spraying Harley with the hose attached to the wall, Visconti moved the rotary dial on the box to dispense oatmeal shampoo. Harley didn't flinch. The vigorous shampoo was followed by conditioner, the rinse, blow dry, and "comb-out." Harley then strutted down the ramp sporting a clean coat that made his owner happy.

The box also dispenses disinfectant for the tub, tick and flea shampoo, and a deskunking treatment for seriously stinky pets. The extra products are free, but the meter rings up $1 more after each additional minute and 25 seconds.

Both the water and the blow dryer are temperature controlled. By appointment, car-wash workers can assist dog owners who are senior citizens or disabled.

Make no bones about it, the pet industry is thriving, even in this uncertain economy. According to statistics from the American Pet Products Association (APPA), a Washington-based nonprofit trade association, Americans spent more than $43 billion on their pets last year. That number is expected to jump to more than $45 billion in 2009.

So the car-wash concept comes as no surprise to APPA president Bob Vetere - it combines convenience and indulgence.

"This is just another example of how important a role pets play in people's lives," he said. "We have humanized our pets to the point that we regard them as friends or family, so even in an ailing economy, people will seek out ways to pamper their pets for less money."