PHOTO: LaundroMutt BYOD Newton Centre Manager Stacey Quatromini enjoys a visit from frequent guest and loyal four-legged friend, Juniper. Photo by Bryan McGonigle
When Elizabeth Olsen’s German Shepherd developed allergies and needed regular baths with medicated shampoo, she realized trying to bathe her dog in a small shower wouldn’t work.
But there was nowhere better for her to do it, she thought, and the costs of regular grooming appointments added up. This birthed the idea for LaundroMutt: a self-service dog wash.
Today, Olsen has three locations, including BYOD Dog Wash in Newton Centre, which has many loyal Newton customers who’ve also realized trying to wash your dog at home can be harder than it sounds.
She sees it as a good bonding experience.
“It creates a different kind of relationship with your pet,” she said. “It can also be a great family activity—a lot of people bring their kids.”
Olsen, who spent seven years as a wolf biologist in Minnesota, also wants people to think about their dog’s health. “Having your hands on your dog can keep you in tune with how they’re doing health-wise,” she said.
Olsen opened her first location in Cambridge in 2004. A customer suggested she franchise, and she started her two other locations in Newton Centre and South Boston in 2008.
She quickly realized, though, that this isn’t like a McDonald’s where you can easily duplicate it from town to town, and three locations is enough.
“It took time for people to catch on,” she said.
The concept of a self-service dog wash started in the 1970s on the West Coast, but it wasn’t until more recently that it became popular in the Northeast.
The most obvious reason for that is people can do it at home, and think, is it really worth it to pay to do it somewhere else? For many people the answer is: yes.
Olsen had one customer try it out and then decide he could do it at home. He came back a few months later: his dog had freaked out in the shower, broken the shower glass, and caused the owner to slip and break his hip.
After this, Olsen said, the owner realized it would be better to wash his dog somewhere that had restraints. While that’s an extreme situation, many people decide that having to deal with their dog running around the house after being washed isn’t worth it, especially if their dog also regularly needs medicated shampoo.
BYOD Dog Wash will also wash your dog for you.
Are some dogs harder to wash than others?
“It really depends on the dog’s demeanor, not the breed,” said BYOD Dog Wash general manager Stacey Quatromini.
But there are some dog breeds she’s noticed can be particularly difficult, like the very stubborn Bernese mountain dogs, or Shiba Inus and pugs, which like to scream.
There are also some dogs with thick undercoats that require more work, like a Husky.
Not that many people have huskies, but a lot of people in Newton have goldendoodles or labradoodles, and their poodle ancestry gives them a fluffier coat.
“Some doodles can be kind of difficult—you have to brush them out and let it dry,” Quatromini said.
The trick to making your dog tolerate being washed is consistency.
“You want to keep them on a schedule, especially with doodles,” Quatromini said. “Get them used to the bathing and drying from a young age. When you have a routine it makes it easier.”
(Some people, however, don’t have a weekly routine, or even a monthly one: one of their busiest days of the year is the day before Thanksgiving!)
She’s worked there for 10 years and loves getting to build a relationship with the staff, the customers, and their dogs.
“I love getting to watch all our pups come through and watching them grow,” Quatromini said.
If you’re realizing your dog could use a bath before the holidays, BYOD Dog Wash is open every day of the week for self-service, and Mondays-Fridays for drop-off bathing and grooming appointments.