Time To Make The…Bath

This sounds better than bathing at home.

No more sore backs, or wet dogs — half soaped up — running through the house.

Mark Narduzzi of Livonia takes his three dogs to the self-serve dog washing stations at Dunk N Dogs in Livonia.

“At home, I get as much of a bath as she does,” said Narduzzi, 42, while rinsing Molly, a 4-year-old black Lab-greyhound mix.

At the dog wash, he said, “the facilities are much easier to manage, instead of hunching over into the tub, the shower door getting in the way. And Molly likes to be around other dogs or go to any event that involves a car ride. Seeing other familiar faces here also helps.”

Dunk N Dogs was hatched by Sharon Lutz Robinet, a self-taught dog and cat behaviorist, certified obedience trainer and occasional groomer. Because of medical issues, she needed to cut back on the physical demands of grooming and came up with the idea to shift business direction while still working with animals.

Dunk N Dogs’ main service provides pet owners the opportunity to wash and dry their dogs in a controlled environment, inside standard bathroom tubs that are raised on platforms to keep the owner from bending over, complete with sprayers and a special hookup to keep the dog in place. The price per wash ranges between $8 and $20, depending on the weight of the dog. No-heat blow-drying is also available to avoid wet fur matting, plus owners can rent clippers to trim their dogs’ fur.

Persoanlly, I prefer the donut and coffee special at Dunkin’ Donuts over the Super Sudsy special at Dunk N Dogs any day.