ON THE LOOKOUT FOR DIRTY DOGS: Salty Dog Wash is on a mission to clean canines

Published 11:43 am Saturday, February 14, 2015

BY LESLIE KELLY

There’s just no excuse anymore for any dirty dogs on Bainbridge Island.

A new business, Salty Dog Wash, is taking care of that.

The business, owned and operated by Patty Keplinger and Alison Rice, is just the right place to wash your dog — or have your dog washed for you.

“This is all about getting a chore done in fun way,” said Keplinger. “It’s economical and it’s so convenient.”

The dog-washing business opened in October in Pleasant Beach Village in Lynwood Center. It was the brainstorm of Keplinger, who previously had a career as a doula, in restaurants and in retail.

It was through her job at a Seattle restaurant that she met her business partner Rice.

“I’d had this idea in the back of my mind for a few years,” said Keplinger. “I knew I wanted to do something different and something that would be a service to our community.”

She began to study what the community needed and discovered there was no dog wash. There had been a dog wash in Poulsbo years ago, but it closed.

So she mentioned it to her friend, Alison, as they were walking off the ferry from their restaurant job in Seattle and “she just smiled.”

“Alison went home and started doing research and she was just giddy,” Keplinger said. “Her enthusiasm matched mine.”

The two then began to search for a location and settled on Pleasant Beach Village. And that’s when the name came to them.

“We’re here right by the water,” Keplinger said. “All the dogs on Bainbridge Island go in the water and get salty. So the name just suited the place.”

Customers have the choice of washing their dogs themselves, or making an appointment to have their dogs washed for them.

On a recent Thursday, Keplinger and Rice were up to their elbows in dog — a 180-pound Irish Wolfhound named Stretch.

“His owner brings him in every week,” Keplinger said. “She really wants to keep him clean.”

It’s up to the individual dog owner how often to wash them, based on their breed, size, and whether they go outdoors much.

“We have people who bring their dogs in more often because — they wouldn’t want people to know this — but they sleep with their dogs and they want them to be clean,” Keplinger said.

Washing the dog has also become a family outing.

“Some families come in to wash their dog together,” Rice said. “And some moms drop their teenagers off with the dog and then they go have coffee.”

Michele Martaus and Nick Duval take Jackson, their boxer Shar Pei mix to the salty Dog Wash weekly.

“We love it here,” Martaus said. “It’s way easier than doing this at home. They provide all the soap, water, towels and ear wash.”

And, she said, washing 10-year-old Jackson at the dog wash eliminates having to clean up afterward.

The business is open five days a week for customers to self-wash their dogs. They offer dog washing services and other grooming needs for dogs three days a week by appointment.

They are staffed with two accredited dog groomers who have years of experience beautifying four-legged friends.

The tubs are large enough to accommodate big dogs and they have ramps to help elderly dog get into the tub. They also have booster tables that fit in the tubs so that if a customer is washing a smaller dog, they don’t have to bend over so far.

What they’ve found to be a surprise since opening the business is just how quiet it can be.

“I thought we’d have a lot of barking dogs,” said Rice. “Where I use to take my dog to be groomed, it was loud. Here, generally the only barking we hear is if a dog is telling us they need to go outside to do their business.”

There is a third business partner, Heidi Story, who helps with the business in between her regular full-time job.

Rice, who formerly was a flight attendant who then worked in a restaurant in Seattle, said she was happy to be working just eight minutes from home.

“My kids are 17 and 20 now and I was at a crossroad in my life,” she said. “I was ready to do something that was here on the island and helped the local community.”

Both Keplinger and Rice say customer service is their first priority. As dog lovers themselves, Salty Dog Wash is just the right match.

“We both have worked for years for others,” Keplinger said. “Now we are working for ourselves and we have that pride of ownership.”

“And,” said Rice, “we are providing a much-needed service.”

Self-service bathing prices range from $15 to $23 per dog, depending on the weight of the dog. “We-Wash” prices are double that.

To find out more, go to www.saltydogwashbi.com, or call 206-451-4040.

Salty Dog Wash is located at 4664 Lynwood Center Road, Suite 129.