Ramp and Tub-like dog wash at car washes is a MESS!

I just got off of the phone with a potential K9000 client who recently used the ramp & tub system at a local car wash and it just inspired me to write this ... guess what they immediately said? It was a MESS! They were soaked, the floor was soaked, the platform was too high for them to wash their husky, the drain clogged because of poor drainage system. The brother got sprayed with water, the women struggled to reach the top of their dog because the wash tub area was too high. And they were concerned about the dog jumping out. They realized that if they were to own and operate this ramp and tub dog wash at their laundromat, the maintenance would be way too much.

Not with the K9000. It's practical design has alleviated these concerns. Hopefully this potential client will share their personal experiences with us when they get their K9000 up and running.

And as pet owners, they won't be rushing back any time soon to use the ramp and tub dog wash.
Use the right dog wash and you'll have happy and repeat customers. It's that simple people. When will the US market 'see the light'????

Pre-Sell Dog Washes With Tokens and Coupons

After speaking with a few clients today, we realize the need to reiterate the fact that for those owning and operating the K9000 dog washes, you can 'pre-sell' dog washes to the pet community by offering TOKENS and COUPONS. This way, you collect a larger amount of revenue upfront but can also offer the dog owner a FREE dog wash with the package. For example, buy 5 dog washes ($50 - 5 x $10 tokens) and get the 6th FREE. It's a win/win for everybody.

Now even though dog owners will use the $10 token for a wash, they may need to add another few bucks during the wash cycle to complete it. No problem there, right?

Taking it a step further, get involved in your local pet related events and sell the tokens at these events/show. Sell them through your website so folks can purchase the tokens/coupons online - you ship them that day in the mail. Provide tokens to the local animal shelters and have them give one for every new adoption. Come on guys, it's not that hard. It just takes a little upfront work so you can sit home and make a ton of money while your K9000 is working hard for you.

Getting creative with the tokens/coupons will only drive more revenue and traffic to your K9000 dog wash. What other suggestions are out there? Let's hear from YOU.

What The Animal Shelter Expo 2008 Proved

This was our first experience at the Animal Shelter Expo and most of the folks we spoke with are pretty excited about the potential of adding the K9000 dog wash to their shelter. The K9000 makes perfect sense for humane societies, spcas and other shelters. Especially the shelters with dog parks.

Think about it this way: if you are a dog owner, would you rather pay the car wash down the street $10 to wash your dog in a K9000 or your local Humane Society? ...knowing that your $10 is helping a great cause vs. going into someone's pocket who may not even know. Everyone wins when the K9000 is located and offered at the shelters.

Plus, shelters can easily promote the use of the K9000 dog wash by giving a token for a FREE wash when someone rescues a dog. And the fund-raising opportunities are endless. We believe that you will start to see the K9000 dog wash in a lot of shelters over the next few years. Be on the lookout for them!

Nation's First K9000 Grand Opening Saturday the 17th!

The first ever K9000 dog wash has been installed in the USA at Mesa Verde Shopping Center in Midland, TX. The Grand Opening is scheduled for this coming Saturday May 17, 2008. Do It Yourself Dog Wash is a small store-front location open from 6AM - 11PM every day. Dog owners can use the bill and coin operated dog wash whenever it's most convenient for them. The K9000 dog wash has a 10' x 10' gated fenced in area to secure the dog(s) and its owner during the bathing cycle.

You can view pictures by clicking http://www.flickr.com/photos/petclinusa. We hope to get some feedback from users at this location within the next few weeks.

K9000 vs Pet Clin - Differences

We've used and operated the Pet Clin dog washes in the U.S. for over 2 years now... so we installed the new K9000 system next to the Pet Clin unit and asked pet owners what they liked and disliked vs. the Pet Clin dog wash they have grown accustom to. The K9000 won this test hands down. And here is what pet owners are telling us:

1) It is much easier to get any size dog into the wash area of the K9000 because of the swing door
2) The dog is more comfortable in the K9000 because it doesn't move up and down
3) The dog owners washing their dogs are much more comfortable washing their dog because of the corrected height of the K9000
4) They prefer the rotary switch, says it's much easier to operate than the complexity of push buttons and 10 step instructions
5) They feel like their dog gets cleaner because of the condition option
6) The dryer is much more effective than the Pet Clin dryer - minimizing drying time
7) They like that they can disinfect the wash area themselves before and after they use the K9000

Being owners/operators of both the Pet Clin and K9000 dog washes, here is why we feel that the K9000 makes life easier than the Pet Clin unit:

1) Very simple draining installation vs. Pet Clin
2) 'Hair free' platform minimizes cleaning and maintenance - dual hair traps make it very easy to clean out after several more washes than the Pet Clin unit
3) Less water and mess outside of K9000 - minimizes clean up
4) Operators key make it simple to clean out unlike Pet Clin
5) Secure money vault secures cash - employees cannot access the cash
6) No complex computer system - simple timer system with K9000 makes it easy to maintain
7) All spare parts can be purchased in the States

It is without question that whether you are a dog owner or a dog wash owner, the K9000 will provide the simplest experience for everyone and offers the most practical design. The K9000 has worked out all of the design flaws.

What The Car Care World Expo Proved

I've had a few days to digest the tremendous feedback we received as we unveiled the K9000 self-serve dog wash to the US car wash public last week. With 4 other dog washes on display (all the ramp and tub-like equipment), the K9000 was well received. The bottom line, you only get ONE chance to make it a pleasurable experience for a dog owner or they will NOT come back. If the experience is not good, you lose their return business. Installing the right equipment the right way will only INCREASE revenues and you'll have a true Pet Vending Profit Center.

Here is what we learned about the Ramp and tub-like equipment:

Issue #1: Steep ramp turns away washing revenue - yet car wash owners are still making some decent money with these systems. The bottom line is that most dogs do not know how to go up steep ramps... and because of the height, a lot of dogs will be scared (both of these design flaws increase liability as well, in my opinion). Imagine all of the dogs being turned away - owners that can't get their dogs up a steep ramp... dogs that aren't comfortable... And lastly, why would you want to work on your dog with your arms in the air? The tub is too high - it's uncomfortable for you and your pooch.
Resolution - The K9000's platform is at the right height for dogs to easily step into and on the washing area. Medium and large dogs are at comfortable heights for the dog owners so they don't have to fight gravity with arms getting tired and sore... believe, me it happens... even when I use the Pet Clin dog wash... with the platform all the way up, it's too high to wash and dry my 100 lbs lab. No dogs will be turned away with the K9000 and pet owners will be comfortable - and they will want to come back!

Issue #2: The MESS ... oh the mess - because of the ramp and tub-like systems, everyone thinks that a dog wash will require too much maintenance and will be a tragic mess every day. And it's true... poor drainage and no water containment means YOU, the owner, will have to wash this system after every dog wash (in most cases). But this is unnecessary with the right equipment and installation.
Resolution - Because the of the K9000's design, the water is contained... very little water will splash out if any. And because of the dual-hair traps built in to a practical drain system, you don't have to clean it out for 20-30 washes... why make it harder than is should be?

Issue #3: The Wrong Shampoo Products - Look, the reality is that car washes provide 'chemicals'. Most dog owners will NOT use the shampoo products unless they feel comfortable with the products. Car wash distributor and owners still use 'chemicals' and this is not good for dog wash business.
Resolution - The K9000 uses the highest-end shampoo products by Tropiclean - a name recognized by pet owners and the pet industry. Our shampoos are GREEN - all natural. They contain NO chemicals, NO soaps and NO detergents that will rinse away expensive flea treatments. And NO alcohols that will dry out the coat. With the proper shampoos, more time will be spent washing and the quality of wash will be as good as a groomer. This will ultimately increases your profits and client satisfaction.

We are in the pet industry, not the car wash industry ... and we need to re-educate the car wash industry about the little things that mean a lot to your overall revenue potential and success. Car washes see the tremendous potential with a dog wash profit center but it will take the right equipment, the right installation, the right price per wash and the right pet vending partner so that you all maximize your revenue with minimal maintenance.

Thanks for everyone's feedback this week. And thanks for the orders. Together, we will help solve a major problem all pet owners face. We are here to make it simple for you car wash owners. Trust us ... and look for our article next month in Professional Carwashing & Detailing Magazine.

Using the K9000 dog wash for the first time.

I washed my 100 lbs black lab and 25 lbs beagle today in the K9000 for the first time. How sweet it is! The platform is set at a perfect height. Not too high so that my arms didn't get tired and not too low so that I was bending over. Plus, it was very easy for my lab to get into the tub washing area. The water pressure is very nice and what we really like is that we have a conditioner option to clean him even better. My lab seemed to be very comfortable and able to look out. The dryer is amazing! We've used the Pet Clin unit numerous times and are familiar with that dryer - but the K9000 dryer is much more powerful, especially when on Turbo Dry. At the end of the cycle, what is really nice is that if your time expires, you still have about 20 seconds to deposit more money and extend the time. And with a few seconds left after Ike was dry, we used the disinfecting option and because of the design of the platform, there was virtually NO hair left in the tub... so it seemed to get a lot cleaner with the manual disinfecting option vs. Pet Clin's automatic disinfecting option. It's nice that I can disinfect before I start or after I start. I can get the tub area as clean as I want and have that control to feel most comfortable. The K9000 rocks! We absolutely love it! We are sure you will too!