Soap Doggy-Dog: Car wash goes to the dogs

Jonathan Menard

Lexi gets a bath from her owner at a new dog wash that opened in Destrehan.

Drivers taking their vehicles in for a quick wash in Destrehan might be surprised to see families with dogs trailing them into the facility on Longview Drive. But Edmond Tassin, who owns the car wash, sees dollar signs.

Tassin has recently unveiled the first dog wash in the parish. The machine, which is similar to a do-it-yourself car wash, is equipped with a spray hose and dryer. Any size dog is able to sit in a metal tub while its owner chooses from various options that include shampoo, flea shampoo, rinse, condition and blow dry.

The dog wash costs $10 for 10 minutes and a clip inside the tub keeps the dogs strapped in throughout the process.

"People have been amazed when they see it," Tassin said. "They tell me how impressed they are with how well the wash works."

Tassin was in Houston looking at parts for his car wash business when he noticed the small machine with a dog painted on it.

"I was really curious about it and they told me they had just gotten a patent to start making a car wash for dogs," Tassin said. "A few months later I bought it."

Tassin covered the wash with a canopy and also left a spot for another dog wash machine, which he plans to purchase in the future.

"We have only been open for three weeks, but the word is starting to get out and a lot of people have been using it," he said.

Tassin said almost everyone that has brought a dog to the wash does so with a child in tow.

"The kids love it," he said. "They have a lot of fun choosing the options and getting to clean their dog."

Ron Dantoni lives near the dog wash and has brought all three of his dogs to the machine.

"It’s nice to be able to take them out of the house for a walk and then give them a bath," he said. "You don’t have to worry about them rolling around in the grass while you are trying to clean them.

"This wash also does a great job."

The dog wash is located in the rear of Krystal Klear Car Wash, 152 Longview Drive.