MASON CITY – Mason City’s relatively new dog park has helped spawn a new business: A do-it-yourself doggie wash.
Opened by Greg Hodak in mid-May, The Laundro-Mutt is for washing your dog (or pet). It is conveniently located at the corner of 13th Street NE and Elm Drive, directly across the street from Mason City’s dog park.
What is unique about the Laundro-Mutt is the do-it-yourself dog washing station Mr. Hodak has available to customers. Right now, it is located in the parking lot out front of the building. It is a machine, compete with a bay your pup sits in. It has a sprayer with a long hose and different soaps to choose from. The cost is $8 for ten minutes of use. The machine takes cash or credit cards and is even available outside of business hours, which are 8 AM to 8 PM. There are also doggie goodies and treats for sale inside the store.
Friday afternoon, a woman had brought her good-sized dog over to the Laundro-Mutt for a good hose-down. He was pretty much covered in mud after a romp in the dog park, which is a little muddy at this time due to all the rains, lately. Greg’s daughter pitched in to help clean the dog as the owner stood by. The dirt, grime and mud easily washed away in no time, and no mess was brought home or into the lady’s car.
Mr. Hodak said business has been “steady” since he opened, and hopes the dog washing station catches on with folks. With the help of some of his students at Ellsworth Community College, he created a large sign for the west side of his building. He is continuously added new pieces to his business, he said.