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CHICAGO — As summer winds to an end, crowds are flocking to Chicago beaches to squeeze in a little more sand and sun. And if you’re a dog, it doesn’t get any better than a run on a sandy beach.
The Montrose Beach in Chicago provides great fun for the furry set, but a mess for their owners who are left cleaning up all the wet sand left behind.
But that changed two months ago when one Chicago dog owner decided to do something about it.
“There was no water whatsoever, so thousands of people still came here every weekend but they’d have to take their wet sandy dog into their car,” says Paul Fehrenbacher, co-founder of Mutt Jackson.
Paul asked the Chicago Parks Department to add some water hoses but was told it was too late to add water lines. So he came up with his own idea: dog washing stations powered by a monster generator just yards from the dog beach.
It took five years to get approval, but finally Paul brought in his lakefront mutt spa.
Dog owners have loved it and even call it a “game changer.”
Paul didn’t want just your standard tub. He wanted the works. So he went for a top of the line Australian designed wash station that not only rinses but runs the shampoo and conditioner right through the water hose. It makes quick work of a sloppy dog.
You can even choose a special flea and tick rinse before blow drying Fido to pre-beach perfection.
“I think we lived up to the hype,” Paul says. “It’s fantastic. So much so that we are going have to get additional machines. (There will be) one more this year and a fourth next year.”
In just two months time, thousands of dogs smell a little better coming off Montrose Beach, thanks to Paul’s outdoor dog washing stations.
The generator fueling the Montrose Beach dog washing station is so strong, they expect it will keep the water a perfect warm temperature right through October giving these dogs at least another two months of sandy romps.
