Dirty Dawgz - North Dallas
Self-Serve Dog Wash & Spa

14902 Preston Road, Suite 722
Dallas, TX 75254
972-386-8175
www.dirtydawgz.net

Dirty Dawgz is a chain of self-serve dog washes located throughout the DFW area. People who would rather not bathe their dogs at home due to space constraints, convenience, or the messiness factor can bring their pooches to Dirty Dawgz and bathe them in a groomer-quality tub, dry them with a industrial strength blow dryer, and groom them with brushes and clippers provided by Dirty Dawgz. In an ongoing effort to keep my dogs cool during this heat wave, I decided to take Buster (who has experience with self-serve dog washes) to get a bath and cool down at the North Dallas location in the Pepper Square Shopping Center in Addison.

The Dirty Dawgz storefront is located between Hobby Lobby and Stein Mart, right next to A Different Breed Rescue Group. It's actually closer to Belt Line than Preston, so you may have a little trouble finding it at first. The grooming area has an open floor plan with bathtubs on one side and grooming tables on the other. There are only 4 tubs and 4 drying/combing stations so you may have to wait if they are all occupied, as I did on a Sunday afternoon. Actually when I arrived, there was only one other dog being bathed but the attendant on duty told me that the other tubs had to be cleaned first. I explained that this was my first time at this facility and I didn't know the ropes, so I didn't mind watching for a few minutes. While she vacuumed the floor and tubs, I saw another customer who was brushing out her large, shedding dog and I thought that would be an ideal situation for using this facility. This customer was able to brush out her dog in the cool, indoor grooming area and didn't have to worry about vacuuming up the random fur puffs that always seem to escape a grooming brush or having to brush her large dog for half an hour in the 100-degree heat.

After about ten minutes, the attendant told me I was free to use the bathtub bay. I picked up Buster to put him in the bay and he resisted as I knew he would, and she looped a flat nylon restraint over his neck and tightened it. Buster pulled a bit, and she (a bit forcefully) pulled him toward the shampoo nozzle. I reminded her that I didn't know how to use the equipment and she quickly gave me an overview of the shampooer. There are three options for the hose - rinse, tear-free shampoo, and conditioner. Simply turn the dial to "on" for the cycle that you want and make sure to turn that cycle off before turning the next cycle on. The attendant asked me if Buster had any allergies or skin conditions like hot spots, and I told her that he has dry, flaky skin. She recommended the Oatmeal shampoo and explained that it was $3 extra. (The base price for a bath is $14.50 according to the Dirty Dawgz website, but I didn't see a price list posted anywhere.) I told her the extra charge was fine, and she came back with a different shampoo (Tea Tree) which she told me was "better," but didn't say why. She gave me an apron and a few towels and left.

I rinsed Buster off first, then shampooed his body with the Tea Tree shampoo, rinsed him off again, shampooed his face with the tear-free shampoo, rinsed again, applied conditioner, and gave him a final rinse. I really liked the nozzle of the shampooer - it was really easy to control the flow of water. I was able to gently spray shampoo and water on Buster's face and then use more water pressure when shampooing his body and legs. The whole bathing process took less than 10 minutes. I towel-dried Buster and then carried him over to the drying station so I could use the blow dryer. (I noticed a blow dryer hose in the bathtub bay but the attendant didn't explain how to use it so I decided to pass on that.) There are small dryers under each grooming table that have two settings (High and Low) but there is no on/off switch. I looked around for the attendant to ask for instructions but didn't see her so I figured out that to turn it on, you simply need to plug it in. Buster is a short-haired breed, so it only took a few minutes to dry the rest of his coat completely.

I put Buster's harness back on and went to the reception area to pay and the attendant met me at the register. She offered to cut his nails, but I declined - I know Buster's fear of getting his nails cut would not match well with her apathetic demeanor. She asked for my name, address, email address and other contact information and then gave me the total - $18.94. It is a flat rate of $14.50 for the "Dirty Dawg Package" which includes shampoo, conditioner, towel, apron, grooming brushes, nail clippers, ear wash, blow dry, and after bath spray. The flat rate is just that - it doesn't depend on how long you take to bathe your dog, so people with long-haired dogs will appreciate that they will not be rushed while blow-drying their dog's coat. There is an additional $3-5 charge for their specialty shampoos and $12.50 extra to rent electric clippers if you want to give your dog a cut. That evening I (actually Buster) received an email from Dirty Dawgz thanking me for coming in.

Items to note: the specialty shampoos - as well as the brushes, clippers, and after-bath spray - are located on a cart in the grooming area. I didn't see this cart on my first visit because I was busy with Buster but I came back on a Tuesday to take photos and was able to see where all these extras were located. It would have been nice for the attendant to point those out to me on my first visit. The store has a limited selection of dog food, treats and rawhides for sale if your dog needs coaxing into the grooming area or you'd like to provide a reward for good behavior. There is also a pen for dogs to wait if someone is bathing multiple dogs and needs to keep one confined while working with another. The store also requires that you be there at least 30 minutes before closing, as that is the cut-off for the "last bath." If you will be using the clippers, you must be there 1.5 hours before closing.

The concept is wonderful and if you know the ropes, bringing your dogs here to be bathed can be a great experience. However, the staff that I encountered on the day I brought Buster and the day I came back for pictures did not seem to be very interested in helping me figure out what was what. The website does provide a lot of information on pricing and the different types of shampoos they have as well as their prices, so I would suggest doing some research before going to Dirty Dawgz, as the attendants were not very helpful on my visits. The $19 price may have been worth it if I'd elected to get Buster's nails clipped, used the brushes or after-bath spray, and had better customer service. In the future I may try another location to see if I get the same treatment from the attendants, but for now I'll stick to bathing my dogs at home or at a friendlier establishment.

For more information on Dirty Dawgz, please visit their website at www.dirtydawgz.net or email them at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it