Jeff and Sara Alexander have been visiting the Washington Coast since February of 2001, which also marked their first date together. Both being from California and having a deep love for the ocean, it was always a memorable trip when they visited Grays Harbor from their then home of Poulsbo.
In 2010, the couple got their first German Shorthaired Pointer Zeppelin. Jeff and Sara picked up their second Pointer, Xenia, a year later and their third, Willow, a year after that and brought them along on their many trips to the beach. In 2014, after paying for pet friendly hotels for years, Jeff and Sara decided to buy a weekend cabin near the ocean and found the perfect place in Copalis Beach.
Fast forward to July 2018.
Sara was offered a job as body shop manager and estimator at Whitney’s Chevrolet in Montesano. “We always wanted to live on the coast and promised our dogs that if given the opportunity to move to the coast, we would,” says Jeff. “At this time we had gotten our fourth Pointer, Yoshi. Sara moved to the beach cabin and I stayed in Poulsbo until November of 2018 when I finally got my chance to leave the printing industry after 38 years.”
When Jeff moved to Grays Harbor, he knew that he and Sara needed to start a business but were unsure of which direction to take. “I walk our dogs from Copalis Beach to Ocean City every morning, seven days a week, 365 a year, no exceptions,” states Jeff. “Pointers need exercise!”
One very cold, nasty winter day after Jeff and the dogs’ morning walk, he loaded them up in his car. When he got in, all he could smell was a dead seal stench. It was so putrid that he couldn’t get home fast enough even with every window rolled down. After washing three out of the four dogs, their very small bathroom was destroyed. “I thought to myself, why isn’t there a self dog wash out here?” questioned Jeff. “Then, it hit us. Why don’t we open a self dog wash? That’s when the idea for Dirty Dogs Self Dog Wash fell into place.”
Jeff and Sara didn’t have to do a ton of research because they knew that there are plenty of dog owners in the North Beach area, not to mention the thousands of yearly tourists. “We envisioned an open place that had a spa feel to it with an earthy aura,” states Jeff. “Sara and I also wanted to help people understand basic pet maintenance such as nail trimming, ear cleaning and, especially, paying attention to why your pet has any odors.”
Dirty Dogs Self Dog Wash is happy to now be able to assist locals and tourists who want the irritant of sand washed out from their pup before the long ride home. Their store is open seven days a week, Monday- Saturday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. and closed for lunch Monday- Friday 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Call (360) 660-5578 or email verydirtydogs@gmail.com with any questions.
Next time you bring your furry friend to the North Beach area for some fun on the sandy shores, stop by 115 Shoal St. NE in Ocean Shores and give them a nice shampoo that’ll leave them feeling happy and clean for days to come.
