Alex Keithley and Tracy Clark have been already working one of the dog-friendly spots in Santa Barbara. And that’s earlier than Keithley, who additionally owns a line of home made canine merchandise, and Clark, her lifelong buddy, opened their most conspicuously canine enterprise — The Dirty Dog Wash & Goods.
If you’ve stopped by their Yellow Belly Tap & Restaurant, chances are high you’ve met them — 9 years into business, Keithley and Clark nonetheless ring up orders, bus tables, and chat with the various regulars and newcomers that pack the comfortable, cabin-like institution. Yellow Belly has been a neighborhood favourite ever since coming to De la Vina and Constance, close to the triple junction of Oak Park, Samarkand, and Upper State and Santa Barbara’s residential coronary heart. Now, Keithley and Clark are turning the block right into a one-stop store for each species. Their Dirty Dog Wash & Goods has moved in simply two doorways down from the restaurant.
When they opened Yellow Belly in 2014, Keithley and Clark noticed not solely a necessity for scrumptious burgers and revolving beers on faucet, however a community-oriented, dog-positive area. “We always had bowls and treats, and I didn’t see a lot of that at the time,” Keithley stated. With The Dirty Dog, they’ve completed a form of vertical integration, now making and promoting the leashes, bowls, and treats — in addition to the correct hygiene — that any canine must take pleasure in their keep at Yellow Belly or elsewhere.
Keithley and Clark had been cautious to develop. But when their Yellow Belly landlord approached them a couple of canine wash going out of business only a stone’s throw from their restaurant, “it fell into our laps,” Keithley stated. “As a kid, I always thought I’d work with animals. This wash was here for 25 years. People were sad when it was gone, and we wanted to serve the community.” Keithley was already making ceramic bowls and leather-based leashes, methods she picked up at SBCC’s persevering with ed program and an apprenticeship with a saddle-maker years in the past. These merchandise fall beneath Wiley Mutt, a model Keithley began through the pandemic and peddles to native retailers reminiscent of Westward General and MĀCHER. Now, it’s bought a eternally home at her and Clark’s storefront.
The Dirty Dog affords 5 self-serve baths, however there’s additionally a full-service wash station and even area for impartial groomers to hire, very like a barbershop. With a versatile schedule and loads of provides — DIYers can swing by anytime to brush, wash, and hearth up the pet blow-dryer and a cologne or fragrance spritz — self-serve is for now the sweetest, hottest deal. Want to go away it to the professionals as an alternative? Book an appointment that features an ear cleansing, a gland expression — vital however not so DIY-able — and a 15-minute full-body brush, together with add-ons like conditioning, nail filing, and even de-skunking. All canine sizes, and aromas, welcome.
So are shyer or extra anxious furry associates. With every wash, “everything is open for the customer to see, and we cater it to the dog’s personality,” Keithley added. With dogs typically out-numbering people, it may be numerous personalities in a single room, and he or she’s been proud of the open area and superb girls and boys freely getting alongside.
[Click to enlarge] Credit: Silas Fallstich
It’s not in contrast to the convivial Yellow Belly vibe. “We want to know our customers and know their families. It’s really fun to do both things. Customers at Yellow Belly will come here, and then of course we get to see both [owner and pet] over there, too.” They’re additionally prepared for brand-new house owners. Adopt from Santa Barbara Humane and also you’ll earn a free Dirty Dog wash, together with normal data and a plethora of merchandise to make sure your pup has every part they want earlier than they’re home.
For Keithley, business is just not solely familial — her siblings and father run Crushcakes and Giovanni’s — however deeply private. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, she and Clark have been associates for greater than 30 years, they usually carry their native data, service chops, and love for animals to this neighborhood they’ve fostered on north De la Vina, the place dogs and their people can seize a chunk, a drink, and now a wash, a leash, and one thing to chew on. At least, us bipeds can take pleasure in these first two — in addition to a clear, glad canine.
2601 De la Vina St.; Thu.-Tue., 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; (805) 770-3130; thedirtydogsb.com
