Longmeadow Shops hosts Hydrodog Charity Dog Wash

Oct. 16, 2019 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

Jody Maple, owner of the Hydrodog Mobile Grooming Salon gets ready to dry Nash, an Australian Shepherd, after his bath.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

LONGMEADOW – Nash, a one-and-a-half-year-old Australian Shepherd, popped his head out of the bathtub to look at his owner, James Christensen. While Nash wasn’t thrilled about having a bath, he was willing to let Jody Maple of Hydrodog bathe him for charity.

Nash was one of 34 dogs whose owners lined up to participate in the Hydrodog Charity Dog Wash to benefit the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield. The dog-shaped mobile grooming salon came to The Longmeadow Shops on Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We just heard about the event, so we came out to support Dakin,” said Christensen. They certainly weren’t alone. Melissa Pevay, marketing manager for The Longmeadow Shops, said people started showing up at 10:30 a.m.

To keep people and their dogs entertained while they waited up to an hour and a half for their turn, Mike Sliba of Magic Marker Studios offered a free caricature of  pets whose owners had come out to the event. Magic Marker Studios specializes in art that includes caricatures, face and body painting, airbrushing, and glitter tattoos.

An ice cream truck from Batch was also on hand.

Pevay said the idea for the event came from the Longmeadow Shops’ property manager who saw the Hydrodog salon around town. He decided to host them for an event that would benefit the community.

Maple and his wife, Lesley,  donate their services for a variety of causes including Dakin, Rainbow Rescues, and T.J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center.

“We try to do it at least once a month,” Lesley said. Their next charity dog wash was slated for  Dave’s Soda and Pet City in Agawam on Oct. 12. This time the proceeds were to benefit  Kane’s Krusade, an organization that works to keep pets with their families through tenant advocacy, among other services.

Hydrodog is a franchise that originated in Australia, Lesley said, although the Maples’ Hydrodog was the first one in the U.S. She said part of the reason they began the business was to give back to the community at these charity events.

Each bath cost $20 for an average-sized dog, $30 for giant breeds, and 100 percent of the proceeds went to Dakin. The five-hour event raised over $800 for the charity.

“We were so busy that we had to turn folks away at the end, which we feel terrible about,” said Pevay. “We hope to host a charity dog wash again next year.”

More information about the shops  can be found at thelongmeadowshops.com and Maple can be reached at 327-7400 or jody@hydrodog.com.

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