Scott and Ginny Smith, along with their 3-year-old Boston terrier, Lido, opened Stinky Dawg in May 2013. The business offers professional and self-serve dog washing and grooming services.[/caption]

Scott Smith, who co-owns Stinky Dawg with his wife Ginny Smith, called the moment when his wife realized what she wanted to do with her life a “eureka moment.”

Ginny was working as an auditor for a hospital system in 2012 when she heard the news that her employer was relocating from San Antonio to Dallas. That news turned out to be just the push she needed to start her own venture, Scott said.

“She kind of fiddled around and looked around for the same type of job, but all the while [she had a] sort of nagging idea of, ‘I want to do my own thing, and I want it to be based around dogs or pets,’” Scott said.

As Scott tells it, one day his wife came home from work and said she knew what she wanted to do: start a self-serve dog washing business. After a quick Internet search revealed what the business model entailed, Scott was on board.

“I couldn’t get a small-business loan, and I maxed out all of my credit cards,” Ginny said. “It’s been a year and a half, and we have two groomers now. So we’re off to a good start.”

Stinky Dawg allows dog owners to wash their pet at the business’s facility using a variety of cleaning supplies, such as shampoos, scrubber brushes, ear and eye wipes, an after-bath spritz, towels and dryers. The business also provides services from professional groomers.

“There are some people, like college students, who can’t afford professional grooming, or they have large dogs so it’s hard to wash them in an apartment, so they can come here and wash them themselves,” Ginny said.

The business has been growing steadily, Ginny said. Regular customers make a habit of stopping by the store to introduce new pets, and she is getting the business’s name out through involvement with local animal shelters. Ginny said when the Kyle-based PAWS Shelter or San Marcos Animal Shelter receives a dog she washes and grooms it for free. Ginny also makes a point of providing newly adopted dogs with a free wash on their first visit to her business, she said.

Scott, who works as a restaurant manager, said it feels good knowing the couple was able to start a business without the backing of a loan or outside investors.

“A lot of independent business owners struggle because they don’t get the right start,” Scott said. “We knew that if we were going to do this, we wanted to do it right.”

Doing it “right” meant starting with a makeover for their business’s building. The floors were replaced and the walls painted to create a clean, inviting atmosphere, Ginny said.

The Smiths also put a premium on making their service convenient for their customers. The washtubs are waist-high to prevent stress on customers’ backs while washing their dogs. Additionally, special drains prevent fur from clogging the tubs, which can hold up to 650 pounds.

Prices for self-serve dog washes are $10–$18 based on the size of the dog. A professional wash costs $20. The business also provides haircuts and grooming services for $40–$90 based on the breed of the dog.