It started with a layoff.
Roland Green had been working as a distribution manager at a newspaper in Colorado for more than a decade when suddenly his job was cut.
“I had a big severance pay and I was looking for my next step,” said Green, 45, who now lives in Hilo. “And then I saw one day, someone washing a dog on the side of the road in one of those (mobile pet grooming) vehicles. And I thought, ‘Oh that looks interesting.’”
That was 2012. Green said he’s “been addicted” to mobile pet grooming since. He used that hefty severance to become a franchise operator with The Pooch Mobile, a mobile dog wash franchise which began in Australia in 1991.
With one of the franchise’s custom-built mobile trailers, grooming tools and training, Green operated for about three years in the Denver area — washing nearly 1,000 canines in the process. Last year, he moved to Hawaii and now he’s hoping The Pooch Mobile concept will similarly resonate with Big Island residents.
“When I first moved to Hawaii, I saw there were a lot of mobile services and people wanting (a service) to come into their house to whatever they needed done,” Green said one recent afternoon while on-the-job in Hilo. “And this was the next step here.”
Mobile dog grooming isn’t new, but industry experts say the concept is becoming more popular. Wendy Booth, certification coordinator for the National Dog Groomers Association of America, Inc., — which offers an accreditation for groomers — said she’s seen an uptick in recent years in groomers successfully offering it.
“You simply park that van, and when you’re not using it, there’s the phone number on it and within the year you should have your clientele if you’re consistent and provide the business they’re expecting,” Booth said.
Most Big Island pet groomers don’t appear to offer mobile services. However Shear Magic Pet Salon in Hilo told the Tribune-Herald Friday it plans to offer mobile pet grooming soon.
And Charlie Rapoza, former owner of the now-defunct “Happy Tails To You” pet grooming business in Waimea, said he once hoped to expand to offer mobile grooming but ultimately never did.
Rapoza said Friday he thinks there’s a demand for mobile pet service locally so long as a groomer is able to solve additional challenges, such as added gas expenses from traveling around the island.
“(Mobile grooming) hasn’t caught on, on this island yet, but in talking to all my (former) customers, they would love it,” Rapoza said. “I do think there’s a demand and I think it could make money.”
Green doesn’t cut, shave or style, so he said he views his services for “in between grooming baths.” He said he’s been getting word out by driving around town with the trailer, posting on Craigslist and social media advertising.
Hilo resident Carol Galper said said she caught word of Green through an ad on Facebook. She owns two retrievers which she said are both prone to getting dirty and require regular grooming.
“I thought I’d give it a shot,” Galper said as she watched her golden retriever getting groomed one afternoon last month. “There’s definitely that level of ease where they come to you. I can be here, doing some computer work at home while they’re getting bathed. Or, I can stand outside here and watch.”
Green said business is at a trickle these days but ultimately, he’d like book up to 40 dogs per week. He’s participated in several community pet events including a charity wash in Waimea on Saturday.
“Working with dogs is just great,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else I would rather do. This is what I’ll be doing the rest of my life. It’s just that unconditional love.”
Green said his prices range from about $50 to $90, depending on the size of the dog. He said he adds an extra travel charge for customers who live far outside the Hilo area. The washing process takes about an hour, he said, and can include a bath, brush, ear and eye cleaning, drying, aromatherapy, deodorizing and the dreaded nail clipping.
To contact Green, call 990-5040.
