FALMOUTH — The large number of registered dogs in the area has convinced Matthew Camp to take the plunge and open a dog spa.
His Maine Soggy Dog grooming business is in the former Radio Shack space in the Falmouth Shopping Center on U.S. Route 1.
The business offers self-service dog washes and full-service grooming, along with dog treats, toys and what he calls “other accoutrements for our four-legged friends.”
Camp is planning a grand opening celebration on Aug. 26, which happens to be National Dog Day.
On that day, Maine Soggy Dog will donate $5 from every self-service dog wash to the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland and will also give a free wash to someone who adopts a dog from a local shelter.
Camp came up with the idea for a dog spa after taking his own dog, a black Lab named Casco, to Portland to be washed for the past 10 years.
“I didn’t find it very convenient,” Camp said. “I pulled a demographic for registered dogs in the Falmouth area and the numbers were overwhelming. So after 30 years in the boating business, I decided there was a need” for this type of service locally.
According to Camp, there are “some 27,000 dogs within 10 miles of our location. People love their pets and I feel that is especially true here.”
Camp said he has always loved dogs.
He grew up on a farm in Vermont, where his family bred and raised Labs and Chesapeake Bay retrievers, so he has “always had a soft spot for dogs.”
Camp said he and his wife have three children, “but our first child is our 10-year-old black Lab.”
Maine Soggy Dog is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Camp has one employee helping run the spa day-to-day, as well as two groomers, and is looking for more.
He said the Falmouth Shopping Center is the perfect spot for Maine Soggy Dog, citing “location, location, location.”
“I used to build West Marine stores from Hawaii to Puerto Rico,” Camp said, “and it was always location that made those stores successful. So, when the Radio Shack space opened up for lease, I jumped at it.”
Kate Irish Collins can be reached at 710-2336 or kcollins@theforecaster.net. Follow Kate on Twitter: @KirishCollins.
Dog owners can wash their pets or get a full-service grooming package at the new Maine Soggy Dog business in the Falmouth Shopping Center.
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