Clean as a (dog) whistle

A French entrepreneur has come up with what could be called a laundromutt.

He invented the Dog-O-Matic, a sort of dishwasher/car wash/dryer for pooches.

Here's the story from the Daily Mail.

For anywhere from about $20 all the way up to $47 — depending on the size of the dog being washed — the machine will wet down, soap up and dry off your Fluffy.

It takes about half an hour. The inventor, Romaine Jerry, said it doesn't harm the dog.

"It doesn't take long to wash the dog — usually a few minutes. The longest part is the drying. The dogs don't seem to get bored. They just sit there and they come out clean."

I'm not sure the dog really appreciates being cooped up in a box and having all this soap and water thrown at it.

Sort of reminds of the joke where the dog is telling his friends about the time he was stuck in the car while it went through a car wash.

"And then the thunder came from all directions. And suddenly stopped."

Dogs get all wet during competition

If the smell of wet dog gets to you, stay away from Ledgewood Kennels this weekend.

The 2007 Kiki Classic will be held Friday through Sunday at the kennels' outdoor jumping pool in the Town of North East.

During the competition, a dog's handler will toss an object into the water and the dog will (usually) get a running start and leap in after it. The dogs are judged on distance jumped.

There are competitions throughout each day. You can find the schedule here.

The picture above — taken last year by Journal photographer Darryl Bautista — is of Holley, a 4-year-old chocolate lab, with Rande Murphy of Elma, N.Y.

Ledgewood Kennels is located at 639 Smithfield Road in the Town of North East. If you can get to Route 22 north of Amenia, you are almost there.

The competition is a lot of fun. The dogs really seem to enjoy it, and so do the owners. Unfortunately, I could never get Kate to participate in any activity where she had to get wet.

Just don't get too close to the dogs soon after they climb out of the pool.