Dogs can be messy. But 150 to 200 dogs per day can be especially messy. For Matt and Shannon Bergman, owners of Wag ‘N Paddle, image is everything, and maintaining a clean pet care facility is crucial. Wag ‘N Paddle is a unique dog care facility in Napierville, IL. More than 150 four-legged visitors per day means as many owners walking in the door. That doesn’t include prospective customers who may stop in at any time, and any visitor who walks in the door gets an instant view of most of the facility.
“We’re the only daycare, boarding facility, and indoor dog park in America where you can walk in at any time and see what your dog sees,” Matt says. “We don’t schedule tours to allow us time to clean and prepare. We have to be on our game at all times. People want a safe and clean place for their pets, and they will call you out on anything.”
Matt and his team stay on top of their game with a Kaivac 2750 No-Touch Cleaning® system. Shannon learned about the system, and it was one of the last purchases before they opened for business.
“She told me, ‘I found this machine. Look at what it does. It’s awesome,” he says. “So, we scheduled a demo, which was great. But once we got our machine, we quickly figured out all the ways we could use it to clean our facility. The demo didn’t do it justice.”
Nothing But the Best for Pets
Wag ‘N Paddle is unique among pet boarding and daycare facilities. The Bergmans opened it in 2018 as a place where dog owners can bond with their dogs year-round through play and exercise.
They offer the usual kennel for boarding and daycare, along with an outdoor play area. Step inside, however, and you’ll find a spacious, fully equipped and climate-controlled dog park. They even have three heated-indoor pools for doggy swim lessons and supervised play. There is also a multipurpose room and a self-serve area for bathing dogs.
“But we don’t do any grooming ourselves,” Matt says. “We want dogs to come here and have fun. They don’t go to the groomer for fun,” he laughs. “If they don’t have fun here at bath time, that’s on their families.”
An Easy Way to Clean Pet Care Areas
The bathing area was the most obvious candidate for No-Touch Cleaning, which was developed for quick and easy restroom cleaning. The Wag ‘N Paddle team uses it to spray pet-friendly disinfectant before rinsing with the indoor power washer. Then they use the powerful vacuum to remove soils, water, and residue. The machine cleans pools, restrooms, floors, and more throughout the facility. They even installed fiberglass panels over walls made of concrete and drywall to allow for cleaning with the system.
“We literally changed our infrastructure to make it easier to clean with the Kaivac,” Matt says.
He also appreciates the ability to fill the machine inside before using it outside to clean play areas, where there is no direct access to hot water.
According to Matt, the biggest impact of No-Touch Cleaning is in the kennel area, which holds up to 50 dogs at a time for daycare and overnight boarding. It’s important to keep the area clean for the health of their furry visitors as well as the staff who cares for them. Matt notes that Kaivac is up to the task.
“It’s a game changer,” he says. “I can knock out the kennel room from top to bottom in an hour, leaving it completely sanitized.”
A Clean and Fun Environment that Gets Them Noticed
Customers are noticing Wag N’ Paddle for their unique offerings and for the level of cleanliness they can expect. In fact, they have been voted as the top indoor dog park at BringFido.com.
“We couldn’t keep it that clean without the No-Touch Cleaning machine,” Matt says. “Whether it’s for a weekly deep clean or random spot-cleaning throughout the day, there hasn’t been a single day since we opened when we haven’t used our Kaivac.”
A Smaller but Powerful Breed
The Bergmans and their team at Wag ‘N Paddle appreciate their No-Touch Cleaning system so much that they’ve ordered a second machine – a smaller 1250 model with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, which will help them respond quickly to unexpected cleanups throughout the facility.
“It will really help us in the kennel area,” Matt says. “It’s smaller and doesn’t require a cord, so it will be easier to maneuver through the tight corners and spaces in that room.”
Matt says he knows the work that goes into keeping any pet care facility clean, and he likes saving time and energy by using No-Touch Cleaning. It lets the team spend more time on what really matters.
“You see a guy come in after working hard all day and he can spend 20 minutes unwinding by playing with his dog in a fun and clean space,” he says. “That means a lot to people, and I know we’ve built something special to give them that chance. We couldn’t do this without our machine. I don’t know how any similar business could do it without one.”
