The Prodigal Pooch Loses Odors, Gains Clients Thanks To No-Touch Cleaning System

The Prodigal Pooch is a dog boarding and training operation located in in Defuniak Springs, FL. Recently purchased by husband-and-wife team Blake Pilgreen and Kelly Fox Pilgreen, the 2,000-square-foot facility houses up to 23 dogs in individual Mason kennels. Eight full and part-time employees help care for the dogs.

Without a drainage system integrated into The Prodigal Pooch’s slab concrete floors, staff resorted to cleaning the kennel areas with spray bottles, rags, and mops. The results, predictably, stank. “The bacteria and dog smell were constant,” says Pilgreen. “My staff were not cleaning but just moving the mess around.”

It was a problem everyone noticed. Employees complained of feeling ill due to the odor. One client suggested plug-in deodorizers to mask the problem. And Pilgreen was having trouble booking potential clients. “They would take a tour, smile politely, say thanks, and I would never hear back,” he admits.

Frustrated, Pilgreen reached out to a Facebook Doggy Day Care group for suggestions. There he found other kennel owners raving about No-Touch Cleaning® systems from Kaivac. On that recommendation, he bought the KaiVac® 1250 model.

The change at The Prodigal Pooch was immediate. After just two days of using the technology the look, smell, and feel in the kennel rooms improved. Two weeks later the odor was completely gone.

Staff morale also improved. Workers now spend only five minutes cleaning a kennel instead the usual 10 to 15 minutes of intense scrubbing and wiping. They also appreciate never having to get on their hands and knees to clean an accident. Perhaps most impressive, no one has taken a sick day since the switch.

Clients notice the difference too. “They tell me this place smells different and the dogs smell different,” reports Pilgreen “And that one dog owner who suggested plug-ins emailed me to say the smell is completely gone.”

Pilgreen reports that the KaiVac 1250 saves him money on laundry and cleaning chemical. But what really delights him is his much-improved conversion rate for new clients. “Since moving to the No-Touch Cleaning system I have has booked every tour that came through,” he says.

Pilgreen plans to buy a second machine to speed cleaning further. And if he expands to a second location without floor drains, he will purchase a third. “My staff and I are Kaivac’ers for life!”