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Dog washing duo celebrates 10 years of grooming success

Dena Ware grooms a dog named Mater at D & D Doggy Wash, a dog grooming salon she owns with her mother, Diania Clark, Dec. 23 in Middletown.

Staff photo by Nick Graham Dena Ware grooms a dog named Mater at D & D Doggy Wash, a dog grooming salon she owns with her mother, Diania Clark, Dec. 23 in Middletown.

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By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer 7:23 PM Tuesday, January 3, 2012

MIDDLETOWN — Diania Clark and Dena Ware started D&D Doggy Wash 10 years ago with one goal in mind — providing the best grooming experience possible for customers’ pets.

“We do it because we love to do it,” said Ware, who is Clark’s daughter. “It’s amazing how fortunate we have really been. We have such loyal customers.”

Those customers now number 3,009, not including how many dogs are owned by each, as opposed to the 500 or so customers the business served during its formative years, Ware said.

Located at 2903 Cincinnati-Dayton Road, the mother-daughter business has grown from having Clark and Ware as its only two employees to now employing five groomers and one bather. During busy times in the summer and December, the business adds another bather to keep up with client demand, Ware said.

Services at D&D include teeth cleaning and scaling, special baths for skin and fleas, walk-in nail and face trims and gland expressing.

Clark and Ware said they had no idea the business would be as successful as it has been, something she attributes to staffers believing in what they do and always striving to do their best.

“I think part of it also is that we’re very personable to the people and we do care about the pets and the people,” Ware said.

Clark said she is thankful for D&D’s loyal customers and for the staff of Krebs, Kohler and Minnix Veterinary Clinic. “They’ve recommended us a lot,” she said.

This past April, D&D Doggy Wash added boarding in the form of 12 kennels, which can accommodate up to 25 dogs.

Next month, the business plans to move to a new location at 995 N. Main St.

“It’s going to give us a more homey feel instead of a storefront,” Ware said

For more information, call (513) 424-8065.

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