At $50 billion, the pet industry is huge, and growing. One of the fun things about being a part of it is discovering cool entrepreneurs who are finding ingenious ways to help us care for and have fun with our dogs. One of these people is Chris Crawford from Carlsbad, CA. An avid outdoorsman, Chris has invented the RinseKit, a portable, high-pressure mini-shower for washing off your stuff, your dog, your feet … anything, before getting into your car, tent or home.
How many times have you come back to the car from the dog park, lake, or a walk through the woods with your dog, only to look down in dismay at those muddy feet, that drenched fur, that smelly coat? I know I have. And what I’ve done is just bite the bullet. That’s life with dogs, right? You wait for the mud to dry and then take the car to a car wash with a vacuum. But what if you could quickly shower off the dog (or his feet at least) before letting him into the car? 
The RinseKit stores not only water, but water pressure. So when you squeeze the hose attachment, you actually have water pressure to spray off mud, leaves, sand … even ants.
Yes, ants.
I live in the land of fire ants and my big dumb 50-pound puppy stood (not stepped, STOOD) in an ant hill a month or two back. Her front paws were COVERED in biting ants. My little water bottle was pathetic, and with her fur, there was no brushing them off with our hands. Fortunately, we were at the lake, so my quick-thinking 7 year old snapped the leash on her and ran her down to stand in the lake. What if we hadn’t been right on the shore? I would have loved having this thing to get those ants off her quickly.
This bad boy can clean off whatever your dog tracks in. It’s so much better than trying to clean up with a dinky water bottle. That is, if you have any water left in it. And the little paw towels that you can buy at the pet supply store? Those are great when the mess isn’t very … messy. But I have tried using towels for mud, and maybe it’s me, but they just don’t work.
Having grown up in New England, I could see using it to get rid of those awful ice balls that form on dogs’ fur when they’ve been playing in the snow. You know, those days when it’s above freezing, but still cold enough for snow, and your dog is dying to go play in it. My long-haired Dachshund used to come back to the car with dozens — nay, hundreds — of ice balls in his coat. For some reason, ice balls take forever to melt. And when they do, they leave tons of water in your car. Wouldn’t you love to just spray them off, then quick-dry your dog’s legs and paws before hoisting him up into the car? He’s dry in minutes, his feet are clean, and he doesn’t have to spend the entire drive home sitting on what feels like four dozen quail eggs (not to mention the big ice balls that form between his toes).
What about those times when your dog steps in … well, you know. I’ve spent my fair share of time trying to dig it out of my dogs’ toes with whatever probe I could find, wiping it off with wet wipes or towels (then where do you put THOSE?), and generally cussing out people who don’t clean up after their dog. If I had a pressurized spray shower, I could blast the offending bits off my dog’s feet (or my own) and be on my way.
The RinseKit is catching on with campers, surfers, fishing enthusiasts, parents, and dog owners. A strong rinse, when ever you need it, is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, the orders are coming in faster than Chris can make them. So he’s gone to crowdfunding to ramp up the manufacture. The first 200 people to contribute $50 or more get a RinseKit later this year. The project ends July 15, so don’t delay.
Get more info at http://www.rinsekit.com or be a part of it by backing this project at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/165845490/breakthrough-portable-shower-system
Disclosure: I have no connection with Chris Crawford or his company, have received no payment for this article, and only found out about the RinseKit a couple of weeks ago. I just think it’s neat, and I thought you would, too.
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