Our Story

Devney Friel-Schenk and Phil Schenk love dogs. So, in September of 2009 when the Elkview area couple was looking for a business opportunity, it didn’t take long to look at something involving dogs. They had used self-service dog washes and thought there might be a better way to do it. They started researching on line and talking to people about the idea. The result is Belly scRubs Self Service Pet Wash and Dog Center.

Belly scRubs is in Teays Valley, right on State Route 34 in the Lakeview Plaza next to Goin’ Postal. “It’s here because this is where the dogs and dog people are,” says Phil. He did research in Kanawha and Putnam County and found that Putnam has had a 62% increase in dog licenses in the 3 prior years. They found a location where they could put the wash units right up in the big picture window to show everyone that it’s a clean, pleasant place to bring your dog.

Soon after it opened, customers were asking if Belly scRubs could groom dogs, too. At first Phil and Devney contracted with “The Fur’s A-Flyin'” and later hired their own groomers who have been building up a great reputation ever since. Belly scRubs now grooms 6 days a week by appointment. We are recognized as one of the best grooming shops around with a 4.8 star rating average on FaceBook and 4.7 on Google. We have been voted Best Groomer in 2 area newspaper polls for 3 years in a row.

Because it’s self-service, Belly scRubs is open 24/7.  Phil says, “It’s just like the old car washes where you put your money in and dial up what you want to do. Instead of wash and wax, we have shampoo and condition.”  Belly scRubs has two wash bays. The shampoo is built in so there is no need to bring your own. There’s even towels you can use, so you don’t need to bring those! The unit also has a blow dryer and a way to disinfect the tub. Please view our “how-to” video to see the self-serve in action.

There is also a “Dog Center” featuring “hard-to-get” dog items. Right now, the Dog Center has the Fromm brand line of natural dog foods and a line of herbal remedies for common dog problems such as skin and fur issues, digestion issues and even a non-drug elixir to calm nervous dogs. And we have collars, leads and more.