‘Game-changing’ domestic dog shower backed by support funding package

Support funding through GM Business Growth Hub has enabled an Ashton-under-Lyne company to launch the UK’s first domestic home dog shower.

Described as a game-changing product which is set to revolutionise pet washing for owners, engineering design firm Fabricon Design’s Incredible Dog Shower has been four years in the making.

Rebecca Lee, Project and Compliance Manager at Fabricon, had the idea when her daughter bought a cockapoo puppy four years ago and she realised there was a gap in the market.

She said: “Taking him out for walks was brilliant, arriving back home less so. There’d be the rigmarole of bringing him through the house and up the stairs to the bathroom, and then trying to clean his paws.

“I’d look at the state of the carpets, walls and furniture afterwards and there’d be a trail of destruction. The alternative was to hose him down outside, which was unpleasant for both of us.”

Rebecca Lee

Fabricon Design delivers aluminium, plastics and steel component designs to a variety of sectors. Rebecca convinced her firm’s Managing Director, Mark Bushdyhan, of the merits of the dog shower. She thought a key selling point would be its easy installation – no plumber required.

Rebecca said: “My vision was for something that could be installed by anyone – in the same way that you don’t need a plumber to fit a washing machine – and seamlessly integrated into homes alongside other appliances and sinks.”

Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub introduced Rebecca to Innovate UK EDGE which provided £15,000 in funding and opened up a link to the National Composite Centre for composite design support.

Rebecca said: “Once the design and development had finished, the Hub helped us bring the dog shower to market. I can’t thank all the team enough.”

Head of Innovation, Yvonne Grady, at GM Business Growth Hub, said: “We have loved working with Rebecca, Mark and the team at Fabricon Design, who have shown passion, dedication and strong commitment to this project, which is going to benefit millions of dog owners, not just in Ashton and Greater Manchester but in the UK and further afield, too.

“It’s truly a game-changer – allowing dog owners to wash their dog in an easy and practical way, without having to use much larger, more difficult facilities.”