Familiar faces behind new Warner Robins DIY dog wash & grooming salon

Amanda Weiss and her mom, Mary Jane “MJ” Weiss, are back with a new DIY dog wash and grooming business in Warner Robins.

Tub & Towel DIY Dog Wash & Grooming provides all the supplies needed for customers to walk-in and wash their dogs in raised tubs and blow dry them afterward at a grooming table.

The mother-and-daughter team also offer one-on-one dog grooming and nail trimming for dogs, cats and guinea pigs.

The duo previously operated Muddy Mutt & Mercantile with the same business concept from 2017 to 2021, first in a strip mall next to Endless Love Pet Palace off Carl Vinson Parkway and then moving to 408 North Houston Road in 2019.

They closed Muddy Mutt & Mercantile in January 2021 to take a break, with Weiss starting The Dog House: House Call Grooming in 2022. Still in operation on Tuesdays, her mobile business brings the dog salon into people’s homes.

In July, the duo opened Tub & Towel at the former Muddy Mutt & Mercantile location at 408 North Houston Road. The space previously served from 2021 to late 2025 as home to the nonprofit animal rescue Paws in Middle Georgia, which is raising funds to build or purchase a permanent facility after their lease was not renewed.

“I decided to change the name to Tub and Towel because I’m providing the tub, the towel, the water, the conditioner, and it’s kind of catchy,” said Amanda Weiss, who owns Tub & Towell. “It’ll catch people’s eye.”

The idea for her DIY dog wash, which started with Muddy Mutt & Mercantile, came from her own experience washing her three dogs at home and from suggestions from customers when she worked as a dog groomer.

“One day I’m washing my Boston Terrier in the bathtub, and I go, ‘There’s got to be an easier way of doing this,’ because you’re bent over the tub, it was hurting my back, and then trying to get her into the tub and washing her. The water’s going over. I said, ‘There’s got to be a facility or some place around here to do it.’

“At the time, there was only Tractor Supply and Pet Supplies Plus available. So I said, ‘Hmm, I’m going to start my first small business do-it-yourself dog wash,’ and it’s a great place for people to come in, and it doesn’t cost as much as a full-service grooming, and they could do it all themselves. They don’t have to bend over the tub. They don’t have to clean up the mess.”

Brandi McDonough of Warner Robins was washing Rhino, her 196-pound, 3-year-old Great Dane, on a recent visit to Tub & Towel.

She was excited to see the mother-and-daughter duo reopen their DIY dog wash and grooming salon.

McDonough’s former dog, a black lab named Zeus, who died at age 18, was a regular customer when the business was Muddy Mutt & Mercantile.

“They’ve always been great,” McDonough said. “Even when they were mobile, I recommended them to other people because they are just such a great pair. They’re wonderful with dogs.

“I’d wash him myself, she’d do his nails for me because momma couldn’t touch the nails.”

McDonough highly recommends Tub & Towel.

“It’s a very comfortable place, and if you’re not sure exactly what to do, all you have is ask questions, and they’ll answer the questions …They’ll teach you the proper way to bathe a dog, too.”

How does Tub & Towel work?

“Owners can come in at any time and bathe their own dogs for one price,” Weiss said. “We include everything.

“That includes the aprons, the tub, the towels. You get two choices of shampoo, conditioner. We also have tables and blow dryers as well, brushes. We have the works.”

The cost is $9 for an hour per dog. The cost covers supplies, electric, water and tub time.

Most dogs can fit in the raised tubs, Weiss said.

The tubs open on one side, have ramps, if needed, that are moveable, and include a sturdy slide-in shelf for small dogs so owners don’t have to bend over into the tub.

“I decided to change the tubs up because these tubs here kind of give you a little more of a 360 access in a sense instead of the stainless steel tubs, where you’ve got to turn the dog around, and then you’ve got to reach over and wash the dog,” Weiss said.

“Now you can stand on one side and wash the face, and then go around to the tub and wash the back end a little bit easier without having to turn it around.”

If an owner comes in with multiple dogs, an area is available where the owner can tie up their dogs until it’s their turn to be washed.

“We clean and disinfect after each use,” Weiss said of the tubs. “We mop the floors every day. We wipe everything down with bleach wipes. Towels are washed every day.”

Limited DIY grooming is allowed at Tub & Towel.

“For instance, if they want to come in to use our tub, then they’re more than welcome to trim up their dog’s face if they want,” Weiss said. “They can bring in their own scissors.

“We don’t allow owners to fully give their dog a haircut here, but if they want to bring in, say, their nail clippers and clip their own dog’s nails after using our service, that is not a problem.”

A wash-and-go by Weiss also is an option for walk-in customers. For an extra charge, Weiss will trim a dog’s face, clip its nails, or clip and file its nails.

“If you walk in and get a do it yourself bath, I’m going to take you right into the nail trim room,” Weiss said. “I’ll close the door because some dogs are better without watching mom. But you, as the owner, can actually watch me physically cut your dog’s nails.”

She also offers full-grooming services only by appointment and requires proof of vaccinations, including rabies, distemper and Bordetella.

Vaccinations are not required for DIY customers “because the owners are completely touching their own dogs, they’re doing all the washing, they’re doing all the towel drying, they’re doing all that,” Weiss said.

“If I’m doing it myself, I am physically touching the dog and doing all the grooming myself, so I want to be protected.”

Full-service grooming is done in a separate room with its own tub and grooming stand.

Tub & Towel has different pricing for DIY and full grooming services. Prices for full grooming services vary based on a dog’s size, grooming package selected and any add-on services chosen.

Unique to Tub & Towel are that Weiss and her mom are on hand to offer tips from how to wash a dog to helping a dog walk a ramp into the tub if needed.

“What still makes us stand out is going to be your experience,” Weiss said. “Every dog that walks in here, we’re going to say hello to and get to know.

“We’re going to personally get to know you as the customer. It’s not just you’re going to come in. You’re going to pay a fee, go into the small room, wash your dog, and leave.”

A former veterinarian technician, Weiss said she knows what to do if a dog were to experience a health issue on site.

Worth noting is that all law enforcement officers with police dogs are invited to use the DIY service for free but by appointment only.

Tub & Towel also offers handcrafted “snuffle balls,” tub toys, bandanas, key hangers, and homemade treats, chicken feet, pig’s ears and all-natural dog soap.

Made of fleece, the snuffle balls have multiple places to hide treats for dogs, cats and guinea pigs. Some snuffle balls have bells inside of them for more interactive play. All are washable.

They’re called snuffle balls because dogs, cats and guinea pigs use their noses to move the ball around so the treats fall out, Weiss said. Dogs and cats also use their feet to get the treats out.

In a corner of the reception area, her mom has a little section for her business she calls “This & That.”

“She does a lot of sewing and she sells a lot of jewelry,” Weiss said. “It’s more of a hobby for her.”

Her mom is currently selling aprons for adults and children, baby bibs for children, and jewelry. She also makes adult clothing protectors, or adult bibs.

Also, Karen Barrett, one of Weiss’ mobile business clients, sells homemade wreaths at Tub & Towel.

Current hours, which are subject to change, so check the Tub & Towel Facebook page for updates, are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays. The number is 478-293-1100.