Sponsored Content | Scenthound brings routine dog wellness care to Lynnwood

For Scenthound owner Ed Steidl, taking care of a dog shouldn’t necessarily mean an expensive trip to a traditional groomer. Most dogs don’t need elaborate haircuts, he said, but they all need the basics.

“Every dog needs routine hygiene,” Steidl said. “Every dog needs a bath. Every dog needs their ears cleaned, teeth cleaned, nails clipped.”

That idea is at the heart of Scenthound, a new dog hygiene and wellness business in Lynnwood. Its basic service covers those essentials, with additional services available depending on a dog’s needs.

A key part of the concept is Scenthound’s six-point S.C.E.N.T. Check, covering a dog’s skin, coat, ears, nails, teeth and glands. Results are documented in the company’s app. Staff members may notice such things as hot spots, matting or lumps, and alert owners when something deserves closer attention. Scenthound does not diagnose medical conditions, but can recommend that an owner consult a veterinarian.

That, Steidl said, is what separates Scenthound from full-service groomers, pet supply chains and boarding-and-grooming operators. Those businesses mostly build around occasional haircuts or baths. Because members visit monthly, the S.C.E.N.T. Check becomes an ongoing record of a dog’s condition rather than a one-time snapshot.

“Because we see dogs more often, we can catch small things — a hot spot, an ear that’s starting to look irritated — while they’re still small,” Steidl said.

“People hear ‘dog groomer’ and think haircut,” he said. “What we’re actually offering is closer to routine wellness for your dog — the grooming is almost a side effect of that.”

Regular visits also help dogs grow familiar with the location, smells and staff.

“We’ve seen anxiety in dogs go down over time,” he said.

Steidl spent much of his career in technology, including more than a decade at Microsoft. He discovered Scenthound while exploring franchise opportunities, and as the owner of two dogs, he immediately understood the concept.

He also had an earlier connection to animal care. Steidl once considered becoming a veterinarian and worked at a veterinary clinic and a veterinary emergency room while in college. Opening Scenthound, he said, has brought him “a little bit full circle.”

The Lynnwood location is the first of 11 Scenthound franchises Steidl plans for the greater Seattle area. He is already working toward a second location in Shoreline.

Scenthound primarily operates through monthly memberships, although nonmembers can make appointments when space is available. Routine hygiene appointments generally take about 30 to 45 minutes, and customers can book and change appointments through the app.

For Steidl, though, the bigger goal goes beyond a clean dog.

“We increase the connection between people and their dogs,” Steidl said.

“That’s what we’re all about.”

425-333-DOGS (3647) | 19709 Highway 99, Lynnwood | scenthound.com/lynnwood