When a dog comes home from a walk filthy and smelling of something unmentionable, the temptation sometimes is to throw the darn thing in the washing machine.

Well, now you can. An entrepreneur has come up with the Dog-O-Matic, a mini-car wash which transforms pets from filthy to fluffy in half an hour.

Paws for thought: The washer-dryer for pet pooches

Frenchman Romain Jarry, 31, who insists the device is not cruel, hopes to introduce it to Britain next year after it proved a huge success in his home town of St Max, near Nancy.

It costs the equivalent of £13 to wash a small dog, £22 for medium size, rising to £31 for the largest customers.

Cats can also be catered for, at the small-dog price.

Pre-wash: The owner selects the programme and dog size

Pet inside, she presses start

Mr Jarry said: 'It doesn't take long to wash the dog - usually a few minutes. The longest part is the drying. The dogs don't seem to get bored. They just sit there and they come out clean.

'We are really hoping it will take off and that other places will start buying in the machines.

'I would love them to be available in England within the next year or so but at the moment people are still getting used to the idea.'

Soggy doggy: The inventor insists his customers do not suffer

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