Elizabeth Baker may be the creator of Messy Mutt Wipes, but Bogart the French bulldog is the face of the product — and the reason behind it. They pose with some of the wipes and Randy Lioz on a recent afternoon. (Gina Potthoff / Noozhawk photo)

Bogart is one messy mutt, a fact that wasn’t lost on the 3-year-old French bulldog’s owner.

Elizabeth Baker, a Santa Barbara native, was working in Washington, D.C., when she got the small, slobbery puppy. She desperately searched for the best way to clean up her pet — and herself in the process — ordering free samples from far and wide.

When she moved back to the Central Coast and still hadn’t found a suitable cleaner, Baker decided to come up with her own product.


She began selling her wet wipes, Messy Mutt Wipes, last month in a local pet store and online, with enough positive feedback to already be thinking about expansion.

Baker, who works full time as a program manager at Goleta-based Direct Relief, thinks of Messy Mutt Wipes as a fun side experiment, especially considering she’s never started a business before.

“It’s really good for dogs and the owners,” she told Noozhawk on a recent afternoon, with a grunting Bogart in tow.

Bogart’s likeness adorns every container of the stuff, each containing 26 moist towelettes made from fiber, deionized water, aloe vera, lanolin, glycerin and Vitamin E.

Most important, Baker said, is that Messy Mutt Wipes are alcohol-free, given that alcohol is an ingredient that sometimes dries out the skin.

The wipes can attach to a leash or be stowed in a bag until your dog gets into something else.

Baker knows the wipes are strong, soft and natural because she tried out a lot of different recipes on herself.

“I would never use anything on Bogart I wouldn’t use on myself,” she said. “People are always surprised by how soft they are.”

Messy Mutt Wipes are in the George Pet Store in Montecito, with plans to get them into pet shops in Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and other locations. They’re also available online for $6 on Baker’s website.

Baker has more pet-product ideas but said she’s waiting to see the level of demand and how this first foray into entrepreneurship pans out.

“Santa Barbara is such a dog-friendly place,” she said. “I think we’re going to see what happens. It’s been fun.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.