On the Road with Woof’s Play & Stay’s Very Own “Hoodle”

By Jen Phillips April

If a shag carpet-covered Hoodle (half Honda, half Poodle) sneaks up behind you on the road, don’t worry, that’s just Andy and Dan Wiltz having a bit of fun! 

Inspired by Jim Carey’s 1994 hit movie Dumb and Dumber, Kansas City doggie daycare owner Andy Wiltz and his dad decided to recreate Dumb and Dumber’s “Shaggin’ Wagon” and hit the highway last Fall. 

With three hundred square feet of shag carpet covering the Honda Element, a black nose, pink tongue and a barking horn, it may be one of the most creative combinations of publicity and fun since Oscar Meyer invented the Weiner Mobile. 

Their 21-state odyssey originated in Kansas City, home of Woof’s Play & Stay, a popular dog daycare, boarding and grooming business owned by Andy Wiltz, and they traveled 3,649 miles in 124 hours. They brought smiles to faces along the way and included Niagara Falls and Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail in their itinerary. 

Andy says, “Besides the thousands of photos that people took of the car throughout the trip, just watching people smile when they passed us made each mile worthwhile.” 

He especially enjoyed visiting the American Pickers store in Iowa (home of antiques and the base for the popular History Channel show). 

The Hoodle, and its whirlwind tour, really increased the traffic to their website and social media sites. And, Woof’s was recognized as having one of the most “traffic-stopping” pet store vehicles in the country!