PRESS RELEASE: Herndon Companies Collect Fur To Aid Oil Spill Clean Up Effort

Herndon Businesses Find Out the Box Ways to Help Clean Up the Gulf Coast.

Wag'N Enterprises, Dog-A-Do Salon, and the Dulles Park Barber Shop have joined forces and are cutting hair and grooming pets in an effort to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. These two- and four-footed Herndon businesses are collecting errant, non-filthy fur and human hair to send to San Francisco-based nonprofit, Matter of Trust, to craft oil-absorbing hair mats encased in recycled pantyhose.

"As a pet emergency management company it only made sense we get involved with the response and recovery effort in the Gulf Coast," said Ines de Pablo, Chief Wag'N Officer and founder of Wag'N Enterprises-the first and only dedicated Pet Emergency Management Company in the world. "We got the idea from CNN article by Mother Nature Network correspondent Matt Hickman as well as a newsletter from our partner and neighbor Bark'N Bubbles Dog Wash. All of the Bark'N Bubbles locations (Fairfax, Leesburg, Herndon and Ashburn) are participating and we want to join in the effort to help clean up the Gulf."

The hairy pantyhose booms were originally thought up by Alabama hairdresser Phil McCrory while watching news reports on the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, according to the Matter of Trust website. The hair-booms effectively soak-up oil and don't require any new resources. Matter of Trust says they've opened more than a dozen warehouses in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida where the hair is shipped. They accept clean human hair (only cut from the head), animal fur that is free of debris, and other "natural fiber" waste such as wool, alpaca fleece, and horse hair. Hundreds of volunteers stuff the hair and fur into nylons which are then tied together to form tubes or booms. The booms are used to surround, contain and aid cleanup of the oil spill.

Wag'N Enterprises quickly enlisted the help of Kate Brooks, owner of Dog-A-Do Salon, as well as Paul St.Clair and Robert Malcolm with Dulles Park Barber Shop in the search for more fur. The companies intend to mail the first hairy batch to Matter of Trust warehouse prior to June 16th.

While BP recently rescinded interest in pet hair booms, explaining that they will use synthetic commercial booms instead, Matter of Trust representative Lisa Gautier assured Wag'N that they are currently placing booms with private and public harbor beach authorities that have hazardous waste disposable systems in place and will continue to do so in the future.

Wag'N is inviting Herndon and Reston residents to have their hair cut and their pets groomed at any of the following locations:
• Dog-A-Do Salon, 626 Grant Street, Herndon
• Dulles Park Barber Shop, 795 Center Street - Suite 5A, Herndon
• Bark'N Bubbles Dog Wash, 795 Center Street - Suite 1A, Herndon

Wag'N will be collecting all furry/hairy proceeds on a weekly basis and shipping it to available Matter of Trust warehouses. The company is appealing to groomers and hair salons all across the United States to join in the effort. "Don't let this furry waste get lost in a landfill when it can easily be recycled and make a difference in the Gulf region. We need to think outside the wag," de Pablo argued.

About Wag’N Enterprises
Founded in 2007, Wag’N offers pet parents and first responders the necessary gear, supplies and training to effectively mitigate, prepare and respond to emergencies that impact pet health and safety. Chief Wag’N Officer, Ines de Pablo holds a Masters Degree in Risk, Crisis & Emergency Management from the prestigious George Washington University in Washington D.C. and has over a decade of extensive field training experience under her belt. Wag’N Enterprises is a branded and extensive collection of purposefully designed and all-encompassing crafted tools and services giving people and their pets’ peace of mind in case of an emergency.