Is the Dog-o-Matic an owner's best friend?

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.

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.