Cohen called in the Aussie Pet Mobile, a "portable pet spa" that brings grooming services to a dog owner's door.

Co-manager of the South Bay franchise Kerri Evans— a former techie— delved into an entrepreneurial alternative with her husband, Bob, after the dot-com bust. The two co-own the midpeninsula pet mobile.

They offer a one-on-one service designed to minimize stress to the pet.

"Because she was a shelter dog, I thought it might be less stressful for her to have someone come to the house," Cohen said, as groomer Jenny Perez worked on Daisy from a trailer parked in the Cohens' driveway.

"The pets can look out and see their house," Evans said. "In some cases, if the pet's skittish, we like the owner to be there. When you take a dog to a grooming salon, they're in there with lots of unfamiliar pets, and they cage-dry them."

Aussie pet groomers use blow-dryers on their furry charges after giving them a shampoo in the trailer's hydro bath, which is connected to the water and electric systems in the pet owner's house.

Before her bath, Daisy had her nails clipped, her ears cleaned and her coat brushed out. It was Daisy's first bath since her adoption, and Cohen guessed correctly that the pooch wouldn't be too thrilled by the experience. But Cohen herself was impressed.

"This is a special, amazing thing," she said as she watched Perez bathe Daisy. "Even the truck is beautiful."

Daisy's day at the spa cost her owner about $55, the basic price for a small, short-haired animal, but Cohen said it was worth it. "You'd pay that much for taking her to a shop, and you don't know what you're getting. I'd expect it to cost twice as much as it does."

Perez, who worked at a groomer's shop for three years, said it's much easier for her to go to the dogs than to have them come to her.

"When you work in a shop, people are always asking you for help when you're working on another dog," she said.

Although Daisy was a little anxious about her bath, Perez said she was impressed by the first-timer's response to being groomed. "The biggest problem I usually have is with the nails, but this dog didn't fight me at all," she added.

Once the grooming was finished and treats were dispensed, Daisy seemed none the worse for wear, running happily from groomer to owner and back again. Evans said repeat customers are often happy to see the pet mobile trailer pull into the driveway.

"When we get them on a regular schedule, [the pets] get used to it," she added. "They come running out into the trailer. They know the process, and they know the groomer."

This comfort level is more prevalent among the Evans' canine clients than the felines who use the service. About 20 percent of the pet mobile's business comes from cat owners. Bob Evans said it usually takes two people to groom a cat.

"I've gone in there with two barbecue gloves on to protect myself," he added.

The Evanses operate three pet mobile trailers, and a fourth one is due to hit the road as soon as they hire a groomer to ride with it. Kerri Evans said they plan to expand to 24 trailers within four years.

"I'd evaluated several franchises and existing businesses, and this one stood out for its coolness factor and from a business perspective," Kerri Evans said. "The pet industry is at $31 billion [annually] and growing. People spend tons of money on their pets. You've got a lot of double-income families [in the South Bay], some without kids. Their pets are their kids."