Dear Customer Service, Recently my Dad brought his car in for repairs.  Although the technicians did an awesome job keeping Dad’s 14 year old car on the road, I have one complaint.  Did they really need to douse it in air freshener?  I’m not talking about a little spritz to freshen it up.  Based on how it smells I can’t help but think they used a firehose to drench the insides of the car with air freshener.

I admit Dad’s car may have a bit of a dog smell to it.  But Asa and I are proud of that smell!  Everywhere we go it alerts dogs that this is our car.  Ok, so Mom may have been embarrassed when we were staying at that hotel in Vermont.  Someone approached us in the lobby and asked if that car belonged to us.  Apparently their dog kept going over to sniff it.  But it’s far more embarrassing how it smells now.  The sickly bubble gum mixed with flowers scent clings to everything, and I do mean everything.  Now Asa and I smell like the car instead of the car smelling like us!  Worst yet, when Dad went out with his friends last night one commented on his “unique cologne.”  Awkward!

Mom theorized that perhaps the poor technician working on Dad’s car had no choice but to douse it so he could get inside to get his work done.  That is a valid argument because I’ve been told dog is an acquired smell.  So perhaps issuing gas masks to the technicians would help?  Because that technician just needs to spend a short time in Dad’s car, versus us who go everywhere in it.  Besides, our noses are way more sensitive.  With our 300 million olfactory receptors, dogs sense of smell has been estimated to be from 10 to 10,000 times better than humans!  So this air freshener is truly an assault on our senses!

Thank you for letting me vent.  Speaking of venting, we’re going to drive with all the windows down for awhile.

Sincerely,

Chuck Billy