Franklin and Roxy took over the bobbing for hot dogs booth at the Bubbly Paws Dog Wash anniversary party! Watch this fun video that we put together.
St Louis Park Magazine
We were proud to be chosen for the cover of the St Louis Park Magazine - Pet edition. Below you can read the article that featured Pampered Pooch Playground and Bubbly Paws.
Pampered Pooch Playground Owners: Trycia and Keith Miller Services: Dog day care, boarding
The tale:
Trycia and Keith Miller launched their dog day-care center five years ago. They initially opened it for their beloved Bernese mountain dog named Roxy. Today the Millers manage about 95 dogs per day at the Pampered Pooch Playground. They have three separate rooms for canine frolicking, including 11,000 square feet of climate-controlled indoor space and a 3,500-square-foot outdoor area. There are also luxury suites for the extremely pampered pooch.
“Minnesota is unregulated for doggie day care, so it’s a point of concern for dog owners,” Keith Miller says. “Someone could rent any old garage and put 60 dogs in it.” The Millers do everything they can to alleviate worry. Pampered Pooch is the first dog day care in the country to have iPhone, Android and Blackberry apps so owners can watch their pups at play, day and night. There are 11 live webcams streaming from the three playrooms and regular Facebook posts and tweets. The outside play area is made with recycled sports turf, which is ecologically appropriate and, unlike gravel or Astroturf, easy to clean.
“The St. Louis Park pet business network is really supportive,” Keith Miller says. “If someone had a fire or got sick, they could bring their dogs to us or I would go work at their place to help out.” Miller stays current on developments in the doggie care world and is a fan of the “busman’s holiday”: Whenever he travels, he stops by other pet care facilities to take notes on what they’re doing right and what he would like to avoid in his own establishment. “There’s a real difference in big-city day cares,” he notes, adding many have a less than fragrant smell. 7020 Walker St.; 952.922.8183; pamperedpoochplayground.com
Bubbly Paws
Owners: Trycia and Keith Miller Services: Self-serve or full-service dog washing, grooming Hangers-on: Roxy the Bernese mountain dog
The tale:
Bubbly Paws is the Millers’ laidback little brother to their high-maintenance big baby, the Pampered Pooch Playground. The Millers opened Bubbly Paws two years ago, mainly as place to wash their own Roxy, a 100-pound Bernese whose bulk and thick hair demand an elaborate bathing process. They nabbed a light and airy space in the busy Excelsior/Grand complex and outfitted it with five elevated step-in tubs with shower hoses, a grooming room and a drying room. Customers can bathe their dogs themselves or pay a bit more for a house shampoo.
The Millers are dedicated to the St. Louis Park community and even use a locally made shampoo, which is actually a reformulated horse shampoo. “I like it because it doesn’t smell fake or overpowering,” Keith says. “I mean, I’m a guy, so I couldn’t care less about smelling like flowers.” Nevertheless Bubbly Paws’ grooming services offer plenty of bling for their canine clients, including toenail polish and in one unusual case, a pink polka-dot dye job.
The couple loves the tight-knit animal owning community in St. Louis Park. “People know each others’ dog’s names. Everyone goes to the Dakota dog park and people recognize each other [from the dog park],” Keith Miller says. “I’ve seen love connections happen here. Seriously, if you were a single guy, why wouldn’t you get a dog?” Miller dreams about opening a pet rental business for hopeful single guys hanging around the dog park. In the meantime, “we just have fun here,” he says. “C’mon, it’s a dog wash!” Each month Bubbly Paws gives back to support a different pet rescue organization, donating $5 from each bath, and hosting creatively awesome occasions like doggie yoga and doggie happy hour. 3730 Grand Way; 952.657.5300; bubblypaws.com
Pet Friendly SLP
We also provided St Louis Park Magazine a list of some of the pet friendly businesses in St Louis Park:
Primp Hosts fundraisers for a local pet rescue 1628 West End Blvd.; 952.303.3791; primpyourself.com
Lululemon Stop in with your dog and get a treat 1639 West End Blvd.; 763.545.9069; lululemon.com
McCoy’s Public House Dogs can hang out and get treats on the patio 3801 Grand Way; 952.224.9494; mccoyspublichouse.com
Yum! Free house-made doggie treats 4000 Minnetonka Blvd.; 952.922.4000; yumkitchen.com
The Four Firkins Browse the local beer selection with your discerning pooch 5630 W. 36th St.; 952.938.2847; thefourfirkins.com
Galaxy Drive-In Bring your pooch while you enjoy a superb burger 3712 Quebec Ave S.;952.277.7777; galaxy-drivein.com
Frattallone's Ace Hardware Great nosing around for dog and man (or woman) 5025 Excelsior Blvd.; 952.456.6630; frattallones.com
Filament Lighting This business provided the lighting for Bubbly Paws 5007 Excelsior Blvd.; 952.926.5007; filamentlighting.com
Working on the 1st
One of the hardest things about the dog wash is always making sure it looks brand new! We take great pride in our business and always want to make sure it is as bright, clean and amazing as it was 2 years ago when we first opened! Sometimes this means doing projects after hours or on holidays when the dog wash is empty! We have a great handyman, but sometimes I like to do the work myself. Today Trycia and I put in about 4 hours of work to make sure everything continues to look new. I really hate when you walk into some places and you can tell that they have been around for a long time. While we worked, Roxy and Waffles (our friends dog that we are dog sitting) had fun watching. Roxy did get covered in some paint when she rubbed against one of the freshly painted tubs... OOPS! Waffles also thought all the bones that we have by the checkout were for her ;)
Hope everyone had a great new years.
Keith
Beer With Your Buddy
Last night was the final Beer With Your Buddy of the season, and it was a great night despite the colder weather! Bubbly Paws Dog Wash has been part of this event for the past 2 summers, and we love it! Roxy had lots of fun watching everyone make s'mores and walking from table to table begging fir treats. This might be one of her favorite events! People often ask why we do so many events, and I always say they are fun and I love to sport anything that makes Minneapolis a dog friendly city and we like to support businesses that support local pet rescues. Don't worry, just because Beer With Your Buddy is over for the season, that does not mean everything is over! I am working on putting together a great event with one of our favorite Micro Brewery's. Hopefully we will have everything worked out soon and we can give you the details! Until then, get excited for our 5th annual Woof 'n Treat Dog Halloween Party!
Have a great day!
Keith
Roxy's Uptown Minneapolis Adventure
Trycia, Roxy and I had lots of fun shopping in Uptown yesterday... I know I always say this, but Minneapolis really is a dog friendly city! Our first stop was the Apple Store, which LOVES having dogs come in. All the staff flock to you, but not to help, just to pet your dog! We both got the new iPhone 5 on Friday and wanted to get a case, but guess what... The Apple Store does not have cases in stock yet. Call me crazy, but I just assumed they would have cases for their hottest new product.
When we were done playing with all the toys, we walked down the street and I had to wait outside while Trycia was shopping (they were not dog friendly, sad!). While waiting on Hennepin Ave, lots of people would pet Roxy as they walked by and she loved it! Our final stop was at the new CB2 store. I walk talking to one of the employees there and he said "how could we not be dog friendly, I love to meet them all". There is something that just feels cool about taking your dog with you! I am always surprised more stores are not dog friendly!
Where are some of the places that you like to take your pooch?
Have a good day!
Keith
Bubbly Paws - Always a Good Time
Roxy's cousin Roman was visiting for the weekend and we took them to the Minnehaha Falls Dog Park. Check out all the fun they had!
Project Day
Sometimes I think small business owners forget how important it is to keep a business looking like it is brand new! We always work hard at Bubbly Paws Dog wash to make sure thinks are as fresh and clean as the day we opened. Last sunday, on Easter was the perfect day for us to touch up some of the paint around the tubs and other places around the dog wash. So on Sunday afternoon we took Roxy and her best friend Bindi to the dog wash and re-painted all the tubs. We often find going in on a holiday that we are closed is much easier than going in late at night. So we hope everyone enjoys the updates and know we are always working hard to be the cleanest and freshest dog wash in the Twin Cities.
Have a good night.
Keith
Dog Friendly Gym?
Roxy had a big adventure today... We started the afternoon off with checking out the dog wash and making sure everything was running smooth! Once Roxy got a few treats and other goodies, we went to the gym. I have been training with a personal trainer for the past 2 years and decided to bring Roxy in to surprise her. Roxy ran, and was so excited to see Trycia and Lori (our trainer). Roxy ran right into her studio like she owned the place! Trycia then took her home as I began to workout! Lori is a wonderful trainer and I love going to her! For more information, you can visit her website.
Kinnick
Many of our regular customers know the "worlds largest" Bernese Mountain Dog. Kinnick, can often be seen walking around Excelsior and Grand, and he always pulls his owner into Bubbly Paws Dog Wash for a treat or some doggy ice cream! Kinnick is such a lover who knows how to get attention. We keep joking that we should hire Kinnick to be the Bubbly Paws spokes dog! You will always know it is Kinnick when you see his big 'fro!
Roxy's Visit to the Apple Store
As some of you might know, I am a pretty big supporter of Apple! Tonight there was a pet event at the Apple Store in Minneapolis (uptown). The Apple Store is always dog friendly, but it was pretty cool to see 30 dogs all behaved and having fun there! Our friends from Sidewalk Dog gave a preview of their new website, and Sarah Beth Photography talked about how she edits photos on a Mac. Fun times and awesome dog treats! Roxy loved it.. This is the 4th time Roxy has visited the store and she loves all of the attention she gets.
Oh, and a shout out to Ben who works there.. He saw that I checked into another apple store on Facebook 2 weeks ago and called me out on it.. I feel like such a cheater!!
Have a good night!
Keith
Roxy's Sleepover and Photo Shoot
Our dog Roxy has been having her half-sister spend the night at our house because her parents are out of town. Mira is a 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog and such a sweet girl. She came to doggy daycare with us on Friday and had fun with all of the dogs in the "zen group". Today our dog Roxy had a photo shoot scheduled with Sarah Beth Photography for some pictures for the dog wash. Roxy really likes Sarah and gets really excited when she sees her! We brought Mira along with us and she had fun waiting in Sarah's office with Gracie (Sarah's dog) while Roxy had her photo shoot. Just wait until you see the picture that is going up at Bubbly Paws. It will be really cool.
Have a good weekend!
Keith