st louis park magazine

Jingle Dogs / St Louis Park Magazine

Jingle Dogs: Holiday Tips for Your Pooch

Bright lights, shiny decorations and lots of company can be stressful for your dog. Here are some tips to help make the holidays more joyful for both of you.

+If you’re leaving your dog behind, make boarding or doggy hotel reservations well in advance. If your facility offers doggy daycare, bring your pet a few times before your trip so he can get accustomed, and leave a few items that will remind him of home.

+Plan ahead for grooming; most shops fill up quickly before the holidays.

+Place candles out of tail’s reach!

+Make sure Fido has his own retreat if he’s easily overwhelmed by company.

+Place tinsel out of the reach of your dog and tape wires and cords down so she doesn’t get tangled in them.

+Keep your pooch away from wrapping paper and string, which can create blockages if swallowed.

+Avoid holly and poinsettia plants, which can be toxic to dogs if eaten.

—Keith Miller is the co-owner of Bubbly Paws Dog Wash and Pampered Pooch Playground in St. Louis Park.

Best of St Louis Park

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The other night was the Best of St Louis Park awards and I am so excited that both of our businesses went home with an award!  Bubbly Paws, our dog wash won "Best Place to Spoil Your Pooch" and Pampered Pooch Playground, our doggy daycare won "Best Dog Daycare".  This is the 3rd year in a row that both our businesses have won a "best of" award and I can't be more proud of our staff who work so hard each day taking care of all the dogs.  For a complete list of winners, you can visit the St Louis Park Magazine website. Below is a short list of some of my favorite winners:

Best Bakery - Honey and Rye - They are located down the street from Bubbly Paws and serve up the most amazing coffee and pastries!

Best Fitness Studio - Lifetime Fitness - One of my absolute favorite classes is their Crossfit class (which they call Alpha).  You will catch me at that class at least 3 times a week.  The trainers are great and we have a small little family!

Best Boutique - Primp - Located at the West End and they are super dog friendly!

Best of 2013

Bubbly Paws wins best of minneapolis awards
Bubbly Paws wins best of minneapolis awards

Bubbly Paws Dog Wash and Dog Spa has already picked up 3 "best of" awards in 2013.  Our first award came from CityPages for Best Pet Spa!

Best Pet Spa in Minneapolis
Best Pet Spa in Minneapolis

Just recently we won the St Louis Park Magazine readers poll for "Best Dog Groomer and "Best Small Business Customer Service".  We were runners up for "Best Pet Store".  Thanks to everyone who voted!

Best Dog Groomer in Minneapolis
Best Dog Groomer in Minneapolis
best small business customer service in Minneapolis
best small business customer service in Minneapolis

St Louis Park Magazine

St Louis Park - Dog friendly business
Roxy gets a bath in Minneapolis

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

St Louis Park Magazine

The St Louis Park Magazine did a great photo recap of the 2012 Woof 'n Treat Halloween party.  We raised over $3000 for Homeward Bound Rescue!  Pampered Pooch Playground and Bubbly Paws put this great event on each year.

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