Yesterday, Trycia and I were invited to celebrate our friend Amber's (from Modern Life Photo) birthday. Amber gives back to lots of pet rescues, and did not want any presents, just treats to give to rescue dogs. I thought that it was a pretty cool idea!! So Trycia and I were out shopping at Target, and grabbed some treats with a Bernese Mountain Dog on the front. If I would have remembered while I was at the dog wash, I would have grabbed some treated that we sell. Amber is one of Roxy's favorite people and will always whine when she sees Amber. It was a really fun night and I am so glad we went.
Have a good night.
I have lived in Minneapolis for almost 10 years, and this winter is by far my favorite! It actually makes me LOVE minnesota winter :) I think back 1 year ago when we were in the process of building Bubbly Paws and I was helping the construction guys bring stuff in and how cold your hands would get even if you had gloves on! Even Roxy would get cold when it was -30 outside. Now, fast forward to this winter.. PERFECT! Today when it started snowing we took Roxy to the dog park. She loved running in the fresh dusting of snow. When we left, she found a stick that she wanted to carry all the way back to the car. When we got to the car, she would not get in because she wanted to chew it. OK, so there ya go.. This whole blog post had very little to do with the dog wash, but heck, it was entertaining.... I hope!
We have something really cool we have been working on, and if all goes well, we will let everyone know what it is on Monday :)
What a year! It has been so much fun for Trycia and myself to watch Bubbly Paws Dog Wash take off and become what it is today! Over the last 8 months since we opened, we have met some really great customers!
Today, the dog wash was closed, but that does not mean that we were not there. Sometimes it is easier to do projects when we are closed... So Trycia and I spent a few hours there today cleaning and updating a few things. We want to keep this place looking like it is brand new, and do everything we can to make it happen. This weekend we were also dog-sitting Max, who is the Bubbly Paws poster dog. We brought him and Roxy to help with some projects (the mostly ate bones).
Hope everyone had a great new years and we look forward to serving you in 2012. We can't thank everyone enough!!
KARE 11 News did a story about businesses that are slow, because of the warm weather... The stopped in to see how things were going at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash.
Winter is officially here, and although there isn’t the usual snow on the ground, it’s cold outside. Last week, the Climate Prediction Center released an updated winter outlook for December, January, and February, predicting below average temperatures and a good chance of a wetter than average snow season for Minnesota. So, that means the days are short, the cold is here for a while, and the snow is coming—-perhaps with a vengeance.
The hibernation that comes with winter can make us feel cooped up with cabin fever. For our canine friends, we must make the extra effort to help them expend their energy so they can be well-behaved. Below are a few ideas that may help.
Make the most out of each walk.In order to help Leo burn more energy while
on our shorter winter walks, he wears a vest with two side pockets—a weight vest of sorts. In each pocket, I add bean-bag weights in half-pound increments, up to ten percent of his body weight. For Leo, that’s a total of three pounds. This helps him burn extra energy, even though our walks are shorter. (Leo’s vet confirmed that this was safe. The key is to make sure the vest fits properly so there is no rubbing or slipping.)
Let ’em play! A day of play each week at doggy day care, like Pampered Pooch Playground, can leave your dog tired and well-behaved for an extra day. This also helps take some of the pressure off of you to be the only source of physical and mental exercise.
Mental workouts are just as important as physical workouts. Training classes, such as agility training at The Canine Coach, are a great way to socialize, exercise, and challenge your dog.
Socialize with your dog at Dog Days at the Dome. The Metrodome is open for doggy fun and socializing from 5 p.m.–9 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, Tuesday, January 31, Thursday, February 9, and Tuesday, February 28. It’s just $5 per dog (with up to two people), and free parking is available.
Go to a dog park—indoors! Have you heard about Ruff House, the Canine Social Club in Edina? There are five membership options to fit your schedule. The most flexible options include access 24/7.
What do you do to help manage your dog’s energy during winter? We’d love to hear from you.
*** Blog post by Birgitta who is a Pampered Pooch Playground customer. Read more about her by clicking here. ***
A big Bubbly Paws Dog Wash "Thank You" to everyone that stopped out this morning to meet Staci Matthews and her dog Humphrey. Staci is from the Moon and Staci show on KS95. What many of you might not know, is that I produced their show for 4 years and Staci is a good friend of mine and was a large part of our wedding. Humphrey also comes to our doggy daycare and is such a sweet little man. So while Staci did her appearance at the dog wash, Teresa from the KS95 promotions staff and I chatted about the old days. It was great to see so many people stopping out to meet humphrey! He is such a sweet puppy, and he even got a great new sweater today!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
We love to use the FURminator on Roxy as it really helps with her shedding..... Did you know it works wonders on short haired dogs as well? The FURminator brush, shampoo and conditioner are available as an upgrade to any of our grooming or bath packages.
Patch.com stopped out to our other business, Pampered Pooch Playground to learn more about how it works... Meet Keith and Trycia, and there is a small mention of Bubbly Paws Dog Wash on there as well :) Click Here to read the article.
Bubbly Paws Dog Wash and the rest of the stores at Excelsior and Grand stopped out to KARE 11 and dropped off a bunch of toys for Toys for Tots! Don't blink, or you will miss it!! Keith's jacket (the green arm on the left of the screen) is the only part of the Bubbly Paws family that was shown. We think his jacket is pretty cool :)
Warning.. Here I go on a tangent that has very little to do with the dog wash! In the last 3 weeks, I have seen about 7 cars going the wrong way at the roundabout right outside our window at Excelsior and Grand. I also see people stopping and getting confused with this simple concept (keep right). So I figured it would be a good idea to help educate everyone how to properly use a roundabout. I found a great website with very detailed directions. Chances are that since you are reading this, you probably know how to properly use one, but feel free to share this link with friends :)
Have a good day!
Hello, everyone. I’m excited to be a new part of the Pampered Pooch Playground team. Several times a month, I will be here, talking about one of my favorite topics—my first baby (I mean dog), Leo. Granted, my Goldendoodle may not be your favorite pet, but I’ll bet that all of us can agree that we love and want the best for our dogs. With that in mind, my ultimate goal is to help build community among the parents of the pooches of the PPP and to help make this a place where we can share information and advice about caring for our canine friends.
Who am I? I am an enthusiastic fan and loyal customer of Pampered Pooch Playground and Bubbly Paws. My name is Birgitta Hughes, and as I mentioned, I am the proud “mom” of my dog, Leo. He is sweet, fun, and will be two in February. My husband, Allen, who has a passion for brushing our doodle every night, and I have been married over five years, and we have a nine-month-old son, Rhys (pronounced Reese). We moved to the Twin Cities from Boston over two years ago for my husband’s job at Best Buy headquarters. Before Boston, I was born and raised in California. In case you were wondering, I really like it here—even the winters! I love how active people are, regardless of the season. And truly, this is a beautiful place to live.
As the temperature drops and the snow comes, it’s time to start thinking about winter gear for Leo. I bought my first winter coat just four years ago, so all things winter remain new to me. Last year Leo loved the snow! Running through the snow and sticking his nose into it were two of his favorite activities. Because he enjoyed being outside so much, we bought booties to protect his paws from the elements. It took him a little while to get used to walking with them, but ultimately he adapted and was able to walk in a normal manner.
Booties worked for Leo last year, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything as we prepare for the winter months ahead. After checking with Leo’s vet at Glen Lake Animal Hospital and Roxy’s (Keith and Trycia’s dog) vet at Lake Harriet Veterinary, I learned that we must be extra diligent about checking the state of our dog’s paws after each walk. Salt, melting solvents, and snow accumulation between doggy toes can cause cracking of the skin. Each time you come in from a walk, clean out the snow that is stuck between your dog’s toes to limit any irritation. If you enjoy walking your dog during the winter and your dog can handle them, booties are an excellent solution. In fact, Bubbly Paws offers some great booties in a variety of styles and range of sizes.
Before I leave you today, I’d like to share a little video of the first time Leo wore his booties. After a couple times, he got the hang of it, and we enjoyed many walks with him in his “pawtectors.” Hopefully, he’ll get the hang of it again this year, too.
How do you protect your dog from the winter elements? We’d love to hear your ideas and advice!
This weekend, Trycia and I headed to New York. We have starting doing this every December and had lots of fun there. As strange as it sounds, we always get excited when we see a dog walking down the streets. It makes us miss Roxy! We checked out a few of the pet boutiques as well. When we go out of town, we always worry about how things are going at the dog wash (call us over-protective owners). Kayla our manager always keeps things running smoothly! Hope everyone had a great weekend! When we got home, Roxy had lots of fun in the snow!
We love taking Roxy with us everywhere we go, and when the weather starts getting colder, we are more limited with the locations she can go.... Today we took her to the Linden Hills Christmas tree lot. She loved walking up and down the rows of trees and helped us to pick out the perfect tree for our house. This is the 3rd year we have gone to this lot (right across from Turtle Bread). On a side note, the same construction company that built the dog wash, also remodeled Turtle Bread, and we had a few of our meetings there when the construction was going on. I might note, that they have an amazing grilled cheese!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
This past weekend I was in Chicago visiting the family and catching up with friends. One of my good high school friends owns a doggy daycare in the Chicago area (who would have thought that we would both be in the same line of work). I went to lunch on Saturday with her at my favorite burger place and we talked about the the businesses and the items we sell. She said I should check out a new pet boutique in the area, so I did... I loved it and the owner is super nice. I mentioned we owned a doggy daycare and dog wash in Minneapolis and we were swapping our favorite brands of collars. I could not leave their store without buying my brothers dog a new collar and leash set. Hopefully they like it (we will be carrying that brand very soon).
So I guess the subject of this blog post is not totally fitting, as this place is more than 355 miles away from Bubbly Paws, but we like to keep up on the latest trends and what is new.
This morning, Trycia, Kayla and I were at the Rosedale Mall for the Karen Nueberger PJ's and Paws Dog Walk. We were there painting nails (dog nails, not people nails) and having fun with all of the dogs that came out. They had a "cutest dog" contest and it was great to see all the dogs with painted nails. After the contest, I think Roxy got really excited, she pulled her way into the fake snow around their christmas display and just sat in it. She loves snow and I guess now she loves fake snow!
Have a great weekend!
I stopped out to the Dog Wash this afternoon to drop off some new sweaters and doggy holiday gifts... This big dog walks in and looks like a dalmation mix... Then I really started to look at the dog and realized it was Linus who comes to our doggy daycare, and he was all muddy from the dog park! HA! Seriously, he must have had a good time because he looked like he got into a fight with a mud puddle!
Make sure you swing into Bubbly Paws and check out our growing collection of sweaters and jackets!
Wow, the cooler weather is finally here and we have lots of sweaters and jackets to keep the dogs warm. If your pooch wears clothing, make sure to brush them out, because hair mats very quickly. We also sell a great product the can help to remove mats. I mention this because Gracie has a great collection of fall gear!
This week Gracie who belongs to Sarah or Sarah Beth Photography is sleeping over at our house. Roxy really likes to have her friends sleepover.
Yesterday, Trycia and I were invited to celebrate our friend Amber's (from Modern Life Photo) birthday. Amber gives back to lots of pet rescues, and did not want any presents, just treats to give to rescue dogs. I thought that it was a pretty cool idea!! So Trycia and I were out shopping at Target, and grabbed some treats with a Bernese Mountain Dog on the front. If I would have remembered while I was at the dog wash, I would have grabbed some treated that we sell. Amber is one of Roxy's favorite people and will always whine when she sees Amber. It was a really fun night and I am so glad we went.
Have a good night.
