Pampered Pooch Playground is one of the founding members of the Twin Cities Dog Daycare Association who will be sponsoring the Doggy Drag Show.  Keith will also be one of the judges in the show!

6am Hour

5am Hour

Name:

Length of time working here: Since October 2009

Do you have any pets?

I have a Shepherd mix named Mika, a Husky mix named Victor and 2 cats named Aidan and Maya.  Mika and Victor like to come with me to work and play in the Ruff House

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love hiking and camping with my soon-to-be-husband and my dogs, especially the Superior Hiking Trail!

What is your favorite part about working at PPP?

The best thing about working at PPP is working with so many unique dog breeds.  It’s great to experience so many different personalities!

Have a great day!

Keith

Proceeds from carnival games and raffle benefit The Pet Project!

First-come first-serve dog-friendly patio seating
Fun carnival atmosphere – Carnival barker & Tarot card reader
Carnival games & prizes
Special adult Carnival Cocktail
Doggie Beer Bar
Free samples from Barkley’s Bistro (fresh and local – 98% locally sourced products)!
Free samples from Nutri-Source (high-quality pet foods that you can trust)
Raffle and Carnival Game proceeds benefit The Pet Project.

Saturday 18 May 2013
10 am – 1 pm
Location:  Urban Eatery’s dog-friendly patio
On-leash dogs only please
This is a free event – suggested donations for raffle and carnival games benefit The Pet Project
No reservations required, seating is first come, first served.  please watch the Pampered Pooch Playground Facebook page if weather looks like it will be an issue.

Name:

Length of time working here: Since August 2011

Do you have any pets?

I have a Chihuahua named Wilma, a Corgi named Hubble, a foster Japanese Chin named Panda and a Cat named Waffles!  You will often see Hubble and Panda, in the lobby, greeting people in the evening

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Most of my spare time is spent being a foster care leader for Underdog Rescue which entails looking through applications for potential adopters and answering questions about the dogs they are interested in, along with conducting home visits and even doing transport to bring puppy mill dogs from Iowa to Minneapolis!  I am also available to an assigned group of fosters for Underdog and they can ask me any questions or express concerns about their fosters and I help them out any way I can.  Every weekend I attend adoption events and help run them along with other volunteers. I also recently signed up to help out with Chicken Run Rescue and am looking forward to getting more involved during the summer!

What is your favorite part about working at PPP?

My favorite part about working at PPP is, of course, the dogs and people I get to meet. I have really enjoyed getting to know different dog breeds and learning more about their personalities and play styles. When I meet a breed I never knew about, I like to do some research and read what they were originally bred for and see how that comes through in their individual personalities and the way they interact with other dogs!

Funniest/Favorite PPP moment:

In general, my favorite moments at pampered pooch are when the weather changes and we get to go outside.  So when it first snows, the dogs go bonkers and run around and I love to throw snowballs for them.  In the summer, I enjoy going outside and sitting in the sun. My favorite human moment is doing a tequila shot with my wonderful coworker, Lexi and my awesome boss, Keith at the last PPP powwow

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

Name:

Length of time working here: Since March 2010

Do you have any pets?

I have a Mini Aussie named Duchess and a Boxer named Thor.  They love to come and play each week!

What do you do in your spare time? 

I am a full-time stylist at JB Cavour Salon + Spa.  Doing hair is my passion; I love making people smile by the work I do.  I also love being outside, going to dog parks, cooking for my husband and am addicted to many TV shows

What is your favorite part about working at PPP?

The dogs, of course!  They all have such unique personalities and it’s fun to get to know them all!  It’s a nice break from my full-time gig as a stylist.  Also, my co-workers are awesome!

Funniest PPP moment:

I have an intense fear of spiders.  One day, Sarah and I were in waggers and a spider continued to lower itself from the ceiling to taunt me.  We moved the couch to the middle of the room and I held Sarah as she stood on the couch to grab the spider.  She knocked it down and we both screamed.  We turned around and Keith was video taping it on his phone.  Whoever was watching the webcams that day, got some entertainment!

Name:

Length of time working here: Since October of 2011

Do you have any pets?

I have three American Quarter Horses that I ride and show in the summers- Fransis, Zeke and Randy. I also just got a new Welsh Corgi puppy named Z! (or Topaz, or Turbo, or whatever nickname he gets next!)

What do you do in your spare time? 

I’m currently finishing my masters degree in flute performance at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. I graduate on April 26th and I couldn’t be more excited! I hope to eventually get my doctorate and have a flute studio at a college somewhere. When I’m not practicing or playing with the pups at PPP I spend most of my time having fun with friends or my horses. I also love spending time and working on my family’s 300 cow dairy farm in northern Wisconsin!

What is your favorite part about working at PPP?

Growing up on a dairy farm turned me into a real animal person! A few weeks off the farm and not around animals is like the dementor to my Harry Potter. Working at PPP helped me out a lot in this aspect. No matter how crazy the dogs get, it’s so nice to get away from school and hang out with some sweet pups for a while.
I’ve also found some really great friends in some of my coworkers at the Pooch!  We have a lot of fun working together and when it’s been a rough day, I’m always there crackin’ a joke or ten to get everybody laughing again.

Funniest PPP moment:

I’d have to say the funniest PPP moment for me took place just a couple months ago when I was in Waggers on a Monday morning. There weren’t very many dogs there yet, but there were three Frenchies- Benson, Frankie and STEVE. I LOVE making crazy voices and doing silly things to get the Frenchies riled up because they have the most hilarious snorting noises and they get SO CRAZY. So Im standing there trying to get these three as snorty as three frenchies can get and I start saying “Steve” over and over, kind of like this…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFhNJ8ozDBk
And these dogs are just going nuts. All of the sudden, in the midst of all of our carrying on, Keith walks in and is just staring at me with the most terror stricken look on his face. (there also may have been some crazy dance move involved too… I’m not sure)
I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard in my life!