I just saw this video on Facebook and decided to share it… This lady put a video camera on a dog’s collar at the dog park! Pretty cool!
Remodeling – Day 4
Roxy shows off the remodeling progress of our Doggy Daycare room
Wow, Lots has changed in Waggers Way doggy daycare room in the past few days. Sunday, the final touches were finished on the floor, and this morning we were able to walk on it. At 7:30 this morning, the painting started. Wow, does it look fresh and new! Tomorrow, the work on the ceiling starts. We took Roxy in the room and she really liked the floor. When we first opened, rubber flooring was the industry standard and the best that was out there. After almost 4 years, the standards have changed, and rubber flooring is a great option, but not the best (in my opinion) which is why we have decided to update it. We are putting down a rubberized epoxy which is 5 times easier to clean and the dogs really love it! m This room looks so empty with everything moved out of it. Crazy!! If all goes well this doggy daycare room should be up and running by Friday, then we will start the Ruff House.
Thanks again for being so understanding with us during this time, construction is always hard, but we try to make it as easy on everyone as possible.
Keith
Remodeling – Day 1
Petey and Benson were one of the first dogs to hang out in the new Dog Lounge
Today was the first day of the remodeling of Waggers Way. The new floor was put down and it will look just like the Ruff House floor. The floor is the Ruff House has proven to be the best and easiest to keep clean, but also provide a safe surface for the dogs to play on. Our room configuration will be a bit strange the next few days. The Ruff House will be un-changed, but the Waggers Way dogs will be in what we are calling the “Dog Lounge” which is our training room. Today, the dogs in the Dog Lounge could run back and forth from the Canine Cove and many of them really enjoyed that. If you are watching the webcams the next few days, make sure you cycle through all of them to find your pooch as they may not be in their regular room. Monday, the walls in Waggers Way will be painted, then the ceiling installation will begin. With any type of construction, we always place the safety of your dog ahead of anything else, and have been limiting the number of dogs we accept for the next to weeks. It also might take us a few extra minutes to get your dog ready to go home because of the configuration. Please be patient with us, we promise it will be worth the hassle!
We are really excited to show off the remodeled areas!
Keith
Pitching In
Leyla was the first nail trim of 2012.. I did her nail trim at 9am on January 1st.
The new year is here and Pampered Pooch Playground is rocking. This week all the talk is about our remodeling that is starting later this week. Everyone is very excited for the updates and we really try to take our employees opinions into account when we change things. As an owner, sometimes it is easy to sit back and say “deal with it”, but we don’t work that way and those words would never leave my mouth. If there is something we can do to make the job easier, we will change and adapt to make things easier for our staff. I think it really helps that Trycia and Myself are very involved in the dog daycare everyday (we don’t just sit in an office), but know what really goes on. For example, tonight, the person that does our cleaning was sick, so who filled in?? I did!! Some of the staff did think it was kinda funny that the owner was cleaning, but it is a task that needs to be done. I actually had fun doing it (I had don’t done it for a few months).
We are excited to get the ball rolling on 2012 and continue to provide the best possible care and exercise for your pooch!
I think we will make the slogan for the year….. 2012… The year of the pooch!
Have a good night.
Keith
Thanks for 2011
Nap time in the Ruff Hosue
I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of our wonderful customers and staff for a wonderful 2011. I know we say this every year, but Trycia and I never expected Pampered Pooch Playground to be as successful as it is. We really appreciate everyone that has made PPP what it is today! In 2011 we remodeled our dog grooming, bathing, and food prep areas and added a new floor to the Ruff House. I LOVE change and keeping things fresh and new and in the next few weeks you will see more changes taking place. We strive to be the best possible dog daycare in the Twin Cities.
Thursday night, I was doing our closing shift because one of our employees was sick. The entire shift, when I was in the room, I kept thinking about when we first opened 4 years ago and how far it has come! I still remember when we had 3 dogs each day and can name our first 20 dogs (and most still come).
have a happy and healthy 2012!
Keith
Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays to everyone! This is always a really buys time around the PPP, and I have to say a very special thank you to all of our staff that make everything run so smoothly. So many daycares close for the dogs (the just let them out for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours at night), but we make it a regular day of play for all of our overnight dogs. Doing this requires our staff to give up more of their holiday, but we feel that it is better for the dogs to stay in routine and not in a cage. So again, a big thanks to all of our crew who are working extra hard taking care of the hotel guests today!
I also want to thank all of our customers. I really feel that we have the greatest customers around!!
As many of you know, I am from the Chicago area. I thought I would leave you with a Chicago TV tradition. Every Christmas, WGN would play the Hardrock, Coco and Joe cartoon. Thanks to youtube, It is below 
Have a great holiday, and thanks so much for being one of our customers!
Keith
Mila
Mila is a Beagle that comes to doggy daycare a couple times each week. To say she gets excited for lunch is an understatement! The moment she hears Ellen‘s (the lunch lady) voice she starts howling because she knows lunch is near! Besides food, she loves chasing the ball in the canine cove, and playing with Hobbes and Olive. Mila always brings a smile to our face and we love having her visit us!
Group Nap Times
All the dogs in the Ruff House are napping, except for Schatzie!
I still remember the first week that we opened (almost 4 years ago) and I remember how we tried to do “nap time” like all the other dog daycares in the area did. We would put all the dogs in cages for 2 hours. In theory they would lay down and nap, but honestly it does not happen. We tied it for a month and it was nothing but non-stop barking everyday. We started thinking and wondering if we can do things different, and guess what… We did! So we started our group nap times, where the gigs just lay down in the play areas and take a nap. It is so much less stressful on the dogs and on our staff. Log onto our webcams around 1pm everyday and you will see what I am talking about.
Starting in January, we are really excited to do some more remodeling (I love to change and update things all the time). We are all pretty excited about it. The final details are still being worked out, but once everything is finalized we will give you all the details.
Have a good day!
Keith
Tiny Tails Playgroup – Tuesday Nights – 6pm
This playgroup is for dogs and puppies of any age 25lbs and under who enjoy the company of other dogs or are fearful (non-reactive/aggressive) and in need of socialization. The cost is $7 per session or $30 for a 5 session pass. This class is run by Lucky Paws Training, and reservations can be made by clicking here.
