Family owned and voted the best place to spoil your dog in Minneapolis!
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
Join us at Tryg’s in Minneapolis and help support Homeward Bound Rescue. There will be some great prizes to win including Pampered Pooch Playground swag. Visit the Homeward Bound Rescue website for more information or to RSVP.
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
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
Last night was the PPP holiday party which was so much fun! I personally hate typical holiday parties, and we really want to go all out and do something different. All of our employees work so hard everyday, so we really enjoy doing something fun with them! This year we hit up a local indoor trampoline park to play dodgeball and then went out after for pizza. I think this was our best party yet, and all of our staff had so much fun! I know we always say this, but our staff is amazing and we are so proud to have each one of them taking care of everyones pooch!
To make the party happen, we had 2 of our ex-employees (Erin and Steph) come in and close the daycare so our current staff could attend the party! IT was funny when they came in, all the dogs spending the night were regular dogs, and they knew each one of them from when they worked for us! A big thanks to both of these ladies for coming in and helping out!
Have a great night!
Keith
Every September Trycia and I take a trip (this is planned right after the busy boarding summer season at the PPP on purpose). Because Pampered Pooch Playground is our baby, I always worry about not being around should we ever be needed. Our wonderful staff did a great time holding things down while we were gone. It really is great to have employees that you can trust with your business when you are not around and everyone did great! We got back Friday night around midnight, and I was at the daycare by 9am on Saturday. I just like to go and make sure everything is good (which it was).
We were in Italy, and it was so nice to get away for a few days. We were taking a tour of Pompeii and they talked about how important dogs were in the community. They have a bunch of dogs living on the land, all of which are protected by the government (fully vaccinated) and up for adoption. Trycia and I stopped many time on the tour of this ancient city to pet the dogs. I wanted to bring one home with us!
While we were gone, we were always keeping track on the happenings at the daycare, since I am never able to fully unplug. We did come up with some new ideas for the dog daycare, which you you will see in the next few months. See, we can never really get away!
Have a good sunday!
Keith
While in Chicago, we made a quick visit to see my brothers new puppy!! What a cutie!!
The past 2 days, Trycia and I were in Chicago visiting her family that was in from Poland. Tuesday afternoon we had about 2 hours to kill and decided to check out some doggy daycares in the area. I can honestly say that I was not impressed.
The first one that we visited is one of the “premier” dog daycares in Chicago. We walked in and the lobby was super clean, granite counter tops, and flat panel tv’s.. Wow, the lobby looked good! Then they took us on the tour of the building where we saw one employee sitting and reading a book (to herself, not the dogs) while one dog was eating puke on the floor. The worst part was that she did not even get up to clean it (we were in there for about 5 minutes). In their big dog room, it was the same deal. The guy was sitting watching the dogs and there was a pile of poop on the floor. Wow!!
Then we walked down the street and visited another place. There it felt much more like the PPP when we walked in…. Until we talked to the staff. I asked the guy behind the counter what types of shots they require and he did not even know. They also told us they don’t limit the number of dogs, and you can show up anytime. The guy behind the desk did say that the owner was out, and he was just covering, but still…Wow!
On the way to the airport we talked lots about what we saw and how we can improve our own daycare! I am really happy with how we run our business. We don’t have granite counter tops, designer lighting in the lobby or big college degrees behind an executive desk in our office, but we have lots and lots of love for the dogs, our customers and our employees!! It is important to remember that our daycare is built for our 4 legged customers and we do everything with them in mind (I would rather save the money on granite counter tops and designer lighting and buy better play equipment, dog toys r make things easier for our staff). This is why we have been working hard on remodeling our grooming area (which will be completed this week).
Maybe we were overly critical, and never told the employees that we owned a doggy daycare in Minneapolis, but I was not impressed by what we saw at these “premier” and “posh” places. Both of the daycares we visited had more than 1 location and I honestly feel that when you start getting big like that, the quality and care declines… My point was proven 2 times today.
As always, if there is anything we can do to improve please let me know. We want to be the best dog daycare in Minneapolis.
Keith
Barley was one of the first Springers that attended doggy daycare.
A local rescue asked for some random facts about Pampered Pooch Playground and Bubbly Paws. So I put them together, and thought I would share them with you….
- The first dog to come to Pampered Pooch Playground was a german shepherd / st. bernard mix named Bindi, who quickly became Roxy’s BFF! Bindi was waiting at 6:45am the first day we opened and came every day for 2 years and still randomly pops in.
- The slogan of Bubbly Paws Dog Wash “Our Soap Is Dope” was created over a text message conversation with Sarah Beth Photography while we were at Pizzeria Lola (super dog friendly) eating and drinking.
- The first boxer to come to Pampered Pooch Playground 4 years ago when we opened was a rescue from Minnesota Boxer Rescue (Pickler).
- Before opening Pampered Pooch Playground Keith worked in radio for 11 years (chicago, des moines, cincinnati and minneapolis). He produced the Moon and Staci show on KS95 for 4 years. Both Moon and Staci were in our wedding party.
- The idea for Bubbly Paws Dog Wash came from a customer of Pampered Pooch Playground who complained that there was no place where he could bathe his dog.
- Pampered Pooch Playground was the first doggy daycare to have an iPhone, Droid and Blackberry app where customers can watch their dogs play.
- A large part of the Pampered Pooch Playground and Bubbly Paws business model is to give back to local dog rescues!
Lewis the doodle hanging outside at doggy daycare!
Louis is a Goldendoodle that has been coming to doggy daycare for over a year now. He is soooo excited to walk in the door he can hardly contain himself! Louis loves all dogs and can be seen playing in the Ruff House or Waggers Way, depending on his energy level 
He loves water and when he can’t play with the hose outside he likes to dump water on the floor and lay in it. Louis can also be seen in our spa getting groomed by Tami. We love having Louis visit us at Pampered Pooch Playground!
Pampered Pooch Playground - Locally Owned - Doggy Daycare, Boarding, Grooming and Training in Minneapolis,MN
Phone - (952) 922-8183 - Email Us - Text - (612) 568-8006
7020 Walker St, St Louis Park, MN 55426
Visit our other business in St Louis Park,MN - Bubbly Paws Dog Wash
