WCCO-TV stopped out to Bubbly Paws Dog Wash and Dog Spa to talk about the self-service dog wash business. 5am Segment
6am Segment
Social Media Done Right
It is no secret that we LOVE to use Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at the dog wash. Seriously, we have so much fun putting pictures up and interacting with our customers on there. I get really annoyed with businesses that don't understand how to use it correctly. I think my biggest problem is when a company put up "Like this picture if ____" or when companies try to sell products. Social media should be fun and interactive! Trycia and I were in Kauai for the past few days and we had a blast there and I was very impressed with how well our hotel responded to social media. As some of you might know I love coffee and I found out that our hotel was importing Settle's Best coffee rather than using the amazing Kona coffee which is gown locally! Why would they order coffee that is mass produced over 2000 miles away and then have to ship it for people to enjoy OK coffee. I asked them this question on their facebook page, and within about 3 hours I had a response saying that they have a coffee cart that brews Kona coffee... But to make it even better, they delivered 2 bags of coffee and coffee mugs direct to our hotel room so we could brew it in our room. I mean seriously, what company does that? I was just so impressed by them. The trip was great and it is always hard to go away when you have 2 small businesses that you worry about. Thankfully we have Lill who is an amazing manager, Jess who is an amazing groomer and out wonderful staff of Cat, Ashley and Kalyn. If you want to read more about our trip, visit the Pampered Pooch Playground Blog.
So if you run a small business, there is your social media lesson for the day... Go to Kauai, and learn how to facebook!
Have a great night!
Keith
Featured Rescue Dog - Aloha
Meet Aloha who is available for adoption through MUSHR. Aloha is a very sweet girl and was being fostered by one of our employees at Pampered Pooch Playground. She is cream colored with brown eyes and weighs about 40 pounds. The family that adopts Aloha will need to take puppy classes and continuously work on her socialization. While Aloha is extremely timid, with a little patience she can show a lot of affection. She has a very gentle disposition but is a bit shy with strangers. Aloha is crate trained for day and night and is housebroken. She loves carrying around toys and anything else that is left on the ground. You can always find a large collection of toys stashed in her crate. She does extremely well with dogs of all sized and would do well in a multiple pet household. Aloha also does well with cats. On a leash, she does okay walking at your side except when passing people and dogs or if there is too much commotion around. She may do better in a quieter neighborhood. Aloha gets along very well with the resident dog who has helped Aloha learn how to play and just be a dog. Because of the need for Aloha's ongoing socialization and because she has learned so much from the resident dog, we are looking for a home for Aloha that already has a stable dog to help continue to teach Aloha the ropes of being a great dog. We have no doubt she will make a wonderful part of someone's family in time. She has a lot of potential and is making great progress already! Click here for more pictures on her PetFinder.com profile. If you adopt Aloha, we will give you a free self-service bath at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash.
Featured Rescue Dog
Bubbly Paws Dog Wash believes in giving back to the pet community in the Twin Cities and every few weeks we will feature a new dog that is up for adoption from a local pet rescue. To help promote adoption, we will donate a free self-service bath to the person that adopts the dog. Stop back soon to see our first featured rescue dog.
Anniversary Party Pictures
Thanks to everyone that stopped out to our 1 year anniversary party at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash. It was great to see so many of our great customers. Below are some of the pictures from the event!
Protect your pooch this spring and summer
Flea and Tick season is here and we want to make sure your dog is protected. Every spring Jessica our groomer sees a good share of ticks and it has already started! Our friends at FOX 9 did a great story on how to make sure your dog is ready!
Warm Weather Brings Fleas, Ticks Out Early: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com
New Years
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!!
Keith
Winter Workouts
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. ***
Roxy's July 4th Weekend
This past weekend we took Roxy with us while we visited Trycia's family in Wisconsin for the 4th of July! The first stop was at a cabin, where we tried and tried to get Roxy to swim. She has never been much of a swimmer, but she loves to wade in the water and lay down. So we put her doggie lifejacket on her (thanks to the wonderful selection at Bone Adventure), and kept taking her out a little bit farther. After many tries, we decided she is a land loving pooch!
Then later, we stopped at Trycia's sisters house, and one of the first things she asked us was.... Can you get me another Stunt Puppy collar and some more of that awesome Topline Shampoo! Today, I packed up a nice care package of shampoo and a new collar for Roman their black lab and shipped it to them!
After a few more days, we came back, and Roxy was pretty stinky! So she got a bath today at the dog wash! Now she is smelling great!
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
Keith
At Home Dog Wash
Here is just another reason why it is easier to do a self-service bath at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash, rather than doing it at home!
Deltal Care Kits Are Back
When we first opened the dog wash, we had a bunch of the dental care kits in stock and I was shocked at how fast they sold. Now we have a bunch more in stock and ready to go! Many people forget that it is important to brush their dogs teeth on a regular basis. One of our friends just had to take their dog to the vet and have 3 teeth pulled because of the lack of oral care. Toothbrushes are free with all self service baths and tooth brushing is included with full service baths and spa services.
Have a great day!
Keith
Tazer and his bath
Today we received a call from Tazer's dad asking if Tazer his bulldog could come in for a bath at the dog wash. I am a huge fan of bulldogs because I love how they snort! Tazer came in and got spoiled with his bath! He had a great time in the tub and had even more fun with the dryer! Tazer went home all fresh and clean!
Have a good night!
Keith
VIP Party Pictures
Saturday night we had a bunch of our friends and people from the pet industry at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash for a VIP Grand Opening Party. We wanted to show off our newest business to all of our friends in style, so we hired our good friend Kara to cater the event with Kara's Cuisine. The food was amazing and it was great to see so many of our friends in one place. Thanks to Sarah of Sarah Beth Photography for taking some awesome pictures!! [nggallery id=4]
Preview Night Pictures
Here are a few pictures from the Bubbly Paws Dog Wash preview night. Thanks to Brian at the Mobile Photo Wall for taking the pictures and his pooch Fe for being one of the models!. [nggallery id=3]
Breakin' in the Tubs
Tonight was a big night at Bubbly Paws Dog Wash. We had the outdoor sign installed and it looks great! We also invited one of our Architects and her friend to come in and give their dogs a bath. We wanted to make sure we have everything set and in place before we open this weekend. I have to admit I was kinda nervous to have one of the designers of the dog wash use it for the first time. I really wanted it to live up to her expectations and make sure it was everything she had in her mind! Oscar got in the tub and really seemed to enjoy his bath! Everything was a huge success!! We will be open on Saturday from 10-3.. stop out and try it out!!
It was a big day!!
The past few days Bubbly Paws dog wash has been swarming with people! We just passed our final City Inspection from St Louis Park and are all set to open! All the window decals are up and 90% of the retail items are in the store. Now we just have to put the shelves up, and put the items on them. We will be open by Wednesday! Today we went to Stunt Puppy which is another local business and picked up a bunch of collars and leashes! It is going to be a busy weekend getting everything set for our opening! If you have not signed up for our email list, make sure you do it, and you will receive a special grand opening savings (it is on the bottom right of our main page)!
We are so very excited!
Meet Roxy
So much of Bubbly Paws Dog Wash was inspired by our dog Roxy, so I thought it would be good if you got to know her a little better. Roxy is a 5 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. She is also a certified therapy dog which means that she can visit schools and nursing homes, and she does this on a regular basis. She enjoys people and can often be seen sitting on peoples feet! Af for food, she loves her Woody's Pet Food and will always remind you when it is 6:30am and 5pm for her food. In the summer, you can often see her walking around (and sitting in) the lakes in Minneapolis or going to the Minnehaha Dog Park, which is her favorite place in the world! We also enjoy taking Roxy to as many dog friendly places as possible. I just took her to the Apple Store in uptown, where they are super dog friendly!
The construction is getting close to being completed, once we are open, stop in and ask Roxy for a "High 5!".
See you soon.
Keith
Roxy's Favorite People
Yesterday, we were busy getting ready for the filming of the Twin Cities Puppy Bowl and Bubbly Paws Dog Wash is a sponsor! The set looks great and everyone involved has worked so hard. We had our dog Roxy there, and she must have been in heaven because so many of her favorite people were there. She gets so excited for certain people and all of them kept walking in and everyone had their dogs with them! Who are her favorite people you ask?
Sarah from Sarah Beth Photography, Lisa from Caribou Coffee, Ali from Sidewalk Dog and Molly from Just Paws Puppy Training.
After Roxy was done greeting everyone, she had to try out all of the toys for the Puppy Bowl. She had a great time!
The filming of the Twin Cities Puppy Bowl is today. Look for some pictures soon!
Keith
New Website is Up!
As many of you might know, starting a new business is a huge adventure, and it never goes as fast as you think. The same is true for Bubbly Paws Dog Wash and Dog Spa. We have a great construction contractor working very hard to get things open and done and everything should be wrapped up in about 3 weeks! Get excited!! The grand opening celebration will be lots of fun! Trycia and I keep going in and making sure everything is going smoothly, which it is!
We can't wait to meet everyone, and introduce the Twin Cites to the newest and most state of the art self service dog wash and spa!
Keith