The Pampered Pooch
Coral Gables is no stranger to human indulgences. So why not for our canines as well?
In a city recently deemed the ritziest residential neighborhood in the country, it is no surprise that there is an abundance of companies designed to pamper Gables residents. From luxury spas to designer brands, the Gables is no foreigner to the idea that it’s life’s “little pleasures” that really matter. Thus, it would only make sense that this ‘dolce vita’ concept not only applies to the humans of the Gables, but to their four-legged friends as well. That’s right: living in the Gables as a dog means being treated like royalty. And we’re not mad at all.
Of course, these dogs don’t know how good their opulent lives truly are. It’s the age old tale. You look at your dog, whose existence is purely made up of long walks, eating, and being entertained by tennis balls, and think to yourself, “how is it that this thing once survived in the wild?” It truly is an impossible challenge to imagine the dogs of today, sleeping in palatial beds and being pampered in salons, going out to hunt for their food as they did thousands of years ago. Whether it is humanity’s increasing desire to prioritize comfort, or simply driven by consumerism itself, a whole industry has been created to make the lives of man’s best friend as splendid as possible. Here is a sampler of pamper in the Gables, where this industry has soared.
Nandog
When guests walk into Nandogs’ small, unassuming storefront, they are first greeted by extravagant dog beds, quite a switch from the largely plain exterior. Located on the fourth block of Miracle Mile, between Spacagna Italian Hair and the Capital One Cafe, Nandog opened their Gables brick and mortar in March 2021. But their history began 12 years earlier and some 2,000 miles away in Studio City, Los Angeles.
The now-defunct Los Angeles Nandog store was opened in 2010 by Hernando “Nando” Vergara, who observed an opportunity in the market for consumers who wanted to provide their furry friends with trendy merchandise but lacked the funds needed for the majority of high-end pet products. Flash forward 14 years, and Nandog pet gear is sold to retailers across the country. The Gables store is owned by Alfonso Navarro, Vergara’s childhood friend from Barranquilla, Colombia, and Javier Reyes.
Nandog and the goods they sell accurately represents the place pets inhabit in American society nowadays. Deep down, we may know that our dogs and cats are not our biological children and yet we still treat them as such. Carrier bags, interactive toys to stimulate their brains, agave oil to ensure they never suffer from dry paws, even car seats – these are all items sold at Nandog. And keeping in line with Vergara’s original vision, these products are not ridiculously expensive. The plush quilted car seats, complete with safety hooks and seat belts, range from $59 to $79, ensuring that even those with a limited budget can practice canine safety. Dog beds, which come in a vast selection, never exceed $79, even the whimsical pineapple, banana, and cupcake shaped ones.
As if the plethora of dog toys and accessories weren’t enough, in April 2023 Nandog launched their Friday grooming services. Pups can enjoy an appointment of pampering complete with a wash, cut, and blow-dry of their coat, as well as nail trimming. Throughout the treatment they use their specialty Nandog products, such as their pets paw balm wax ($14.99). During our visit, we witnessed one zestful chihuahua jumping up and down after finishing his appointment, indicating that dogs, just like people, always enjoy a spa day.
Nandogs
nandogfl.com
60 Miracle Mile
(786) 391-0733
Scenthound
Hidden just around the corner from the designer stores of Merrick Park, Scenthounds may be less expensive than the shops that surround it, but it’s just as luxurious. With additional locations in Kendall and Pinecrest as well as others across the country, the journey of this Florida-based franchise began with husband-wife duo Tim and Jessica Vogel in 2005. They first entered the world of doggie grooming as a mobile service called Scenters, a company they owned and operated for a decade before transitioning to a permanent location.
Where Scenthounds differs from the Vogel’s previous endeavor is in their respective mission statements. While Scenters was primarily focused on grooming, Scenthounds offers a more holistic, wellness-based approach to pet care. Having worked with animals for over twenty years, the Vogel’s journey revealed to them the ways in which different kinds of dogs receive the same treatments, leading their hygiene and health to suffer because of a “one-size-fits-all“ approach. “Not all dogs need traditional grooming,” they write on their website, “but all dogs need routine hygiene.”
The list of services offered at Scenthounds is extensive. To start, visitors can choose from three different packages: basic hygiene, which includes a bath, towel-dry, nail trim, ear cleaning, and teeth brushing; the blow-out package; and the barber package. The price of each treatment differs depending on the coat of the dog. Regardless of the kinds of service provided, however, owners will receive a S.C.E.N.T. check that informs owners about the wellbeing of their pooch. Each assessment is complete with six sections dedicated to evaluating the dog’s skin, coat, ears, nails, and teeth.
For those who seek pristine cleanliness in their four-legged companions, the additional services extended by Scenthound are likely to meet any desired outcome. A blueberry oatmeal scrub to exfoliate your pup’s face? Check. Eyebrow trims that can keep your dog’s complexion sharp and up to date with the current trends? Check. A thorough conditioning treatment designed to demat, detangle, and repair damaged hair, leaving you wanting to ask for the human equivalent? Check. Scenthounds is expertly curated to suit the high-maintenance needs of dog owners across the City Beautiful.
Scenthound
Scenthound.com
4583 Ponce de Leon STE 102W
(786) 527-2989
Mobile Services
A recent trend in the pet care industry has been the boom of mobile grooming — pampering conducted in a van or truck that pulls up to your home. These luxury four-wheelers are limited in how far they can travel, with most of the Miami businesses serving only a particular section of the ever-expanding city.
Although their storefront (which provides overnight care in addition to their grooming services) is located just outside the Gables’ city limits in West Miami, Kisses & Paws is one of the many groomers-on-wheels that operate within Coral Gables. Run by sibling team Laura and Christian Torrente, the Kisses & Paws van began with the intended mission of making grooming services easier for those with anxious pups. The lack of distractions from other dogs and their owners creates an environment marked by solitude and peace, perfect for hyperactive dogs or those that are simply homebodies (if such a thing exists in the canine world). Services start at $120 and go up, depending on the size and coat of each animal.
As with providers who have a physical storefront, there exists a hierarchy of exclusivity within the mobile grooming industry. Best in Show Pet Spa definitely resides on the higher end of the exclusivity spectrum. Currently the salon, whose customers are largely Coral Gables residents, has a full client roster for 2024 and is not accepting any new pups. Their services are the most expensive out of those listed here: $150 dollars per hour for a full groom. However, the steep price tag associated with the business is largely explained by the type of care they offer. Their team comprises award-winning stylists who solely employ vegan, hypoallergenic, and natural products, and they are the only Fear Free certified grooming service in the city, meaning their employees are uniquely trained to make their clients – in this case, dogs – have the most enjoyable experience possible.
While most mobile groomers limit their coverage to distinct areas of Miami, Tito’s Dog Grooming does not. The company, which provides salon-style treatment to both cats and dogs, services nearly every neighborhood in Dade-County. Aside from the Gables, Tito’s temperature-controlled van drives as far north as Hallandale Beach and as far south as The Hammocks. Using aromatherapy, classical music, warm cleansing water, and massages, Tito’s creates an experience specifically tailored to the needs of overly sensitive and anxious dogs.
While there appears to be an ample number of groomers available in the Gables, few pet care businesses specialize in teeth – except for Snuggly Tails Dental, that is. With offices located on Minorca Avenue, their procedure is simple: each pooch receives a free dental examination upon their first visit, which determines if they are a prime candidate for anesthesia-free oral work. The free examination could also uncover other, more severe issues beyond teeth in need of brushing, such as periodontal disease, bone loss, bone fracture, visible tumors and cavities, which must be treated by a vet. As for the work Snuggly Tails provides, those dogs deemed to be good candidates then undergo a procedure to remove the calculus, or tartar, found in nearly every canine’s mouth. Oral hygiene is often overlooked in pets, and Snuggly Tails notes that these cleanings should occur at least every six months to avoid potential side effects such as bacterial infections. Luckily, Snuggly Tails’ mobile service means you can care for your pup’s fangs just a few steps from your front door.
Kisses & Paws
kissesandpawsboardingandcare.com
(305) 989-8907
Best in Show Pet Spa
bestinshow.pet
(786) 208-0155
Tito’s Dog Grooming
titosdoggrooming.com
(305) 767-5518
Snuggly Tails Dental
snugglytails.com
(305) 323-0551
Stress Be Gone
There are certainly numerous businesses that help dogs look their best. But what about those that ensure they feel their best too – and not just physically? Dogs, just like humans, can suffer from mental health problems, usually in the form of anxiety or depression. And treating them is obviously not as cut and dry as talk therapy. Which is why Let Go Stress opened their doors to pets five years ago.
After sixteen years in the wellness industry, Roland Gonzalez decided to move Let Go Stress in 2019 from their original location in an office building off Coral Way to a storefront in the Gables, hoping to attract a wider clientele. With a bigger and carpet-less space, Gonzalez and his team opted to finally go forward with their Let Go Stress for Pets Program, a project that had been in the works for years. Owners can bring their four-legged friends, those that deal with mental health problems and those that do not, and enjoy a wide variety of treatments designed to target the root of whatever is ailing them both.
Many of the treatments offered at Let Go Stress are rooted in Gonzalez’s background in
quantum studies, such as the quantum wellness BioCharger. Located inside the “Healing Pets” room, the device itself looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie, emitting multi-color lights at different frequencies when switched on. During a BioCharger session, a dog and their owner are essentially forced to sleep by the energy being transmitted from the device. It is known to be resonate with those who deal with chronic pain, fatigue, or mood swings, stimulating the entire body to improve overall health and wellness. Spike, the on-site service dog and the most zen animal we’ve ever laid eyes on, is a huge fan of the device, following Gonzalez to the room until he is granted some time to bask in BioCharger therapy.
LET GO STRESS ON PONCE DE LEON OFFERS A PET PROGRAM FOR DOGS THAT SUFFER FROM STRESS OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.
Upstairs, the health center houses a zero-gravity chair that, while pups cannot sit in, is part of another treatment available to dogs. The chair resides in the Anuhazi Room where Gonzalez conducts sessions using Rasha, a technology system that communicates with your DNA to achieve “Consciousness-Coherence.” It operates under the “base-12” numerical system, used by some scientists to analyze structures deep in the cosmos, emitting frequencies that accelerate your moods, harmonize your body, and guarantee peak mental performance – both for you and for your dog. And as the Rasha device works its magic, owners drift away in the zero-gravity chair, an astonishingly comfortable experience with clients’ backs parallel to the ground, their doggies sound asleep beside them.
Let Go Stress
letgostress.com
3309 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
(786) 328-8437
Miami Pet Concierge
CARE FOR YOUR PET
When Nicole Packin founded Miami Pet Concierge, the concept was about “giving Coral Gables residents back their time.” An unapologetic dog lover, the long-time Gables resident had been working at the Humane Society of Greater Miami. “More and more dogs were being returned for lack of time,” she says, time needed for walking, feeding, and general pet care. “We wanted to create customized care for the parents of dogs in Coral Gables.” So, in 2007 she found Miami Pet Concierge, offering services that included dog walking when owners were at work, pet sitting when owners traveled – even providing “pet taxis” for trips to the groomer or to the vet
Since then, her company has added overnight pet care. “When I started, it was not the norm to have someone stay overnight with your pets,” she says, “but the pet care business has become more progressive.” Among other advances, Packin notes that owners are learning more about nutrients and exercise. At the same time, “fewer people are having kids,” opting instead to become “parents” of their pets. “Pet parents are those who dress their dogs, take them to functions, and want them to be groomed. We act as nannies for their dogs.”
Miami Pet Concierge also provides services for owners of cats, lizards, lemurs and monkeys – “You name it we’ve seen it, even a miniature cow” – though dogs comprise the majority. “What I do is a luxury and [Gables dog owners] want luxuries for their pets… and once we come in, they realize how much time they save.”
Miami Pet Concierge
MiamiPetConcierge.com
Alhambra Circle
(305) 773-3999
Check out our article on stunning dog portraits and see these furry friends in the spotlight!