- Address
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The Paw
1741 Premier Drive,
Mankato MN 56001
- Phone Number
- Timings
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Sunday: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Monday - Friday: 6:30 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Whether you are new to Mankato, have included a new animal family member, or are just looking for an experienced pet care provider that you can trust, please stop by and see what we have to offer. Our pet care team will be happy to show you around and see how we can help you and your pet.
Facility
The Paw opened in 2008 and is more than just a large building with huge playgrounds for dogs to run and play on. The building was designed with the health and comfort of your pet in mind. The floors in our lobby, training center, and hallways are all rubber coated so that they are comfortable for your pet to walk and get traction on. In our suites and grooming salon, floors are epoxy coated for easier cleaning and sanitization.
Fire Safety
Our facility is built with block walls and interior steel studs. We have stainless steel cabinets in all boarding spaces. There are few flammable items in our building. We have a fire monitoring system that calls the fire department to dispatch emergency personnel. We have a fire suppression system/sprinkler system throughout our facility including the boarding rooms. We have floor drains in our boarding rooms to make sure that pets are safe and will not drown, should the sprinklers go off. We do not have staff working shifts overnight as their activity would keep the dogs awake.
The air is cleaned in our facility with UV sterilization. We clean our daycare kennels, floors, and suites using water heated to 230°F, which minimizes the need for harsh cleaning chemicals. We have floor drains throughout our suites which make cleaning and sterilization of all pet areas much easier.
Our Boarding Suites
Our daycare kennels and boarding suites are cleaned before and after each guest arrives to ensure a clean welcoming space for your pet’s stay.
We have in-floor heat in all of our boarding suites, central air conditioning, and fans throughout the building. Our facility uses an energy-efficient, GO Thermal system to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
We offer 150 spacious boarding suites for dogs, raised beds, and exercise time available daily, The Paw is your pet's home away from home. We have webcams on our playgrounds so you can see your pet while they are outside, executive suites, cat room and grooming room. We have owners call all the time asking why they cannot see their dog when they are in the daycare room or in regular boarding suites that are not viewable to the customers.
Swimming Pool
Our swimming pool is graduated in depth from 10 inches to 4½ feet, and measures 18x50 feet. The water is kept at a comfortable 80°F. Our pool room is equipped with a dock (for all those who enjoy dock jumping) which lowers at the press of a button.
Please stop in and take a tour! Looking for more information, please see our full list of brochures
The staff of The Paw is dedicated to making our pet resort an engaging and healthy place for all of our furry guests. They have all received training in off-leash dog play through Destination Pet that teaches our staff about dog body language, dog emotional states, dogs under stress, dog aggression, how to manage dog interactions, and play styles of dogs.
Ami joined The Paw’s team in August 2017. Her favorite part about working at The Paw is seeing and meeting all the different breeds and personalities of the animals who come! She enjoys building relationships with customers and their pets. She takes special interest in nervous dogs, helping them come out of their shell and being able to make pets feel as comfortable as possible!
She has three dogs: Presto (Staffordshire Bull Terrier), Jami (Golden), and Lexa (Golden); four cats: Macaroni, Gouda, Meatball, and Cat; and lots of chickens! Ami and her husband own an automotive performance parts business. They travel all over the country for races! Ami enjoys cooking, baking, watching documentaries, puzzles, and cross-stitching when she is home.
Mack joined The Paw’s team in August 2020. She is from Dover, MN. She Moved to Mankato in 2018 and graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato with her bachelor's in marketing in 2022. Before working at The Paw, she spent 3 years working at a kennel in Rochester. She has had a dog since the day she was born, and nothing makes her happier than taking care of a dog or even just seeing a dog!
Her current pets are 2 dogs; Castle a rottweiler and pug mix, and Magnolia (Maggie) a red heeler.
What she loves most about working at The Paw is creating relationships with all the customers that bring their pet in. Our regulars are her favorite, seeing them every week allows her to bond with the dogs and customers. She takes pride in building trust with each dog she works with. Puppy Camp is also her favorite thing, she enjoys helping them have a fun first experience.
Liz joined The Paw’s team in May 2021. She is from Elk Mound, WI, and graduated in May 2021 from UW-River Falls with a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a companion animal management emphasis.
Her current pets are 2 dogs; Georgia a chocolate Labrador and Crue a black Labrador.
Liz’s favorite thing about working at The Paw is seeing how excited all the dogs get when they are in our facility. She also enjoys seeing all the different personalities of the dogs and getting to know every dog that comes into our facility, whether it’s for boarding or daycare!
Vivian joined The Paw’s team in April 2022. She is from Prior Lake, MN, and is currently attending Minnesota State University, Mankato majoring in Business.
Her current pet is Whiskey, a goldendoodle.
Vivian’s favorite thing about working at The Paw is the customers and her coworkers. Whether the customers are humans or dogs being around them makes her day 100% better. It brings her joy to see the dogs and get to know their owners. Her coworkers make work a great place to be because of the team and no matter how bad of a day goes we have a great relationship.
Brianna joined The Paw’s team in March 2023. She is originally from Winona, MN, and moved to the Mankato area in 2022. Before working at The Paw, she worked at a kennel or Winona. She has a family dog named Cash, a chocolate lab, at home.
In her free time, Brianna loves to cook and do anything outdoors. Her favorite part about working at The Paw is building relationships with the dogs and their owners!
Alexa joined The Paw’s team in September 2023. She is from Lacrosse, WI and is currently attending Minnesota State University studying communication sciences and disorders.
Her current pet is Harper, a golden retriever.
Alexa’s favorite thing about working at The Paw is all the different personalities of dogs we have and enjoying getting to know their families!
Gretchen joined The Paw’s team in November of 2023. She is from Farmington, MN currently attending Minnesota State University studying child development, family studies, and Psychology.
Gretchen’s favorite part about working at The Paw is being able to recognize all the dogs and seeing all their different personalities.
Lauren joined The Paw’s team in She is originally from Texas and moved to Minnesota in 2014. She has lived in a few cities in Hennepin County. She moved to Mankato in 2023 to support her boyfriend while he attends MNSU.
Her current pets are 2 cats; Gus and Walter.
Laurens favorite thing about working at The Paw is getting to bond with so many great animals and their owners! Her other favorite thing is getting to earn the trust of the dogs that come in and becoming such an important part in these dogs' lives!
Maverick joined The Paw’s team in September 2023. His current pet is a mini goldendoodle named Toby.
Laura joined The Paw’s team in June 2010. She is from Mapleton, MN. She has always had an animal, from hedgehogs and birds to dogs and horses.
Her current pet is a mixed breed rescue named Thelma.
Laura learned about grooming as an assistant at The Paw's grooming salon, in 2010. She found that she loved grooming and expanded her skills, becoming a lead groomer. Laura enjoys building relationships with all her clients and making dogs feel good! In her free time, she is active in sports, especially softball and volleyball, and spends time with her family
Hanna joined The Paw’s team in July 2020, she started grooming in 2015. She has seven snakes; three Western Hognose, two Ball Pythons, a Milk Snake, and a Columbian Boa. As well as two Leopard Geckos. She has hopes of adding a dog to the family soon. Until then, she enjoys getting her dog fixed through grooming.
Her current pet is a Bull Terrier named Bunny.
Her favorite part about her job is that every day is different. Each dog keeps her on her feet, and she loves puppy kisses. Hanna’s outside hobbies include all things nerdy, pop culture, Japanese culture (Anime), and road trips in her RV.
I have been training dogs at The Paw since 2007. Dogs have always been a big part of my life. My family once raised Brittanie's, and we were active in the MN Brittany Club, competed in field trials, obedience shows, and conformation shows, as well as hunting and field training. Throughout my adult life, my interest in dogs and dog training has only grown. I currently participate on a national level in agility, conformation, rally, obedience, and herding. I have had the opportunity to own and work with a wide variety of dogs - Brittany, Labrador Retriever, Miniature Pinscher, Rat Terrier, Basset Hound, Old English Sheepdog, Bluetick Coonhound, Australian Cattle dog, Portuguese Podengo Medio, and mixed breeds. They have all given me experience in the diverse personalities and training needs of a wide variety of dogs. It brings me joy to share my lifetime of canine knowledge as an instructor. I enjoy competing with my dogs. However, my number one priority is for my dogs and me to have a strong bond. This is also my goal for every student team and family who comes through my classes.
I have been training at The Paw since 2007. I have attended obedience classes offered by almost every instructor in the Mankato area, beginning in 1976! In 1995, I attended my first agility class in St. Cloud. Since 2000, I have offered classes in Rally, Back Packing, Weight Pulling, Carting, Sledding, Nose work as well as Obedience Training. My own dogs have titled in obedience, rally, sheep herding, lure coursing, snow pull, weight pull, agility, conformation, Barn Hunt, therapy and working Samoyed titles. I am a member of numerous dog clubs and offer a diversified background of dog knowledge to my students.
“I am very versed in animal care and have worked hard to earn my position at The Paw. After completing my Animal Behavior College Externship in 2018, I came to The Paw and assisted Dawn and Linda with their classes. Before moving to Mankato, I groomed many families’ and friends’ dogs for over 25 years. I have foster dogs from Minnesota and other southern states. My husband and I have always had 3 to 5 dogs and a few cats; until we moved to Mankato. I currently have Windy a Korean Jindo Dog”
The Paw gives me the opportunity to use my problem-solving skills to work with people and their dogs. I enjoy helping people train their dogs to be better family members. I treat each dog as if it were my own. In the past, I have trained/owned a German Shepard, a German Shorthair, several Toy and Miniature Poodles, Terriers, Labs, and German Shepherd Lab Mixes, most of which were abused or neglected and no longer wanted by their owners before I got them. Since working at The Paw, I have helped owners train many other sizes and breeds of dogs from the small Yorkie, Chihuahua, and Dachshund to the big Great Dane, St. Bernard, Bernese, and Newfoundland.
Breanna joined The Paw’s team in February 2024. She is from Hutchinson, MN and moved to Mankato so she could be closer to her parents and get more help with childcare.
Breanna loves working at The Paw for many reasons, but the main reason is meeting all the amazing dogs that we have in our facility. She has always been a huge dog person and getting the opportunity to work with dogs every day makes her so happy.
