The year-old establishment, which averages 40 clients a day on weekends, is certainly proving to be a slice of heaven for proprietor Michael Heppler, 40, a former plumber and intermittent inventor. For $15 a visit—or $150 a year—Heppler boasts, "We supply you with everything but the dirty dog." This includes unlimited time in one of eight tubs—like the one where a happily squirming Duke and owner Scott Reed appear to be conducting a benign wrestling match—and under the wall-mounted blow-drying hoses. Yuppie puppies can luxuriate with eight all-natural shampoos, including Plum White ("almost like you've bleached your dog," says Heppler) and Filthy Animal ("some dogs roll in horse manure and stuff, and that's when you need it"). And there's always plenty of free advice from Heppler, father to both Max, an 11-year-old golden Lab-husky mix, and 5-month-old baby Jacob—whose mother is Karen, 33, a teacher. "If you blow in their ear, they shake," Heppler confides, speaking of dogs, not kids. "I learned that from Martha Stewart."
Though Bonz patrons range from pint-size Lhasa apsos to hulking Saint Bernards, Heppler prides himself on presiding over a peaceable kingdom. The only fur that flies, human habitués confirm, comes from under the dryers. "I tell people you've got to breathe through your nose, not through your mouth," Heppler says with a smile. "Unless you want to get some extra protein."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
