MARYSVILLE – Lorri Schubert knows how to pamper pets.
She used to own a pet business in Brier where she catered to the animals of the rich and famous in Bellevue, Redmond and Issaquah, including training dogs belonging to Seattle Mariners baseball legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Jay Buhner.
“Their dog is part of their image, and they pay big money,” she said.
She became so popular she was asked to partner with a big operation that settled in Lakewood. She was there for 25 years, but decided it got too big, so she sold it, and started anew Nov. 10 at Pampered Pets Resort in North Marysville.
“It was way less hands on, and I got bored,” Schubert said. “I want to get back to that small feel, more personable.”
The new project consists of boarding and daycare. She wants to add grooming “down the road”, but said city laws made it too expensive to add sewer and water to start.
Schubert said she knew when she was 16 she wanted to make a living with dogs. She trained her own dog, then took it to a class and became friends with the trainer. When there was an opening she got the job and has worked her way up from there.
Schubert also competes at a high level of competition around the country with her two border collies. For years she has taught border collies to work on farms and ranches in North Snohomish County.
She also runs a huge sheep dog trial competition in Arlington that brings in 400 spectators a year. She still raises sheep in the Lakewood area that are used for training dogs and also for meat.
Schubert, who lives in the house in front of the resort, said it’s open every day of the year. Pets are pampered all day inside a heated and air conditioned building. Cost is $25 per dog, just $5 more if they stay overnight in one of the eight sleeping suites.
“It’s free roaming,” Schubert said. “They get to play all day long.”
