“If you leave, don’t bother coming back.” This was what Jessica Cooke says she was told by her employer when her child was sick in the hospital with RSV. In her early 20s at the time, Jessica chose to be by her daughter’s side; she returned to work, but was reprimanded. Until this moment, she had never considered being a business owner herself.
Coming from a long line of self-employed entrepreneurs, Jessica had seen firsthand how much work business ownership required, and it wasn't what she had envisioned for herself. But then she faced the ultimatum working mothers have been given since women joined the workforce: be a mother or be an employee.
Jessica says this pivotal moment lit a fire in her heart: "I would never again have to choose between my children or my livelihood."
"I grew up with limited financial resources, and in my early teens, worked as a dog groomer. Then came high school, then college. A job in I.T. lacked fulfilment for me, and it was then I left the technology sector and again found work in the animal and pet space, for the employer described at the beginning of this story," Jessica explains.
Ironically, she had loved her career, and had planned to make it a lifelong vocation. But she says that wound up not being her destiny; instead, she started her own business.
The Yuppy Puppy was established in 2003 in a small storefront in a strip mall in Winghaven. Offering only grooming services, Jessica started short-term pet sitting, and the business grew, requiring additional space.
The Yuppy Puppy then expanded to two bays at the same location, offering grooming and boarding. Before long, however, it was clear Yuppy Puppy would need its own location. In 2017, Jessica opened Yuppy Puppy Pet Spa in its current location.
Although excited to open a bigger, better location, Jessica says it was crucial that her business not become so large that she lost that personal relationship with the dogs and their families she served. “I didn't want my dogs to become a number. They have families, unique needs. They have special blankets that they love! I didn’t want to lose that,” Jessica reflects, “one of my little dogs wouldn’t eat until we prayed first.”
Although The Yuppy Puppy is one of the cleanest facilities around, Jessica says the last thing she wanted was for it to feel “sterile.”
During 2020, business slowed due to COVID-19, but although they couldn't accept pets for grooming or boarding, Yuppy Puppy didn't stop working. Instead, Jessica and her staff went to nearby pet adoption centers and cleared them out, giving all the dogs grooming and spa treatments, as well as training to ensure they could be adopted. This kept staff working, and saved the lives of dogs.
Today, Yuppy Puppy Pet Spa has two locations: the original Winghaven site and the new Cottleville locale.
A full-service pet spa, Yuppy Puppy offers a pet hotel with 24-hour care, day stay, play camp, training, grooming and self-wash. Completely family-owned and local, Yuppy Puppy is not a franchise. Committed to transparency, Jessica says staffers are always happy to give a tour of the facility.
Notably, Yuppy Puppy consistently wins a place in the local A-Listers and Chamber of Commerce awards. In 2021, Yuppy Puppy was named “Coolest Pet Place in America," an honor bestowed by experts in the business. Then in 2023, Jessica was named Small Business Association Woman of the Year. She also received the Champion for Children Award for training a service dog for children who are non-verbal, bringing her commitment to children and animals full-circle since that notorious day more than 20 years ago.
Committed to the community she serves, Jessica continues Yuppy Puppy’s rescue efforts with a building just for rescue dogs. To date, Yuppy Puppy’s rescues exceed 2,500. The staff bands together to support each other. Employing many single mothers, if one employee needs to get her child on the school bus, and another needs to pick her children up from school, they stagger their work schedules to ensure they never feel torn between making a living and being a mother.
And remember that baby in the hospital with RSV? She’s now in her 20s, and a proud member of the Yuppy Puppy staff.
Yuppy Puppy offers a pet hotel with 24-hour care; staff is on-site around-the-clock keeping furry friends company.