Paul M. Rathe is the owner of Soggy Paws, a dog wash and pet products stores for dogs and cats with three locations in Chicago. Thus, his to-do job list is, well, seemingly never-ending.
Rathe said with a smile that he is, "the guy who is in charge of ordering, inventory, hiring, training, bill-paying, cleaning, education, sourcing new products, cleaning furnace filters, changing hose nozzles, buying cotton balls, administering the security systems, making sure the phones and computer systems work … and then I also talk to customers after all that is done."
He wouldn't have it any other way.
"The most enjoyable and rewarding part of what we do is being able to get through to someone that quality food makes for a much healthier dog or cat," Rathe said.
Years ago, at the South Loop store, a couple was standing in front of the wall of dog foods sold at Soggy Paws, Rathe said. They asked, "What do you suggest for an overweight dog?" The manager replied, "Um, feed less?"
The customers said, "Oh great, show us where that bag is," thinking 'feed less' actually was a brand name of food.
Rathe urged all pet owners to visit an independent pet store. "It makes a difference in the health and longevity of your pet," he said. "Quality food makes a difference. One way I start to get through to people is to ask them, 'If your pet's food has corn in it, just think about what corn does when you eat it.' That gets their attention."
Rathe also found a fun side job this past October, when he joined the Lyft ride-sharing community. Yep, Rathe has a pink mustache attached to either his Volvo or Mercedes and transports people around the city and suburbs. He usually signs up to drive for six hours per week, but ultimately drives about double that.
Lyft-ing is addictive, he said.
"I was at brunch with a friend [last October] who took a Lyft to meet me there. She said, 'You should do this.' I thought, 'Yeah, I should'—and signed up [to drive for Lyft] that day," Rathe said.
One of Rathe's first Lyft rides also was, and still is, one of his favorites. He picked up an opposite-sex couple at a bar along Diversey Street, and she immediately said, "This sucks."
Rathe was stunned and asked her what was wrong.
She said, "I'm usually a f@#$-ing hoot." Apparently, she had been drinking way too much that day and was not feeling her best and was upset that she couldn't be fun in the car," Rathe said. "Two months later I ended up taking her and her man, and her parents, to a restaurant. She got in the front seat and said, 'You remember me?!' We had a good laugh over her state of being at the last ride. It's good to have that connection with your riders."
THE STATS
Age: 48
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
Relationship status: Committed relationship with John Brandt
Job title: Co-owner, Soggy Paws
Home : Was born and raised in North Dakota; came to Chicago in 1987 and has lived here since, with the exception of 2000-2004 when in California
Hobbies: "I am so busy owning five retail stores that I have no idea what a hobby would be."
Favorite TV show: Downton Abbey
Worst part of your job: "Getting anal glands expressed on you. Seriously. This is not an odor that leaves you quickly."
Little-known fact: "I once made a Caesar salad for Andy Williams in St. Cloud, Minn."
