Local entrepreneur Heather Marianna Dill described her canine specialty retail shop. "The Dog Ripple Boutique is an L.A.-style boutique in Broad Ripple Village! I am from Los Angeles and I wanted to do a neat boutique where people can spoil their pooches. We offer everything from sweaters in the winter to dresses in the spring, jackets, shirts and pet carriers. We are the exclusive retailer of London dog collars & leashes, toys and plush doggie beds that are hard to find! We are also the only retailer of my clothing line, Heather-Baron Canine Couture. Previews of some items are currently in the store with the full clothing line scheduled to launch this fall," she explained.

Local entrepreneur Heather Marianna Dill described her canine specialty retail shop. "The Dog Ripple Boutique is an L.A.-style boutique in Broad Ripple Village! I am from Los Angeles and I wanted to do a neat boutique where people can spoil their pooches. We offer everything from sweaters in the winter to dresses in the spring, jackets, shirts and pet carriers. We are the exclusive retailer of London dog collars & leashes, toys and plush doggie beds that are hard to find! We are also the only retailer of my clothing line, Heather-Baron Canine Couture. Previews of some items are currently in the store with the full clothing line scheduled to launch this fall," she explained.

Located at 833 East Westfield Boulevard, across the street from Indianapolis Fire Station #32, she opened the Dog Ripple Boutique in July of 2009 with long-time friend Andrew Vinson, who owns a rescue cat. "He is a very important part of my life and I could not imagine doing this without him," she noted.

Heather chose a canine specialty apparel business because, "I have such a love for dogs and animals in general. I have pet turtles and two doggies (Chihuahuas named Coco and Baron) that are always at the store with me. The only thing I could think of to do would be to work where I can bring my dogs and help find dogs homes as well. I want to organize pet adoptions this spring in addition to pet fashion shows to benefit local shelters," she said. "I chose the location because I know that Broad Ripple is very pet friendly and I enjoy living there. The fact that I can take my dogs to lunch outside at various different places there sealed the deal," she added. The Dog Ripple Boutique is the only exclusive dog-clothing retailer in Broad Ripple.

A VIP club is currently being developed that will offer customer discounts on various shop items. Five percent of Dog Ripple Boutique's profits from the Heather-Baron collection are donated to local rescue missions. Heather graduated from the University of Indianapolis with three bachelor degrees in English, Political Science and Marketing.

"Special events will be announced in the near future to include fashion shows that will benefit local animal shelters. Adoptable dogs are featured in sidewalk fashion shows. There will also be pet adoptions and much more. We are planning adoption drives that focus on individuals trying to help animals find homes. (The shop is also feline-friendly). We will expand the shop's merchandise to include a cat section in the spring. If there are special pet items people are seeking, tell us and we can find it", she mentioned. More information is available at www.dogrippleboutique.com and by calling 205-9630.

Dog Ripple Boutique's winter hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Regular hours change to Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. as spring approaches.

Heather offered some advice for potential dog owners: "I would say do your research and please be sure that you have time for a pet. There are so many things that people do not think of when getting a dog. It is like having a child and you should really make sure you are not only up for it, but also can be financially responsible for the pet. I recommend pet health insurance," she emphasized.

As a community-savvy entrepreneur and dog adoption advocate, Heather's chic canine specialty retail shop is "Where the Posh Pets Meet" in Broad Ripple Village.