Constable: Dogs, cats soon can have their own cafe in Lake Villa

Did you hear the one about the pit bull who walks into his surprise doggy birthday party at a cafe and orders an oat biscotti off the menu designed for horses?

You might next month when Colleen Berg opens her Pawberry Lane Pet Café in Lake Villa. Attached to the existing pet supply store, the eatery, which will look like an old-fashioned candy store with bins of goodies made specially for dogs, cats and horses, will have tables inside and outside for pets and humans.

While some dogs might be satisfied washing down a biscotti by lapping up toilet water, "I will be making drinks for dogs," says Berg, whose canine beverages will use raw goat's milk with banana, strawberry and pumpkin flavors.

Berg, 46, who lives in Wauconda, bought Pawberry Lane last year and updated the inventory of high-quality pet foods and supplies. Berg also runs a Sweaters N' Sweets website (sweatersNSweets.com), which she started in 2010 to sell her all-natural handmade pet goodies alongside scarves, cowls and headbands knitted by her mother, Lyn Hallberg.

"We come here because Colleen always has the best food. I'm really picky about what my dogs eat," says Silvia Simmons of Cary, founder of A and S Rescue, an Antioch-based rescue group dedicated to finding homes for American Staffordshire Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers. During a chat about Berg's long history with rescue animals, Simmons' husband, Mike Simmons, watches Delilah, a registered therapy dog for Three Oaks Assisted Living and Memory Care in Cary, and future therapy dog Georgie snarf down a cornucopia of fancy treats.

"I make a horse cannoli," Berg says, showing off a concoction of molasses, oats, carrots and peppermint wrapped in a corn husk to give it the right look. A heart-shaped pear doggy cookie sells for $1, while the more ornate treats sell for $2.50.

Americans spent nearly $63 billion on their pets last year, according to the American Pet Products Association, and a Labor Department report says U.S. households spend more on pets each year than they do on alcohol or on clothing for boys and men.

"Animals aren't animals anymore. They are members of the family," says Berg, the mother of five, grandmother of one, and caretaker of two ferrets, five dogs, three cats and six foster cats. "If people have to choose between feeding themselves or their dogs, the dogs are going to eat."

Growing up in Lake Forest, Berg says her family always had pets. "We had dogs, ferrets and a couple of raccoons my dad picked up along the road after their mother got killed," she says.

A stay-at-home mom for years, Berg worked for a mortgage company, started a cleaning service and sold cars at a Lake County auto dealership, where she earned a reputation for bringing in yummy baked goods for co-workers and their pets.

"I was going to do the dog treats just for fun. Then we started selling cat food. And then somebody asked, 'Do you make horse treats?' And I thought, 'Why not?'" says Berg, who designs her food to fit an animal's dietary needs and checks with a veterinarian to make sure it's safe for animals with cancer or other ills. She says her grain-free foods help cats and dogs with lupus and she blends treats with the right phosphate mix to help kidney issues. Other items are gluten-free, lactose-free or have the right blend of Omega 3.

"I have six customers who come in here with diabetic dogs," says Berg, who also sells prepackaged, high-end pet foods.

"Colleen recommended a brand the cats are liking," says Gina Sturt, of Lake Villa, who shops at Berg's store for her three dogs and three cats.

"The duck comes from France. The venison and lamb comes from New Zealand," Berg says of the ingredients in one brand. "I used to have a woman who would bring me Chinese herbs to make into treats for her horses."

Her grand opening, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. April 22, at the cafe, 36047 N. U.S. Hwy. 45 in Lake Villa, will feature a petting zoo, pony rides, rescue groups such as A and S Rescue and Glenview's Blackdog All Breed Dog Rescue, a book-signing by "Bark Until Heard" author Becky Monroe, an agency that trains dogs to help veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the Live Like Roo group that offers support for pets with cancer, and other animal charities.

"The store is hysterical," Berg says, explaining how customers and their pets sit around and swap stories.

She does offer coffee and will bake cupcakes and make ice cream for human guests if requested. But that's not always necessary, as illustrated by the tale of a local veterinarian.

"Her 3-year-old son ate all the dog treats," Simmons says. "If the 3-year-old sucked them down, you know they are OK."