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From booze to barks: Former Teddy's Liquors in Arlington Heights to become dog boarding facility

Once an Arlington Heights mom-and-pop store with aisle upon aisle stocked with bottles of booze, the former Teddy's Liquors on Rand Road will soon cater to man's best friend.

PetSuites plans to renovate the interior and exterior of the 16,460-square-foot former liquor store building at 1050 E. Rand Road into a new daytime and overnight dog boarding facility, training school, grooming shop and retail space. The property has been vacant for more than two years.

“We felt this was a great area with a strong population, a lot of dog ownership and felt multiple businesses could do well to compete in this space,” said Mike Lucas, head of new business for PetSuites' parent company, National Veterinary Associates.

Officials say there's room inside for 130 dogs and 10 cats, while plans call for a screened outdoor play area on the southeast side of the building. It would be enclosed by a 7-foot-tall vinyl fence and landscaping and would be cleaned at least three times a day.

Per the conditions of the village board's zoning approvals for the site last week, dog walking won't be allowed outside that area, around the property, or in the surrounding neighborhood.

And if noise becomes a problem, the village could later restrict usage times or the number of dogs outside or require a solid fence. The yard is about 100 feet from four townhouses.

Derek Evans, the operations manager, said the staff will closely monitor the yard for noise and bring dogs inside if barking is excessive.

The day care would be open from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Renovations are expected to begin this fall and take six months.

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