More dogs could have their day in Gurnee
More dogs are expected to get a chance to pack their bones for a stay in Gurnee thanks to a village board decision this week.
Upscale kennel and dog day-care center Who's Your Puppy? plans to ask the village for permission to accommodate a maximum of 60 canines, instead of the 30 approved last November.
Who's Your Puppy? was given an opportunity to increase the number of dogs it has in the facility because of a village board vote Monday allowing a maximum of 60 canines at a similar facility, Central Bark.
Trustees David Ohanian and Greg Garner voiced concern about giving Central Bark a special-use permit for up to 60 dogs while limiting Who's Your Puppy? to 30. Officials eventually agreed Who's Your Puppy? should be allowed to seek a 60-dog maximum.
Who's Your Puppy? owner Denise Heelan said the village won't charge her a fee to reapply for a special-use permit so her business can accommodate more dogs. She said she hopes to appear before the advisory Gurnee plan commission April 2.
"Central Bark and Who's Your Puppy? offer vastly different … opportunities, so we are not competitors in the true sense of the word. As a result, there is plenty of business for both companies," Heelan said.
Ohanian said he was pleased to learn Who's Your Puppy? likely will wind up with the same dog capacity as Central Bark. He said it would have been improper for Central Bark to accommodate 30 more canines than Who's Your Puppy?
"If it was a five- or six- or even 10-dog difference, I could understand it," Ohanian said Thursday.
Plans call for Who's Your Puppy? to open on Ambrogio Drive, northwest of Washington Street and Route 41. Who's Your Puppy? is billed as a luxury day-care center and kennel.
Canines visiting Who's Your Puppy? will get to avail themselves of full salon services and holistic healing. There will be 21 private suites with cable television on LCD monitors, speakers for soothing music and orthopedic beds.
Thomas Hood, an attorney for Central Bark, said the facility will be more for "the average Joe" with day care and limited overnight stays for dogs. Central Bark will be at 1519 St. Paul Ave., just north of Route 41.