Carla Tammen

I was first introduced to Lexi at the ripe ole age of 10 (or 70 in dog years).  She was a golden reddish color and small in frame.  She was a Chow Chow and had a lot of healthcare needs; her coat was falling out, she was flea infested, and in dire need of some TLC.  We started to see an acupuncturist for animals for her back and energy, got her on some new food, flea and tick meds, lots and lots of treats, and found that within a couple of weeks she was starting to turn around.  Her coat was started to fill out, she was following me around all over the place, and stopped chewing on her skin.  I was looking into things that would keep her spirits up when someone told me about getting her a brother or sister.  I didn’t know if I could handle two dogs but I started to look on Chow rescue sites and found an adorable black male Chow Chow they called Theo.  I couldn’t pass him up and every day I was thinking about how he would fit into our lives.  We jumped into the car in June of 2001 and off we went to pick up Theo in Galena IL.  He has been a huge part of our family and Lexi lived anther 5 years longer than we thought she would because of him.  Theo kept Lexi on her toes, along with keeping me on mine!  Theo was much more adventurous than Lexi and he likes to kick dirt all over the place after he does “his business”.  It really is hysterical.

My professional life started several years ago with my family and their family owned and operated business here in Spring Grove, IL.   When I was around 7 years old, I learned how to count money by giving people change back from their purchases at my mother’s grocery store and listened to my dad talk business with the older people he respected in the business world.  I was very active as a child with volleyball and any other sport I could fit into my schedule.  When I was looking in the direction of my future I really found myself gravitating toward the healthcare field.  In 1995, I started working for a Chiropractor in Spring Grove.  I moved to Chicago a couple of years later to put myself through Massage Therapy School.  I lived in downtown Chicago for 2½ years, going to school and working in retail, restaurant and healthcare fields to find that “perfect career”.  I really wanted to get back to my roots in Spring Grove.  When I moved back to the area, I found a massage clinic in Crystal Lake that was dedicated to total health awareness with focuses in massage rehabilitation.  I worked there for three years.  I then moved into an independent contractor position working for myself, traveling to peoples’ homes to perform massage and rehabilitation therapy.

This adventure into the Animal community has been a wonderful experience and, after bringing back life and energy into my own dogs, I know how important a safe and reliable facility can be to a community. The unconditional love my fur members have given to me during very trying times has been a life saver.  I feel it is now my turn to give something back to them.  Our dream is to provide a place where dogs can come when their family members are working, along with a place they can be groomed under a more relaxing environment.  After visiting several Self-dog washes across the country in my travels back and forth from the west coast, I found that this has given me great advantages when it came to building our Fur Salon.  This adventure is for the dogs, providing them with a “home away from home” environment.  We strive for shorter levels of stress for your pet during grooming, either with our experienced groomer, or do-it-yourself styles of washing that dirty dog away, giving your fur member the shiny coat they deserve.  After all, our pets rely on us to keep them in good health so they can shower us with love and companionship.

I hope when you come into our facility you and your pet will enjoy the environment and that the experience keeps you returning to us.  We hope to serve our home town for many years to come.  I look forward to meeting you and your loved ones!

Kelly Popelka, Gus & Cooper's Profile

A lifelong resident of Spring Grove, I have been a dog owner all my life. When I was a child my Springer Spaniel Tag, was my best friend. If I needed someone to talk to I would craw into his dog house with him and he would listen to me for hours. I have never lived without a canine companion and never will.

About 15 years ago a sassy Cocker Spaniel came into our lives, he had bushy white eyebrows and the name Gusto fit him perfectly, he was also a champion towel stealer. There wasn't anywhere I went without him, when I was working in Sycamore he would ride to work with me, attend daycare... his 'job'... And keep me company on my drive home.

In August, Cooper came to us and has become our newest companion. Gus has retired to sleeping in the sun most of the time but Cooper enjoys the wise advice of his elder, often following him around the yard and sharing sleeping quarters. Cooper is also the head fur-employee here at Fur the Love of Dogs. Although his greetings are loud, he invites every fur friend with open paws and enjoys a good chase.

I have worked in administration for the last 17 years, most recently as the safety manager at an entertainment transportation company. I have always enjoyed the variety of opportunities administrative work and the entertainment industry has offered me but my one true wish was that I would be able to take my dogs to work with me each day. It was only logical that I collaborate with my childhood friend Carla, a fellow dog lover, to open Fur the Love of Dogs.

When Carla and I began talking and planning the opening of Fur the Love of Dogs there was never so much excitement and anticipation than being able to be with Gus and Cooper as well as other people's best friends, every day. With our personal and professional experiences we strive each day to make Fur the Love of Dogs a safe and stress free facility for whatever service your fur friend is visiting us for.