Community Corner
Happy Dog Barkery Hosts West Suburban Humane Society
LOCAL BUSINESS CATERING TO FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS
Downers Grove, Illinois—Local entrepreneurs and sisters Beth and Cheryl Staley left jobs in corporate America in 2004 with the goal of working with their own pets and owning their own business. Beth Staley was motivated by her own dog’s allergies. A baker since childhood, her Labrador Retriever Payton, was suffering from severe food allergies and there seemed to be no existing healthy treats on the market for Payton.
Eight years later, located in the heart of downtown Downers Grove, the Happy Dog Barkery specializes in baked dog and cat goods, made on premises, for our four-legged friends—including finicky and ingredient-allergic pets. Happy Dog Barkery has been voted one the best dog bakeries 4 years running by the readers of Chicagoland Tails and West Suburban Living Magazine, an accomplishment they are proud of.
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Store dogs Koko and Hazel are proof that the Staley sisters have succeeded. The women pride themselves on making some of the finest treats available in the Midwest, including Birthday Cakes for their canine customers. And their pet customers agree, each “visitor” to the store receives a cookie sample—usually of the sisters’ own famous liver cake.
The Barkery is also well-known for carrying an extensive line of natural made and raw foods, in addition to a well-stocked section of dog chews, all made in the U.S.A. Toys, natural pet hygiene items, supplements, leads, collars and beds are all available as well. The store also features a “human-gifts” and Cool Cats section as well.
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“It’s hard to believe that it has been eight years since we left our corporate jobs to create our little slice of doggie heaven,” said Beth Staley, co-owner of Happy Dog Barkery. “We have faced some challenging economic times, but it seems that people’s love for their pets have helped our business succeed,” she added. “As a matter of fact, March saw our most successful birthday cake month ever, we had 126 pet parents celebrate their pet’s birthday/adoption anniversary by special ordering a cake—and that does not include the dozens of customers who opted for a special birthday cookie or cupcake!” said co-owner Cheryl Staley.
The Happy Dog Barkery will be hosting West Suburban Humane Society on Saturday, April 28th from 10:00 to 2:00. Stop by and visit this wonderful organization and see how you can adopt, donate, or volunteer.
The West Suburban Humane Society (WSHS) is a volunteer based, animal welfare organization that was founded in 1972 as a lost and found referral service. They provide housing for up to 25 dogs and 60 cats at a time. WSHS operates at full capacity at all times. They continue to reunite lost animals and their owners by maintaining a database with information on over 33,000 pets and owners, and by providing free pet identification tags to all pet owners. WSHS is committed to educating and encouraging the public to humanely care for dogs and cats. Don’t forget to bring your canine companion to enjoy some of the delicious homemade treats from Happy Dog.
The Happy Dog Barkery is located in Chicago’s western suburb, Downers Grove, at 5118 Main Street. Further information on the store is available at www.happydogbarkery.com, at (630) 512-0822 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/happydogbarkery.
For more information:
Happy Dog Barkery
5118 Main St.
Downers Grove, IL 60515
West Suburban Humane Society
