Jessie grew up in a household of golden retrievers in Waukesha, WI.  As a child, she constantly made her bed wherever the nearest dog was sleeping.  Now she has her own dog, Joplin, and has learned some things never change.  Jessie brings a strong knowledge of nutrition and passion for continually learning to teach others about what is best for their own pets.  

Jessie has retail management experience (travel), over ten years of customer service experience in travel, restaurant, and retail and a marketing/int'l bus degree from University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She lived in St. Paul for 3 years and has called Chicago her home for 5 years. If you want a product or food that we do not carry, just ask Jessie to add it!

Phil has 30 years of small business ownership and hands-on management experience, including 4 years of owning a pet boutique! He has done years of pet product research, along with working closely with local humane groups for fundraising, pet adoptions, and all things pooch. His #1 focus is always providing outstanding guest service! He has 1 dog, Riley

Althea brings a wealth of experience in the Canine world to Urban Pooch having worked as a Vet Tech & Vet Assistant at PAWS Spay & Neuter Clinic. In addition to her current position at PAWS she also works as a Pet Nurse Assistant at Banfield Pet Hospital in Chicago.

Althea has also worked at The Bark Bark Club where she was a handler, bather-brusher and worked closely with their clients on a daily basis and helped to keep the facility clean.

Volunteering is a big part of Althea's life where when she's not working she's spending her free time helping at PAWS and has worked as a canvasser for the ASPCA helping to raise public awareness about animal welfare issues.

A native of New York, Vanessa has had pets her whole life. Her earliest memory is of her Grandma's Collie taking french fries from her tiny hands. Here began Vanessa’s passion for all animal companions. Growing up, she would bring home any animal she found. It didn't matter if it was feathered, furred or, to her mother's horror, scaled. If she thought it needed help or love, Vanessa brought it home.

In 1988, she started working as a Veterinary Receptionist and in spare time would work with rescue, rehab and training of Boxers and Pitbulls. Vanessa went back to NY and attended Medaille College to be a Veterinary Technician. She has travelled and explored, always with a beloved Boxer at her side. Now she has returned to Chicago with her 5 rescues, 3 Boxers and 2 pitbulls. At Urban Pooch, Vanessa hopes to give clients the peace of mind that she and her teammates will care for your pets as if they were our very own.

Tilman has always had a passion for animals ever since he was a child. Growing up, he was not allowed to have a dog, which made him want one even more.

When Tilman turned 14, his mother allowed him to get a dog. He went to the nearest animal shelter and adopted Coco. He trained her off the limited knowledge he had learned from Animal Planet. Training her came natural to Tilman, and as he got older, he began to compete with her in many obedience and trick shows, receiving many awards and trophies by just having fun with his dog.

He began as a professional dog trainer at the age of 17. Since then, he has trained over 2,000 dogs of all breeds, shapes, sizes, and temperaments. His first dog, Coco, had to be humanly euthanized due to medical issues. He decided to continue training and competing with dogs at a higher level.

Tilman has competed with his dog, Girbaud, on a Regional and National level, receiving high scores and always on the podium either 1st or 2nd every time. They have also done television commercials advertising the responsibilities of owning a dog and training them the “fun” way. As time went on, he wanted a greater challenge and decided to train handlers how to train their own dogs, becoming the youngest training director in the country. He has a passion for training dogs and loves to see owners happy when their dogs are happy doing obedience. Tilman now works at his permanent home, Urban Pooch, and wants to instill the same behavior and enjoyment that his dogs have for obedience into others dogs and that is “fun fun fun” because that’s what it’s all about!

Tilman has been extensively trained as part of our Pooch Pack and manages the urban pooches in the Playrooms, will be doing training and watching over our self-wash operation.

Christopher was born and raised in Chicago.  He is a lifelong resident of Chicago’s North side. He has always had an affinity for all things wild, especially animals. His true love when it comes to our mammalian counterparts, though, is dogs of all shapes, colors and sizes. Amongst his other passions are the arts as well as martial arts and cycling. Chris has braved many seasons year round of Chicago’s renowned weather in order to help out his furry friends get a little bit of gastric relief.

Chris has now come from out of the cold and into the warmth to Urban Pooch, where he awaits to care for your furry loved one and extend his experience to your pooch as well as gain some more knowledge by way of your four legged pal. Chris has been extensively trained as part of our Pooch Pack and manages the urban pooches in the Playrooms to ensure safety and FUN!

Cody, who also goes by "Coco" was born and raised on the Northside of Chicago. While growing up in Wicker Park as a young lad, Cody would often bring in strey cats for his parents. Two of these cats were kept and lived long healthy lives in a house that would soon turn into a zoo. Amidst the four human family members, were two dogs, four parrots, four rats and two cats.

Cody has continued to work with animals to this day including a stint at Anti-Cruelty in their kennels and dog walking for friends. When he's not working he's pursuing acting, soon to be appearing in Macbeth and Predator the Musical in the Spring. Cody is incredibly excited and honored to be working with Urban Pooch.

Cody has been extensively trained as part of our Pooch Pack and manages the urban pooches in the Playrooms to ensure safety and FUN!

Jon was born and raised as a dog lover on the Southside of Chicago. With more pets than sisters, he moved out of the doghouse and relocated North to begin his collegiate education at North Park University. After graduating with a degree in Communication Arts, he began his short-lived career in the tourism industry before remembering his pet dogs never asked as many questions as tourists. Inspired by his past and excited about his future, Jon found a new career at Urban Pooch.

Jon has been extensively trained as part of our Pooch Pack and manages the urban pooches in the Playrooms to ensure safety and FUN!

Andrew brings a variety of experience to the Urban Pooch family including dog training skills and is currently working on getting certified as a professional dog trainer and obedience instructor. Andrew has worked as a handler and was responsible for many areas in a variety of doggie daycare facilities and was also a Veterinary Technician in Florida.

When he's not handling or training pooches Andrew loves to be outdoors hiking or kayaking or fishing. Andrew is also a very spiritual person and loves to express that to pooches and other animals through Crystal Healing and Reiki Massage.  

Victor joined Bark Chicago in The West Loop as a handler shortly after they opened in 2009 and from there worked his way up to become a Jr. Supervisor where he continued handling their pooch pack and also serving as a liason with management, staff and customers.

Victor also managed customer accounts and appointments and supervised the cleaning of their facility at the end of each day. Victor has 3 pooches of his own and has been around dogs all of his life. Victor has also worked for Mortgage and Real Estate companies.

Ryan has worked at Citizen Canine since 2006 as a handler and then was promoted to a management position while still handling their pooch pack and also scheduling for clients and staff. Ryan has also done bathing/brushing and some grooming during his time at Citizen Canine.

Mike, who is a Chicago Area native has spent the last 3 years as a pitcher in the minor leagues including in the farm systems of The Texas Rangers, The Houston Astros and The Chicago Cubs. Mike's dad Jack Perconte was the 2nd baseman for 4 major league clubs including The Chicago White Sox - the last club he played for before retiring in 1986. Recently Mike decided to move back to Chicago to focus on his pitching skills while at the same time being back with his family. Mike knows what it's like to be a team player and is thrilled at the chance to work with our pooche pack.

GROOMING

Lisa has been Grooming since 2009 after graduating from "Doggone Rite" Grooming Academy in Chicago. She has worked at various Grooming Shops in The Chicago Area over the last 3 years. Lisa decided to leave Corporate America and pursue her dream and passion for Grooming and working with pooches.

Lisa is an amazing and meticulous Groomer and her very first groom at Urban Pooch was our CEO, Berwyn - with whom she groomed to look like a champion. Berwyn said he feels like a Million $$!
 

Deb Frankenberry
Groomer

Deb Frankenberry joins us following almost 20 years of Grooming experience at various Grooming operations throughout the Midwest including down in Missouri and up in Minneapolis Deb also owned a grooming shop back in the early 1990's in Blacksburg, Virginia where she ran the shop and Groomed as well.

From April of 2000 until 2009 she Groomed at "Groomingdales" in Columbia, Missouri and then owned a small shop there before moving to Chicago. We're so excited to have her join the Urban Pooch family!
 

 

Brittney has had her own pooch since she was 10 years old and began taking care of pooches at the age of 15. Brittney brings extensive experience working with pooches and most recently worked at a doggie daycare in Porter, Indiana where she did it all, incuding bathing & brushing along with trimming nails and cleaning ears and feeding & administering medication to the pooches there.

Brittney also taught basic obedience classes in Indiana. We are thrilled to have Brittney join the Urban Pooch family!

Luke brings years of experience to Urban Pooch having maintained and managed a highly successful doggie daycare facility in Chicago that averaged over 120 pooches a day. He was a handler, fed the pooches and administered medication and was able to bring leadership to that facility.

When he's not working with pooches, Luke loves to spend time with his 2 birds and enjoys skateboarding, biking and playing one and only one video game - "Mindcraft". Luke also does some web design work for his girlfriend's art website. Luke also spent time in Iceland learning the language and culture there while working for a fishing operation during one summer.

MASSAGE/REIKI

Alexia Macri has completed the Foundation and Advanced courses at the Pet Massage School in Toledo, OH. She is certified in Canine Rehabilitation, and has a Veterinary Assistant diploma. She is also certified in Aromatherapy. Alexia is a member of IAAMB (International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork) and is experienced in hydrotherapy, ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation, therapeutic exercise and massage. She also frequently volunteers at various animal shelters offering her services to animals that need it the most.

“I have been blessed with the animals in my life, they are great teachers. Memories of my early childhood years in Africa, I recall playing with our dogs, cats, birds and visiting our race horses. Nothing else excited me as much as this. Then growing up in Athens, Greece, we had dogs and cats which I picked up from the streets and also helped some stray animals find loving homes. I used to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center a small island called Egina. It was a beautiful experience; I lived in the facility 24 hours a day, months at a time. I just loved being there; helping as much as I could all these different kind of animals such as birds of prey, foxes, wolves, monkeys, turtles, etc. I have always had a special connection with animals, and I know that one of my purposes in life is to help each animal that comes to me for assistance in their healing process, whether it is a physical or an emotional issue…that’s the least I can do for these wonderful creatures.” - Alexia

She also produces and distributes her own line of natural pet care products, Healing Scents, which include massage oils and stress-ease mists that help dogs overcome their fears and anxieties, ease pain and in general make them feel more relaxed and pampered during their massage sessions.

Thom Gauthier is a Reiki Master Teacher trained in the Usui Shiki Ryoho tradition. He received his Master attunements on the powerful energy vortexes of Sedona, AZ. Since 1999 he has practiced Reiki with dogs, cats, horses, and humans.

“Dogs respond especially well to Reiki. They have universal life energy and hence can be rebalanced and vitalized by Reiki. During a Reiki session, I gently place my hands on your pet and serve as a channel for the Reiki healing energy to flow through me to your dog and the areas needing healing. In my experience, using Reiki to support your pet can reduce your vet bills. Reiki can induce a deep sense of relaxation, relieve stress, and increase a dog’s positive energy to promote healing from and injury and surgery.”

Thom is a social worker and has had a long career in managing health and social services organizations. He currently utilizes Reiki in his daily work caring for infants in a local child welfare institution. He is especially grateful for the opportunity to work with newborns with special needs and those exposed to alcohol or drugs. “Doing Reiki with animals and babies teaches me commitment and patience.”

PHOTOGRAPHY

Marge has been an animal lover and had a love of photography all her life. She started out at age 7, photographing her parakeet with an instamatic camera for fun. Throughout her life she has always had at least one dog or cat, and has always kept up with the photography. She is from the Midwest originally, grew up in the Washington DC metropolitan area, and has lived in a number of places, from Florida to California to Milwaukee.

Fast forward to 2010, and Marge has settled in the Chicago Northshore with 3 wonderful dogs: Nikki, a 7 year old German Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix; Shadow, a 4 year old German Shepherd; and Knight, a 3 year old German Shepherd. She was a wedding photographer for a while, and in 2002 she made her dream of being a pet photographer official when she opened Wetnoze Photography. Wetnoze Photography specializes in creating fine, formal portraits of pets and the people who love them, in the comfort of their own home. Marge’s favorite subjects are dogs and cats. She loves what she does and it shows in every photograph.

Wetnoze Photography
www.wetnoze.com
marge@wetnoze.com
847.421.1000

Albert grew up on the shores of Lake Superior and developed an appreciation for nature at an early age. His artistic interests quickly focused on photography with the introduction of digital cameras, aiming his lens at broad landscapes and close up glimpses. Adding his love for family and dogs has created an ability to capture special moments in nature, families and pets in their natural environment.

Albert is available for photo sessions with you and your family, inclusive of two and four-legged members.

www.albertellenich.com
773-339-3852