All Carlton Morse needs now is a dog of his own.
After all, the canine shop that Morse opened last month in downtown Naperville stocks everything from Bark-B-Que ribs, Down Boy bagels and the ever-so-healthy carob dip treats to collapsible water bowls. Browsers, both human and canine, are encouraged, but bottled water is available only if you have four feet.
Morse said he and his wife, Shannon, used to stroll toward the Naperville Riverwalk from their condominium near the downtown train station. Everywhere it seemed he could find dogs, but nowhere could he find anyplace they could go to get off the streets.
“I used to walk along here with my wife to get ice cream,” Morse said from his shop on Chicago Avenue near the Riverwalk. “All the time we would see dogs tied up outside and I said, `We need to cater to them.’ “
So the owner of a commercial cleaning service reasoned he might as well open up shop.
Morse, 36, purchased a Bone Appetit franchise, an Omaha-based chain that caters to dogs and the occasional cat, and opened the first of what Morse believes will be several stores in the Chicago area.
“I was looking for a business much more positive than the cleaning industry,” said Morse.
“In this business, the customers don’t talk back. They might bite back, but they don’t talk back.”
Judging by initial reaction, the shop might become a hangout.
“This smells like a cheese pizza,” said Barb Heyboer of Aurora, who, with her husband, Gregg, and 11-month old daughter, Lauren, picked up a mint tennis ball and biscuits for their 4-year-old dog, Courtney. “We don’t mind spoiling the dog.”
A few customers have wandered in thinking they were going to find pastries for humans. Cinnamon rolls aren’t available but a Snoop Doggy Log is.
Morse’s 11-year-old son, Carlton, helps around the shop and bakery whenever he is visiting from his Dallas home. Carlton and Shannon Morse are expecting their first child any day. Then they can start looking for a new home. “We’re in the market for a house,” Morse said, “so we can get a dog.”