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Business & Tech

Health Food for Dogs? I'll Be Doggone!

Pamper your pet with all-natural, freshly baked treats, or with a full-service, stress-free grooming package at I'll Be Doggone in Mokena.

If you decided to check out , Mokena’s health food store, after my column last week, why not take it a step further and include your dog in the healthy, all-natural approach to living?

is a full-service grooming salon, boutique and bakery for dogs. Not only does the store sell dog food and freshly baked treats, but all of the food is natural, with no fillers and no wheat or corn products.

Cindy Marden, owner of I’ll Be Doggone, said she decided to open the store six years ago because of her passion for pets and her passion for baking, which she managed to combine into one business.

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“I learned a lot about the way dogs’ health works, and it goes pretty much the way people’s health does,” Marden said.

Marden explained that she has seen so many health problems with dogs, from allergies and skin/fur issues, related to weight and internal problems. She decided to research natural dog foods and found that wheat and corn products tend to irritate dogs with allergies.

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Marden said she constantly sees dogs turn their health around.

“I’ve seen overweight dogs lose weight, which is better on their hips, meaning they’ll be less likely to develop joint problems,” Marden said. “Dogs also come in here with bare patches of skin, and they’ll turn around and get their full coat of fur back.”

Marden took the business a step further by building a kitchen right into the store. When customers walk in, the kitchen is the first thing they see. If she’s in the kitchen, Marden said the smell makes them want to eat whatever it is she’s baking.

Luckily, all her baked goods are made with human-grade ingredients, meaning humans can consume the products. None of the treats have sugar, however, so Marden did comment that they might taste bland for human taste.

Included in the bakery creations are banana chip or blueberry muffins, peanut butter treats, cinna-bones and barbecue chicken “bones.”

“Everybody likes the peanut butter treats, and when I make the cinna-bones, the whole store smells like cinnamon rolls,” Marden said.

I’ll Be Doggone also offers do-it-yourself washes or full-grooming service.

For the DIY washes, pet owners can bring in their dogs without an appointment and wash them using I’ll Be Doggone's shampoo, conditioner, grooming tools, towels, aprons, blow-dryers and other supplies. I'll Be Doggone will clean up the mess.

A DIY wash costs $18 for one dog and $12 for each additional dog. Every 10th wash is free. On Fridays, you can pay $10 for a wash, according to the shop's website.

“This is a popular option for people with labs, boxers, rottweilers and other breeds with short fur that don’t need haircuts,” Marden said.

Full-service grooming, on the other hand, does require an appointment. Dog owners can bring their dogs in for a wash, haircut and total grooming package, including ear cleaning and nail trimming.

“The dog is only with us for one to two hours, and it’ll either be in the kitchen with us or in the back getting groomed,” Marden said. “We try to make it as stress-free for the dog as possible.”

Marden’s business is celebrating its sixth birthday in September with their annual Birthday Bash on Sept. 20. All the proceeds will be donated to P.A.W.S. of Tinley Park.

Marden said they’ve already begun raising money by putting together raffle baskets and a Split the Pot.

For Split the Pot, each ticket costs $5 and can be purchased now and up until the event in the store. The day of the event, they will pick a name and that person will go home with half the money. The other half goes to P.A.W.S.

There are also over 40 baskets that Marden is putting together to raffle off, some for pets and some for humans. Each ticket costs $1 and can be placed in a box in front of the basket of your choice.

At the Birthday Bash on Sept. 20, attendees can look forward to agility demonstrations, a pet psychic, professional photography, vendors, food, music, games and more.

For more information, call I’ll Be Doggone at 708-478-7730, or visit them at 9620 Willow Lane, right off LaGrange Road in Mokena.

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