Business t doer rofi e
Dog Gone Good
A young woman leaves the rat race to improve a dog's life.
Staff photos by Angie Baan
Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor
W
hen you own a family busi-
ness, you'd better have your
family involved.
For Wendy Luczak, that means husband
Todd, an auto parts manufacturer's rep,
runs the training classes and watches over
the books and daughter Charlotte, 4, a
Temple Emanu-El nursery school student
in Oak Park, is vice president of treats.
Four years ago, Luczak opened Doggie
in the Window on 11 Mile Road in Berkley.
Her company provides daycare, boarding,
grooming services and obedience classes
for dogs. Even the family's two Bouviers
get into the act, with Bo leading a guided
tour of the facility on the Internet (www.
ditw.net) and Benny spending a lot of time
in the "arena" with doggie guests — which
can number up to 40 at a time.
The indoor arena allows the dogs to play
all day, supervised by an always-present
staff member. By the end of the day, the
guests are more than ready to go home or
drop off to a sound sleep in the building's
first- and second-floor stalls.
The 10 female employees and the
Luczaks rotate returning each evening to
allow one additional outdoor bathroom
break for the overnight guests.
Wendy Luczak is used to crowds. The
daughter of Phil and Aida Cutler, Wendy
grew up in Oak Park with three sisters,
Basset hounds and four cats. Following
years in administration in the obstetrics
and gynecology residency program at
Sinai Hospital in Detroit, she spent six
years running the office of a local animal
behaviorist. After learning everything she
could — "and tweaking some things" —
Wendy opened Doggie in the Window in
the basement of her own Oak Park home.
Word-of-mouth referrals quickly over-
filled her basement with dogs and four
months later Wendy and Todd leased
the two-story building on 11 Mile, a few
blocks east of Coolidge. The business
remains one where customers are known
by their first names.
Even the staff have become long-time
JARC client and Doggie in the Window volunteer Lenny Slipson, and Wendy Luczak play with
the "guests" in the arena.
friends. There are four full-time employ-
ees and six part-time, with little turnover.
The employees are all female, Wendy says,
because men tend to excite the dogs.
There is an animal behaviorist on staff
and a veterinarian on call, friend and cli-
ent Dr. Orit Szwarcman of Huntington
Woods. Szwarczman and other volunteers
painted the mural that dominates the
arena.
Doer Profile on page 26
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July 12 2007