WICKER PARK — A pet health and nutrition center that set up shop inside a former custard parlor and offers meal plans for canines that can cost as much as $375 per month has shuttered at a large corner storefront at Milwaukee Avenue and Wood Street and is headed several blocks south.
A sales clerk, who was in the process of packing late Friday, said the new PUPtection store should be open by Monday at 1335 N. Ashland Ave., across from the Wicker Park Commons shopping mall.
PUPtection opened in November 2012 at the southeast corner of North Avenue and Wood Street, in the former Just Indulge storefront.
Alex Jones, PUPtection's store's manager, said a new landlord and rising rent were the reason for the move, as well as a realization that the center, which has developed a core customer base of owners with sick pets in need of special diets, does not need as much space as it originally thought.
"Our new spot is half the size as our old one and it's because we don't need all that space," Jones said.
The commercial storefront rented by the pet health center — as well as two other adjacent storefronts in the same building at 1755 W. North Ave. — were recently sold to a new owner.
Totaling 3,800 square feet, the three commercial storefronts on the ground level of an apartment building at 1755 W. North Ave. were sold for $1.12 million in June to a venture called 1755 W. North LLC, according to county records.
The new owner of the building, Houkey Chee, was not immediately available for comment.
In 2012, HGTV's "Design on a Dime" host Ali Azhar was contracted to design PUPtection's bright orange, green and silver storefront, which features a cartoonish dog and shield.
At the shop, nutrition consultations for pets begin at $45 for a 30-minute session.
Jones said there have been several success stories during PUPtection's first 1½ years, and the California-based company is considering expanding to the South Loop and Lincoln Park.
"Our cancer dogs are doing fantastic. Our holistic kibble made onsite is getting a lot of good feedback from clients," Jones said.
Jones said a customer's dog that was given two months to live after suffering kidney failure was put on a raw diet with dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Jones said the dog has now been alive for five months.
PUPtection's wellness examinations are $90 and are geared toward pets with health problems such as diabetes, renal diseases and food intolerances. Both services are outlined in detail in the PUPtection blog.
The consultations do not include food, though PUPtection carries its own line of dehydrated fruits and vegetables, including peas, green beans and bananas. The food, which some might consider good enough for human consumption, can cost as much as $375 for a four-week supply for an adult dog, and $300 for an adult cat, according to PUPtection's detailed pricing sheet.
PUPtection, 1335 N. Ashland Ave. Phone: 773-278-9205.
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