Tail Gate friends and fans gather for a group shot before the Elmhurst St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Elmhurst

Who We Are

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Our Mission
​Tail Gate was founded with the belief that dogs are not just animals but special creatures who deserve the kindness, love and gentle treatment we as humans owe each other. We are amazed at their intelligence, awed by their loyalty and intrigued by their special personalities. The founders of Tail Gate, all Elmhurst residents, have created a facility that provides canine companions with a fun, happy and enjoyable experience, acknowledging their special place in our lives.

Tail Gate Management Team

• Jeff Davis, facility manager, is the owner of a rescued wheaten terrier named Toby.
• Scott Schiro, operations manager, is the human companion to Anna, a 5-year-old pit bull-boxer mix rescued from a local organization.
• Nancy Kopp, kennel manager, rescued not one but TWO dogs last year – a lab mix named Jessie and, as she would say, a dinosaur-pit mix named Annie (you should hear the sounds she makes!).
• John & Jaciene Davis‘ current canine companions are Paco, a Brazilian heeler-terrier mix (they think), and Nina, a golden retriever.
• Doug & Cindy Peterson are the proud parents of two Havanese, Sammie and Callie.
• Mark & Margaret Stenftenagel have a 3-year-old Pomeranian, Leo. Margaret has been a Hinsdale Humane Society volunteer and was active in the pet therapy program for many years.
  
• Rod & Leslie Stipe enjoy the company of their rescued border collie, Scout.

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Faithful Stewards

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We at Tail Gate take very seriously our responsibility to our neighbors, our customers, our Mother Earth and our canine friends. As conscientious members of the community, we have put into place a number of socially responsible initiatives:

• We have located our premises in an area zoned for industrial use, to avoid any negative impact on nearby residents.
• We have reached out to dog rescue organizations and offered temporary use of our kennels. We know that many strays would make good pets, and we want to do what we can to help them find homes. Because they have not been thoroughly screened, rescued dogs are kept segregated from other dogs under our care.
• We require all our daycare dogs older than 6 months of age to have been spayed or neutered. The world doesn’t need any more unwanted pets.
• We have installed a state-of-the-art HVAC system to reduce our carbon footprint and promote energy efficiency.
• We have installed sewer traps to ensure that inappropriate materials do not enter the city’s sewer system.
• We use biodegradable bags for the disposal of dog droppings. We are looking into the possibility of composting dog poo to keep it entirely out of the waste stream.

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