photo by steed media service

There’s an old adage that goes, “All dogs go to heaven.” This couldn’t be truer for dogs that visit Jeremy Caldwell’s Heaven on Earth Dog Daycare & Spa. Since opening its doors in November 2007, Caldwell’s 4,000-square-foot haven offers everything to meet the special needs of man’s best friend. From boarding and grooming, to day care and training, Heaven on Earth is a place any dog would love to visit.

A born animal lover, Caldwell, who owns two dogs and a cat, noticed the lack of dog care operations on the Chicago’s South Side. Charged with taking up the slack by his fiancée, Caldwell stepped up to the challenge.

“My fiancée and I were driving around and we would always take our dogs up north or downtown to get services and I said, ‘There’s nothing in our neighborhood — Bronzeville, Hyde Park — where we can go,’ ” he recalls, adding that his fiancée jokingly replied, “Maybe you should open one.” And so he did.

Caldwell resigned from his job as a college director of admissions and poured his energies into opening the pet paradise. Despite the challenge of finding adequate financing, he was able to get the business up and running.

“[There’s] something about owning your own business, especially a black-owned business,” he says. “I want to show people that black-owned businesses are able to operate effectively and with great quality and service.” –tony binns

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