Welcome to The Pup House: New dog grooming parlor opens in Dixon

DIXON – There’s a new beauty salon in town seeking clientele – of the furry, four-footed variety.

The Pup House, owned by Sloan Dalton Coss, 25, of Dixon opened Sept. 13 in a bright blue building at 527 Depot Ave. that’s almost as cheery as its new owner.

Coss is a Dixon native and a 2016 Sterling High School graduate.

He moved to the Denver area of Colorado for a few years, where he discovered his love of animals working in the boarding and grooming industry – and also a love of his own.

Feeling homesick, he persuaded his partner, Chris Riffle, to move back to Illinois with him.

“I loved to work with dogs,” said Coss, who shares four with Riffle. “It changed my life after I started working with dogs.”

When he first got home, he and Riffle were grooming dogs on his grandma Barbara Coss’ back porch.

When he saw a little, then-faded yellow building for sale in the Dement Town neighborhood, however, something clicked.

“I felt like this was something I needed to do,” Coss said.

Now he and Riffle are grooming dogs five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They also offer pet waste cleanup services.

If all goes as planned, sometime down the road there will be an expansion. Coss also owns the lot next door, which has a big two-story garage that he hopes to convert within the next two years into a doggie day care and an around-the-clock kennel.

He said he’s really enjoying being part of Dixon’s thriving small-business community and what he sees as kind of a renaissance going on in his hometown.

“I appreciate the small-town business vibe,” he said.

He has no regrets about leaving the big city, either.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Coss said. “I’m loving it. It feels so good. I love being home.”

Find all kinds of adorable pup pics, including before and after shots, on the Pup House Facebook page. Call 815-677-7756 or email thepuphouse23@gmail.com for an appointment or more information.