Chevy’s Room & Groom co-owner Tara Berliski said she is fulfilling a passion by operating the animal boarding and grooming facility she and her husband, HB, opened four years ago in the outskirts of Magnolia.

“I wish I would have done this sooner,” Tara said. “It’s very rewarding.”

The couple opened Chevy’s Room & Groom at 33230 Walnut Creek Road, Magnolia in August 2012 after shutting down their litigation support firm of 25 years a few months before.

“We decided the kids are grown, [and] we’re tired of working with attorneys,” HB said. “We want to work with dogs.”

Tara and HB remodeled their office space on the property to serve as Chevy’s Room & Groom. The Berliskis offer boarding services year-round, and Chevy’s in-house groomer offers her services five days a week. Grooming, bathing and nail clipping are available.

“I decided I wanted to fulfill a passion—do something that I liked messing with,” Tara said. “I get to sit outside, play with all these pups and just have a gay old time. And [the dogs] love me.”

Sadie is a regular guest at Chevy’s Room & Groom. Chevy’s offers cage-free boarding.[/caption]

Chevy’s is named for the Berliskis’ dog Chevy, a chiweenie—a chihuahua-dachshund mix—who died after complications resulting from surgery as a puppy.

“There was a little puppy, and it needed a home. So we took it in, had it for a couple of months, and of course you get attached to little puppies,” HB said. “It just broke our hearts [when he passed away].”

The facility includes eight indoor kennels, a home-like environment, and a fenced-in deck and outdoor area. Chevy’s specializes in cage-free boarding, Tara said. She and HB also live on the property. Their log home is located just up the gated pathway from the boarding facility.

“[Our love for dogs has] just been passed down from generation to generation,” Tara said.

The dogs come in and out of the facility at their leisure. For dogs that are not used to being kenneled, Chevy’s is the perfect place, Tara said.

“We do go that extra little mile to make sure they’re having a good time,” she said. “We want it to be a little more like a vacation for them as well. [Owners] are not the only ones that are going to go have fun.”

Elaine Nichols, a regular client of Chevy’s, said she boards her two dogs at Chevy’s about once a week.

“They’re very well-cared-for, and I know that if anything were to happen with my dogs, she’s got all the [veterinarian] information of my dogs,” Nichols said. “I just don’t have to worry.”

Cats are also boarded at Chevy’s, but Tara said space is limited to one family of cats at a time. Additionally, aggressive breeds of dogs are off-limits.

Although Chevy’s Room & Groom only advertises via word of mouth, the boarding facility books up quickly, Tara said.

“I’m already at the point where I’m telling people ‘no,’ and that bugs me,” she said. “That’s hard for me, because I love them all.”

However, the small size of Chevy’s ensures each animal is given special attention, Tara said.

“I don’t have any plans to expand,” she said. “The bigger I get, the less attention I have to give to all [of the animals].”