11 Dogs Saved From Woodridge Boarding Facility After Tornado

WOODRIDGE, IL — Doggie day care owner Sue Kushta has had a few new furry roommates since Sunday's EF-3 tornado in Woodridge, but she doesn't mind. After the twister damaged the roof of Dogtastic Fun, 8102 Lemont Road, a group of storm chasers helped Kushta evacuate 11 dogs from the facility and get them safely to her home.

Kushta lives just a mile from the doggie day care, but told Patch it took her nearly an hour to reach the facility in the wake of the tornado because of police barricades, downed power lines and fallen trees.

She said she was driving in circles until she spoke with Darien police Sgt. Nick Skweres, who helped her get through the police barricades, so she could evacuate the dogs from the damaged building.

When Kushta got to Dogtastic Fun, she was greeted by members of Chicago & Midwest Storm Chasers, who had been aiding tornado victims near Lemont Road when they overheard Kushta asking police for help.

The storm chasers helped Kushta get the dogs safely out of their kennels and into her car. After two trips, all 11 pups were safely at her home with her own dog.

“They would have been stranded in there," she told Patch.

Kushta said the tornado's winds pulled up part of the roof from a wall in her business. Several leaks were found in the boarding center. Outside, a trailer was upended, and two large air conditioners had been swept from atop the building.

As of Tuesday, Kushta and her manager, Deb, are still caring for seven dogs. The others were picked up by their owners, who recently got back from vacation.

Kushta told Patch she does not know when —or if— they will be able to reoccupy the facility. In the meantime, she has been scrambling to help other customers find last-minute boarding, since Dogtastic Fun can no longer accommodate them.

“We were just recovering from COVID because there hadn’t been much travel," Kushta said. “We were getting back on track and things were looking great, and then this happened.”

For now, it's a waiting game, Kushta said, adding that she's "very thankful to Officer Skweres and the storm chasers."

The dog owners, too, are grateful, for the level of care and commitment Kushta and her team consistently provide.

"We will hand feed [the dogs] when they're homesick and not eating," Kushta said. “They’re like our babies. They’re not our dogs, but when they’re with us, they are our dogs.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Dogtastic Fun in the aftermath of the tornado.

Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.