Where it began...

Meet the Founder

Hi there, I'm Jessica, the founder of FurHaus.

Chances are, if you've found us, you probably love dogs as much as I do. If that's the case, we are going to get along spectacularly.

I am a Wichita native, a wife, a mom to three amazing kids, and someone who has spent much of my career caring for animals and supporting the people who love them. With more than 10 years of experience in veterinary medicine, animal care, practice management, and business operations, I have developed hands-on expertise in staff leadership, client service, budgeting, policy development, regulatory compliance, employee training, and the day-to-day coordination required to operate a successful animal-care organization.

My experience has also given me a deep understanding of canine safety, pet-owner expectations, and the unique operational challenges faced by pet-care businesses. Throughout my career, one thing has become very clear: our pets are family, and their owners want more than convenience. They want safety, trust, communication, enrichment, and care they can genuinely feel good about.

The Dog Who Inspired It All

The inspiration behind FurHaus comes from a very special dog named Evangeline, named after the star in The Princess and the Frog. She was a blue merle Australian Shepherd, my soulmate dog, and one of the best friends I have ever had.

We did everything we could together. When I moved to Manhattan for college, I remember wishing I could bring her everywhere — to class, to work, to run errands, to meet friends. Honestly, I probably would have put her in a backpack and taken her to lectures if anyone had let me.

I wanted her to experience life with me, not just wait at home for me to come back. I spent so much time looking for dog-friendly places where she could run, play, explore, socialize, and just be part of my world. But the options always felt limited. Most dog-friendly spaces were outdoors, weather-dependent, or limited to retail environments where dogs were welcome but not able to truly run, play, socialize, and enjoy themselves.

Seeing the Gaps in Pet Care

Years later, after working in animal care and seeing the other side of daycare, boarding, and pet services, I started noticing the same gaps over and over again.

Pet owners wanted better communication. They wanted cleaner, safer spaces. They wanted transparency. They wanted to know their dogs weren’t being placed in overcrowded rooms with overwhelmed staff and a “good luck, everybody” approach to group play.

And honestly, I wanted that too.

A Vision Built From Love

After nearly thirteen wonderful years together, we unexpectedly lost Evangeline to pulmonary lymphoma in May of 2026. Like so many pet owners, I know what it feels like to love a dog with my whole heart.

Wanting Evangeline to experience more of life with me helped shape the vision for FurHaus. Wichita needs something more in the pet-friendly space.

A Higher Standard for Dogs and Their People

FurHaus is designed to offer a higher standard.

Our model prioritizes controlled capacity, intentional supervision, educated staff, transparent communication, and a safer, more enriching environment for dogs and their owners. We want pet parents to feel confident that their dogs are not simply being placed in a crowded room, but are being supervised by a team trained to understand dog behavior, manage group play appropriately, and recognize potential issues before they escalate.

Today, FurHaus is evolving into a first-of-its-kind climate-controlled indoor dog park, daycare, luxury boarding facility, transportation service, and canine social club designed around one simple philosophy: Play. Stay. Belong.

We are creating a place where dogs can run, explore, learn, rest, and make friends year-round, regardless of Kansas weather. We are creating a place where pet parents can feel connected, informed, and confident in the care their dogs receive. We are creating a space built on trust, transparency, safety, and a genuine love for animals.

Thoughtfully Designed From the Ground Up

From our climate-controlled indoor dog park to our hospitality-inspired boarding experience, every decision is made with intention. FurHaus is not being built to be another crowded daycare or impersonal boarding facility. It is being built to raise the standard for what dog care and a dog-friendly community can look like in Wichita.

Built Local, With Heart

Most importantly, we want FurHaus to remain local.

This is not a corporate concept designed in a boardroom hundreds of miles away. It is being built right here in Wichita by someone who lives here, works here, raises a family here, and cares deeply about the people and pets who call this city home.

FurHaus represents an opportunity to support local entrepreneurship, expand the local pet care market, create new jobs, and give Wichita dog owners a safer, more transparent, and more community-focused option for their pets.

More Than a Business

FurHaus is more than a business. It's a passion project. It is a response to what pet owners have been asking for: a place that is safe, thoughtful, transparent, professionally managed, and built around the belief that dogs deserve more than a place to be kept. They deserve a place to belong.