By Tatyana Nyborg
Contributing Writer
Urban Tails, a pet store in Sand Springs, Okla., found homes for more than 300 abandoned dogs and cats since it opened in Aug 2014.
Urban Tails is located next to the Sand Springs Post Office and attracts customers and pet lovers from all over the Keystone Lake area: Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Prue, Mannford, Berryhill, Prattville, and Cleveland.
Tatiana Rozzell, the store owner, says that the abandoned animals come from very distressed situations, with signs of abuse.
“We had a few dogs, that were used in illegal dog fighting,” she reveals. “One dog had a collar, which grew into his neck and the collar could not be removed without surgery.”
Recently, six kittens got shelter at Urban Tails and five of them have already been adopted, except Chocolate Chip, a black and white male kitten. He is a playful, curious and loving four-month old feline recovered after he was separated from his sibling.
Chocolate Chip likes to spend time sleeping on Rozzell’s chest and purring. The kitten is needing a good Samaritan to adopt him.
“We do not make money on adoptions,” Rozzell says. “The adoption fee is only $35, which includes a spay/neuter appointment.”
“Most of the time, abandoned pets arrive in poor health, and we need to take them to the vet,” she continues. “We welcome volunteers and donations because puppies need to be walked, cages need to be cleaned, and animals need to feel loved.”
“It is an awarding experience for a human to regain the trust of an abused animal,” Rozzell says.
One of the Urban Tails regular volunteers is Lexi Grooms, an 18 year old teenager with a disability. Grooms comes every Saturday and gives a bath to a lizard, the bearded dragon, named Ivan the Terrible, that lives in the store’s aquarium. Taking care of Ivan gives Grooms positive experiences and emotions.
Urban Tails offers services and products, which are not available at every pet store.
“We are very good at scheduling crate time for dog’s grooming,” Rozzell states. “The dogs usually do not need to wait to be groomed here. It reduces stress on the animal.”
Rozzell also makes dog biscuits; she obtained a Department of Agriculture license to do that.
Urban Tails carries pet food and natural pet products made in Oklahoma. Dee Yates, Sand Springs resident for the last 12 years, is a repeat store customer. Yates says that since she introduced her cat Jack to locally made canned food from Urban Tails, the cat prefers it to other brands.
The store has good selection of pet toys and accessories. Some specialty items, such as catnip scratches in the shape of dogs or hammocks for dogs will make a pet owner smile.
Rozzell got the idea to open a business after 10 years of working in the corporate world. Originally, she is from the city of Podolsk, which is in the Moscow region of Russia.
Rozzell moved to the United States in 2002. She has a Master Degree in Strategic Management from a leading Russian university.
“A lot of store visitors hear my accent and ask where it comes from,” Rozzell says. “When I reply that I am from Russia, they become excited and welcome me to the U.S.”
“People are friendly here, ” she adds.
As in any small business, Urban Tails sometimes experiences ups and downs because of the economy. Because of that, Rozzell decided to add another branch to her company. It is classes, which helps girls and women with HTML programming.
Rozzell is ready to put all her heart into this new project as well as continuing to rescue unwanted pets.