If you need any clarification on A) the name of Jennifer Nichols’ dog day care, boarding and grooming facility, or B) the way she lives her life, just take one look at her head. That’s right; she has green hair. In other words, she’s taken “dedication to her job” to a whole new level. It was her love for dogs and passion for green living that led her to open Greendog in November 2009 in the memory of Petie, her beloved Whippet, who passed in 2007. Petie was a cancer survivor; after almost dying from cancer of the spleen at age 9, he was nursed back to health by Jennifer’s ’round-the-clock care (and special homemade diet) and lived another 4.5 years cancer-free. Jennifer also had a 9-year-old Italian Greyhound name Peanut, and during Petie’s last months, she welcomed another Italian Greyhound puppy, Iggy Pop, into her furry family. Thus, began Jennifer’s balancing act of caring for a senior, baby and middle-aged man.

Jennifer’s love for all animals dates back to her childhood days, growing up on a farm in Kentucky with three brothers. Back then, it was not unusual to see her on a bicycle with a chicken or a duck tucked safely in her arms with a dog running next to her, or being pulled around on a sled in the snow by one of the family dogs. Unfortunately, these days, Jennifer must travel by car instead of bicycle or dogsled, primarily just for safety reasons on Atlanta’s busy streets.

Her memoir, “Our Family Pets,” written when she was just 13 and chronicling all of the pets (roosters and turtles included) that the Nichols family kept throughout Jennifer’s younger years, sits on the coffee table in the Greendog lobby. Peanut and Iggy Pop can also be found at Greendog most days, lounging in the office with the confident air of being the “owner’s kids.”

As a child, Jennifer also embraced her love for organic gardening and worked with her family to sell their harvested crops each year to the town locals. It was those experiences that ultimately inspired her to move to Atlanta and earn her culinary degree, and then continued on to hold positions in the kitchens of Atlanta’s famed Bacchanalia and Floataway Café. Jennifer then moved and settled into North Georgia, where she became chef/owner of her own fine dining restaurant and catering business. While cooking was her passion for many years, she always knew a career with the four-legged kind was in her future. But, who knows - installing a 4-star kitchen in the back of Greendog may be in the future. Next time you pick up your pup, he or she just might be munching on foie gras and braised short ribs.

Jennifer also dabbled in modeling for a few years, but these days can be found behind the camera instead of in front of it, shooting models of the canine persuasion at the Greendog “studio.” She has quite a knack for dog photography and loves to send her clientele photos of their little ones soaking up the good life at Greendog. Many a photo by Jennifer Nichols can be found on a dog lover’s mantle, or at the very least, hanging on his or her fridge.

It’s apparent; all of her former occupations and hobbies have made Jennifer quite the Jill of all trades, but how did working in kitchens and on modeling shoots prepare her for the world of dog care? Well, she did work in a dog day care facility or two that will remain nameless. However, Greendog is a world apart from most traditional places because of its green components, smaller capacity and overall “urban farm” atmosphere. In addition, it might be the cleanest place around, because of Jennifer’s neat freakiness. But, don’t worry if your dog is a chronic shedder or likes to roll around in the dirt and then track in dirty paw prints: she doesn’t mind picking up after those messy pups one bit.

Jennifer believes that dogs help humankind make the world a better place to live. Iggy Pop and Peanut (and dogs everywhere!) are the inspiration and backbone of Greendog, which is dedicated to “greening” the dog industry through service, products and educational classes. Currently, Greendog offers day care, boarding and grooming and will soon offer a retail boutique as well. Jennifer will actually be putting on the apron again as she has been diligently developing a line of frozen organic soy dog treats that she hopes to launch in summer 2010. Her culinary background and love for dogs have come together in unison to develop this product and will be just the beginning of a line of more dog biscuits and eventually foods that will all be sold at Greendog.

It’s clear that Jennifer has a way with animals – she’s coined the phrase “BOL (Bark Out Loud)” and will often send owners an email “written” by their pup during his or her stay at Greendog. She’ll even joke that since she’s around dogs all day, she sometimes forgets how to act around humans. If there’s someone you think MIGHT just care about the well-being of your dog as much as you do, it’s Jennifer Nichols, but hey, isn’t that what you want in someone who’s looking after your furry bundle of joy?