Kay
Pet Resort Attendant
Kay hails from Menomonee Falls; she has lived here all her life. Animals have always been an interest for her. Her family “always had a dog or cat in the house.” She grew up enjoying reading stories about dogs and horses.
Kay trained her previous dog, “Moose”, as a certified pet therapy dog; they would go to a residential treatment center in Milwaukee for boys who had experienced some sort of trauma in their lives. This was very impactful for Kay. She distinctly remembers one visit where a boy was very upset and crying; despondent that no one was interested in being his foster family. “Moose” got up and slowly walked across the room to the boy and gave him a “big wet kiss across his face.” The boy was startled but immediately stopped crying. The boy proceeded to give “Moose” a big hug. “I was amazed at how “Moose” did this without any prompting from me”. This is such a powerful testament to animals’ ability to give unconditional love and the positive benefits of the human-animal bond.
Kay went on to a career in education; “which was her second love.” Kay started out as a middle school science teacher. She admits she packed her “science lab with every kind of animal you could imagine.” She later became an elementary school principal. She retired after 28 years, desiring to “spend time with my family and my pets.”
After “Moose”, Kay adopted a “slightly used Great Pyrenees dog with an attitude.” Working with him, she realized her dog training skills needed improving. Becoming a resort attendant has given Kay the knowledge of dog behavior and “the opportunity to learn from many different dogs with a variety of personalities.” Her favorite activities in the resort are “providing TLC time and special amenities to the lodgers.” I enjoy seeing how our guests relax after being with us,” for just a short time. “ I want their experience at the resort to be as enjoyable and stress –free as possible.”
Currently, Kay shares her home with “Samson” the Great Pyrenees “with an attitude”; “Pyewacket” a “Halloween kitty” and “Cujo” a bossy Calico cat. She also has a Red-Lored Amazon, Peepers, which she has enjoyed the company of, for the past 38 years. Kay is also a one-woman rescue for “unwanted turtles/tortoises”, bringing them into her home when their previous owners can no longer care for them. She currently has 5 Box turtles (Tarzana, Cheetah, Turbo, Leonardo and Foo –“who will come running for earthworms!”), 2 Malaysian Box turtles (Rocky and Elizabeth), 3 tortoises ( Zeus – Greek, Igor – Russian, Regis – African hinge back) and last but not least a red-eared slider named Tommy.
In her spare time, Kay is also a classic car collector. Her pride and joy is a 1963 Mercury Meteor Station Wagon that is “all original.” Kay competed at the Ford Fairlane National Show in 2014, where she received a Gold Award. This was no car “beauty contest”; it involved a thorough “grilling” by a panel of judges on auto knowledge.
