We would like to take a moment to thank our QK Dogs Kennel Care Manager, Darcy Roberts! Darcy has been with us for 7 years and we’ve enjoyed every minute (well, just about ;-)). While her beloved clients have come up with nicknames for her like Dorothy….we call her Chief, Daaaacy, and some others I just cannot put into print! Darcy is comfortable and very capable behind the front desk greeting customers, checking dogs in and helping with phone calls; however, her main duties are behind the scenes. Darcy is the one responsible for organizing each of our boarder’s meals and medications as well as studying each dog to learn about their specific needs, behaviors, and their owner’s specific requests. This is no small feat since we can house upwards of 100 dogs, so Darcy needs to be on her A-game in order to keep all of our dogs safe, secure and happy. One of her great talents is being able to match up dog personalities to be able to bunk them together. While we will always isolate any dogs that are aggressive or have social issues, we have had incredible success for nearly 15 years housing dogs together based on their personalities, energy levels and behaviors. Darcy just has the knack to be able to wonderfully match up dogs whether it is for group exercise play time or nightly bunking. As pack animals they would MUCH rather have a snuggle buddy than be alone while separated from their home and families. Any time we have new client dog that may have aggression issues, Darcy individually meets with the owner and the dog to evaluate beforehand to determine if they can even come to our kennel. Since we spend so much time handling our boarding dogs, walking and exercising them, each dog must be deemed safe to be around people and other dogs.
Darcy also works diligently to manage and train the Kennel Care staff as well as interview and hire our new Kennel Care employees. These seasonal or entry level animal care employees often come and go, and Darcy takes the time to work with each of them to coach, train and mentor them about the workings of our facility and the best way to handle our boarding dogs. Do not tick Darcy off because she is a ‘tell it like it is’ person! If you make her angry she will let you know. If you are not doing your job properly she will call you out and hold you accountable. Yeah… I’d say Darcy is quite a toughie… BUT that is why we love her! As her boss and the QK Owner, I used to describe Darcy as the person I would most want helping me break up a dog fight. She is kinda baddass!
Darcy came from a background at the Plainfield Dog Track caring for racing greyhounds. She dedicated many years caring for the racing animals at the large facility and even adopted some of those greyhounds needing homes. That experience gave her an incredible foundation for canine care. Today Darcy has 2 Alaskan Malamutes, an English Bulldog and a Chihuahua along with several horses. She is lifelong animal lover!
One of her beautiful Malamutes
Talk about a hard worker?!? Darcy works with us 5 days a week including BOTH Saturday and Sunday shifts, and on her 2 days off from us she works at a horse barn and also braids horses for shows. She has tireless energy and rarely takes a sick day. Did I mention how dedicated she is? Another thing I will mention, want to get on Darcy’s good side… just bring her food!
We just want to take the time to let our clients know how special each of our dedicated QK Employees are to us! While we love to showcase our lovely facility and grounds, we would be nothing without the kind, caring, animal loving staff that show up day after day working up to 11-hour shifts getting barked at, pooped on, snarled at and evil-eyed only to lay their lives on the line for your beloved pets. They would not have it any other way. Please take the time to thank those at QK who go out of their ways to keep your pets not only safe, but HAPPY.
At QK, if we had to ask our employees if they loved dogs, then they would not be our employees!
