Tails of the Team: Meet Kathy's Crew

Welcome back to the Unleashed Blog! This month’s Tails of the Team highlights Kathy and her diverse crew of pets—including her rescue birds! While Off Leash MKE focuses a lot on dogs, many of our team members have experience caring for a variety of animals. Kathy’s love for animals extends beyond pups to include a flock of feathered friends, each with their own unique personality and story. Keep reading to learn more about Kathy’s birds and her dog, Zoey!

Clockwise from upper left: Taz, Owen, Willow & Kathy, Maggie & Otto

What are your pets’ names, species, breeds, and ages? Tell us how they came into your life and a bit about their personalities.

Taz is a Blue Headed Pionus and she's 20 years old. I rescued her from a domestic abuse situation. She is semi-tame, mumbles a lot, likes head scratches, and doesn't like nail trims, so she will make a car alarm noise the whole time.

Owen is a canary who is almost 5 1/2 years old. He was given to me as a gift from one of my friends after my last canary flew over the rainbow bridge. He's a happy guy who has a beautiful song and sings often.

Otto and Maggie are zebra finches. I'm not sure how old they are, but I have had Otto for 2 years, and Maggie for 1 year.  I adopted them, and they both were in rough shape at first. Maggie was missing a lot of feathers, and Otto's beak wasn't growing straight. They hang out together, and sleep next to one another.

Willow is a Green-cheek Conure with a turquoise mutation. She's 10 years old and tame. She was given to me by her owner who could no longer keep her. I was only going to foster her, but she became 1 of my few bird “foster fails”. She says a few words, enjoys shredding paper and playing with toys.

Zoey is a Staffordshire Terrier. She's 10 years old. She was fostered and adopted by me from Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Comission where I volunteer. She enjoys walks, chews, treats, playing with toys, and naps. Zoey is snuggly, sweet, and spoiled. She had a rough start before coming to Madacc.

How have your pets influenced your approach to pet care?

My pets have influenced me and taught me to accept them as individuals. This has carried over into pet care because each pet can have different personalities, wants, and needs.

Zoey

Are there specific challenges you’ve faced with your pets that have made you a better pet care professional?

The specific challenges I've had to face, like dog reactivity and that some of my pets suffered physical and mental abuse before coming into my life, have made me a better pet professional because it has taught me patience and understanding.

How do you incorporate Fear Free principles when caring for your pets?

I incorporate fear free principles by using positive reinforcement, trying to remain calm in stressful situations (like a vet visit), and handling in a gentle manner.

What’s your favorite way to spend time with your pets?

My favorite way to spend time with my pets varies. With the birds that aren't tame, I try to spend time talking to them. With Willow, I like to hold her and we sometimes watch TV together. Zoey and I like to walk and explore the outdoors, play with toys, and to just be together.

How do you keep your pets mentally and physically enriched?

I try to rotate toys for the birds so they don't get bored, and so they can chew and play for physical and mental enrichment. For Zoey, I make sure to let her sniff when we're out walking, I switch out toys for her, and we try to explore different places on walks.

Are there any particular games, exercises, or routines you do with your pets that you recommend to clients?

We brush up on training and do enrichment activities. I highly recommend treat puzzles, snuffle mats, lick mats, frozen Kongs, and hiding treats for dogs. There's also some foraging toys, shredder toys, and special treats for birds too!