Kayleena has been a part of the Joyful Dog team since September of 2015. Her previous experience before joining us was in the Pet Retail world. Kayleena supervises daycare groups and cares for our overnight guests on the weekends. She’s firm but fair with the daycare kiddos and has earned the deep respect and affection of all of our four-legged friends. Kayleena likes alllllll animals (even the ones the rest of us don’t). Kayleena has a Shepherd mix named Theia, 2 cats, named Kaia and Sully, as well as a whole bunch of Reptiles, a Tarantula and a Scorpion. Kayleena hopes to continue her education in the field of Animal Behavior.
Alicia joined us in June of 2023.
Miss Bre
Since 2023
Miss Kira
Since 2023
Mariah joined the Joyful Dog Family in 2021. Mariah’s previous work experience was in the retail sector, and she’s also an entrepreneur! She owns both a Photography business AND an Apothecary business! In her spare time, Mariah loves to make Art and watch Pet videos on Tik Tok. Mariah grew up with three dogs; Sugar the Lab, Precious an Akita/Shepherd mix, and Bella the Rottie. Mariah supervises our Daycare groups, bathes pups, and always makes sure that FUN is part of the equation, while maintaining a consistent set of expectations for all the kiddos in her care. She loves to lead the pups in DANCE PARTIES, and is an equal-opportunity cuddler.
Maria joined us in Feb of 2024.
VICTORIA MISURACA
Co-owner
Since 2013
Miss Maria
Since 2024
Kira joined us in May of 2023.
Miss Victoria has been working in the Dog Daycare, Boarding, and Training field for over 13 years. She actually loves people as much as she loves dogs! Our resident extrovert, Victoria prides herself on helping the humans feel as comfortable about their kiddos staying as the dogs themselves are! Victoria loves to teach group training classes because she gets to help humans understand their dog, and how they can be the best possible pet parents! Since A Joyful Dog opened, she has unexpectedly learned all sorts of business-y things that she never dreamed of knowing when she majored in Philosophy. Victoria now manages most of the financial matters, and loves to keep track of growth! Her favorite part of being a business owner is mentoring and coaching an incredible staff that is always eager to learn. Victoria adopted Sally, a 12 year old black lab mix, who loves to play as well as following her human siblings around, waiting for them to drop food.
Miss ASHLEY
Since 2014
The founders club will remember... that weird 4th owner! She's been keeping us legit since day 1 with the financy stuff, the lawman, and the taxman. She's roommates with the famous stunt dog CALLIE of our curbside valet video. Because of Em, the rest of us get to be DOG PEOPLE 100% of the time. But make no mistake - she's a veteran of overnights & soapy baths and we catch her creeping on us all the time on the webfeed!
Lys
Since 2023
Bre joined us in July of 2023.
Miss Alicia
Since 2023
Miss Breauna
Since 2023
Miss MARIAH
Since 2021
Ashley is our veteran staff member; she has been with our family since October of 2014. Ashley worked at a pet store for years before joining the AJD team, and is wealth of information about ALL animals (even the non-furry kind!) Ashley supervises Daycare groups, bathes dogs, does nail trims, and helps with caring for our friends who are being kenneled overnight. She has a calm energy that helps relax anxious pups, and keeps the young kiddos from getting too over-stimulated. She knows and remembers every dog’s strengths and weaknesses and she’s the one we all turn to when we have a question about a particular kid’s personality.
Miss KAYLEENA
Since 2015
MALLORY JOHNSON
Co-owner
Since 2013
Lys joined us in June of 2023.
EM ALLEN
Co-owner
Since 2013
Miss Maia
Since 2024
Breauna joined us in August of 2023.
KAREN DELBERT
Co-owner
Since 2013
Maia joined us in May of 2024.
Miss Mallory is the softie! She's the one most likely to sneak you a treat just for being cute, and she always has time for kisses and snuggles. Mallory volunteered at a No-Kill Animal shelter for 2 years before coming to Buffalo to pursue her passion for working with dogs. Now with over 9 years of experience in the animal care field, Mallory has discovered she has a special affinity helping our older/geriatric dogs feel relaxed and safe. Miss Mallory is the absolute best at creating soft and comfy spaces for our senior dogs who just want to relax and chill. Mallory is passionate about continuing to learn more about Holistic healing and Reiki for dogs. She’s the one we depend on to fix all the things we break, and the one who keeps everything working correctly in the building! Mallory has an 8 year old Greyhound named Norman, and a 9 year old Chiweenie named Charlie. Mallory also has a dual Bachelor's in Marketing & Management!
Miss Karen GETS dogs. She knows what they’re thinking, and she knows what they love and what they need to be their best. Karen has been an animal lover all of her life. She’s always willing to spend a little extra time with a nervous kiddo to help them feel comfortable. She’s passionate about helping every dog be the best they can be, and you won’t catch her reinforcing any bad behaviors! Karen has an amazing track record helping dogs learn manners and confidence in her one-on-one training sessions. If you have a behavioral issue or question, Karen always makes time to help. Karen also handles all sort of logistics, like staff schedules, ordering supplies, and website maintenance. Karen doesn’t currently have a dog at home, but she does have a cat named Gus! Karen has been working in the animal field for 10 years and she holds an Associate degree in Animal Management.