Gold Star Kennel provides invaluable service for dogs

Kay Moore has been around dogs and started watching other people’s dogs when she was in eighth grade. Now she runs Gold Star Kennel on Industrial Park Road in Cadiz. She and her husband, Floyd, are the owners and they employ six people to help them run the kennel.

“I moved to Cadiz in 1973 to accept a teaching position at Cadiz High School where I spent 30 years until retirement,” Moore explained. “I also had nine kennel runs at my house where I boarded for 11 years until moving to the industrial Park Road location where we have been for 20 years.”

When she initially moved, she was spending time showing her Old English Sheepdog, which eventually prompted her to buy a large enough van to make going to shows more comfortable for everyone. “The only problem was, it would not fit in our garage,” Moore said.

So the couple built a larger garage. Having added two golden retrievers to their family over the years, they took the opportunity to also put in two kennel runs and a grooming room attached to the garage.

“People were always asking me to watch their dogs for them so we added seven additional runs. We found out that this was a much needed service as we were always full.”

Moore said she joked with friends that she was planning to build a bigger kennel once she was retired. “Well here we are with a larger facility, 24 kennel runs, a cat room, grooming room, training room, and still are turning people away.”

The name Gold Star came from a few parts of Moore’s life. In her teaching days, doing a good job earned a student a gold star; hotels are rated with stars – the best being five stars, and she has golden retrievers. “So put it all together and that is where Gold Star came from.”

The kennel predominantly houses dogs but is open to almost any animal that needs a place to stay for a while. “We have also boarded pot bellied pigs, ferrets, a siamese fighting fish, a hamster, a guinea pig, several types of birds, and this summer we have a bearded dragon coming for a visit,” she said.

In addition to housing a menagerie of creatures, Gold Star participates in many events and holds several classes. “We hold rally classes, obedience classes, show handling, Barn Hunts, C-Wags scent work, games, Fetch and Rodeo dog. All these are free to watch to see if you might be interested,” Moore explained. “Classes and event information may be found on the Gold Star Kennel or Kay Moore facebook page.”

Both her retrievers are TDI (Therapy Dog International) certified and they attend literacy nights at Harrison Central, visit nursing homes, and participate in some Cadiz Business Association Events. The kennel also supports many local sports teams, golf outings, and the Harrison County Cancer Crusaders.

For information on how to have your pet boarded at Gold Star, you can contact Moore at 740-942-3262 or goldstarkennel@frontier.com.