Kathi Thomas grew up south of Olympia, Washington in the small town called Maytown, but was always drawn to Montana. She lived in Stockett for 20 years before moving to Vaughn with her husband in 2011. In 2019, their world was turned upside down when her husband Alan was diagnosed with terminal cancer and had to undergo a stem cell transplant.
Kathi and Alan had to pack their belongings and leave their home to go to the Mayo Clinic where they would stay for several months. At the time, they owned five dogs, but could only take two of them along. The other three were left with friends and family back home. “I met a gal at the RV park where we parked our trailer,” explained Kathi. “She was a daycare and grooming gal who had been doing it in this RV park for many years.” Since Alan was already done working due to cancer, and Kathi wanted to spend more time with her husband, she decided that the boarding and grooming business was the best opportunity where she could work from home and be with her husband 24/7.
Kathi had been a Social Worker since 1997 and the pressure of not knowing the outcome of what Alan would need and going back to a job where she advocated for ill and disabled people was mentally exhausting. “In the middle of the night, I would draw up plans and send them to my neighbor, who owns US Metals and he actually started building before we even got home.”
In February 2020, they came home and opened up Lazy Dogz LLC. “I ended up going to school for grooming too. I just saw where I couldn’t just do one without the other,” explained Kathi.
Alan is still fighting cancer for the fifth year now. “He’s been such a huge part of it,” explained Kathi. “Even if he doesn’t feel good, he gets to come out and sit and watch TV, and the dogs get to be with him. There’s no better healing than a wagging tail.”
Lazy Dogz doesn’t charge extra for feeding or extra attention time, they just have one fee for the day. These pampered pups get to run kennel-free from 7 am until 5 pm and sometimes even beyond that. They even get included in social parties and baby showers.
The 1200-square-foot building for Lazy Dogz was built onto the south side of the garage. They even have a special suite room for those dogs who just like to be away from other dogs. This room has a regular bed and their toys so they can have the quiet time they enjoy.
With several years of ranching experience, this was just a continuation on a canine level rather than a bovine level. “It’s not a real big step to incorporate other people’s dogs into that when you love them,” explained Kathi. “I just love being around happy dogs all day long. Every single day you walk out and everybody’s tails are wagging. Dogs are happy and they want to play.”
For more information on Lazy Dogz LLC, please contact Kathi at (406) 949-5885, and let her know you found them in The Great Falls Gazette.
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
