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On Wednesday evening, October 8th,
a large crowd gathered at the Wild Woof Inn in Lincoln to help
celebrate the new ownership of the former Cha-Dai Pet Motel with a
ribbon cut and reception.
Laine Brickey purchased the business from Kay Armbrust, taking over
ownership on June 12th. With the exception of a new name and some
fresh paint, the business is very much the same as when under the
leadership of Armbrust, offering pet day-care, long-term boarding,
and pet grooming services to pet parents in the community.
Laine said that happily the staff that worked for Armbrust stayed
on, with the exception of Missy Levi who was planning retirement and
would spend her last day at the Wild Woof the same day as the ribbon
cutting.
In addition to Laine those who are staffing the Wild Woof include
her mom Jennifer Brickey and staff Kara Burge, Kim Richards, Lucas
Ulvstead, Markita Rohlfs, Arrington Mauhar, Carrissa Sprinkel and
two new hires, Adalyn Reed and Brooklyn Curry.
Brickey said that she had been employed by Armbrust five years
earlier after following the recommendation of a former Cha-Dai
employee who thought Brickey would like working with the animals.
Brickey said indeed she did like it, every part of it.
She remembered Armbrust coming to speak with her a few days into the
job. Armbrust had asked her how she liked the job saying that
“scooping poop isn’t for everyone.” Brickey said that for her
though, it was perfect. She loved being with the animals and
watching after their well-being. And, yes, while there were some
less than perfect moments, for the most part, she loved every aspect
of the job.
Armbrust had been looking for a while for someone to purchase the
business that would maintain the same high standard of care she had
insisted upon throughout her career. Brickey had thought and
thought, and finally she made the decision to take the plunge into
business ownership.
Brickey said she had been really delighted when all of the staff
said they wanted to stay and work with her to maintain that high
quality care.
Wild Woof is a pet care facility that
carefully works with pets and pet parents to ensure that the animals
are safe and well taken care of. There are some requirements for
boarding a pet at Wild Woof including that the animals have all
their vaccinations, the owner provide information about the pet’s
veterinarian, and that they understand and provide a chain of
reaction if an animal becomes ill while at Wild Woof.
Brickey explained that chain often involves first trying to reach
the pet owner, then after that, a next point of contact provided by
the pet owner, and if that is not successful Brickey is given
authorization to act in the best interest of the pet and owner in
seeking medical care or treatment.
Brickey said most of the time contacting the pet owner or the
emergency contact provided by the owner is sufficient, but having
the authority to treat as necessary is crucial to assuring the
well-being of the pet when in the care of Wild Woof.
The animals also get plenty of attention from Brickey and the staff.
The pet owner is asked to provide the food the pet will need during
its stay, but Wild Woof provides blankets and other needs. The dogs
are permitted time outside to run and roam inside a large fenced in
area and are played with by staff on a regular basis.
On Thursday, the ribbon cutting was
held outside the front doors of the building with Brickey at the
center of attention, her fiancé Chris Lowery next to her, and her
parents Doug and Jennifer Brickey beside her as well. She was joined
behind the ribbon by staff members Kara Burge and Kim Richards. Then
“the Littles” were called to come join the crowd. These were the
youngsters in the Brickey/Curry extended family including Braxton
Brickey, Emma Curry, Olivia Brickey and Paige Curry.
Joining the group behind the ribbon were several city
representatives including aldermen Kevin Bateman, Dennis Clemons,
City Clerk Peggy Bateman, City Treasurer Chuck Conzo, and Lincoln
Mayor Tracy Welch. Holding the ribbon for the cut was Karen
Castelein and Richard Smith representing Lincoln Daily News.
During the introduction it was mentioned that the celebration of new
ownership of the pet care facility was particularly notable because
Laine is a new generation of business owner. It was noted that
keeping our community thriving is dependent upon our young
entrepreneurs choosing to stay in their hometown community to grow
their businesses.
The first person to speak was Mayor
Tracy Welch who said that he wanted to echo and emphasize that same
point. He said it is vital to the survival of any town that its
young people stay local and choose to take on the roles being
vacated by previous generations. He expressed appreciation to Laine
for taking that leap and wished her all the best.
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There was an offer for others to speak
if they so wished, then the floor was turned over to Laine. In what
her mom said was a rare show of emotion, Laine said that she was so
appreciative of the people who had helped her through the
transition, the family that had supported her decisions and those
who had worked to give the interior a fresh look. She said she was
appreciative of all those that had come out to welcome her to the
community and encourage her in her new business venture.
It was mentioned that the majority of
the interior had been given a fresh coat of paint, and everything
had been cleaned to spotless. Everyone was encouraged to do a
walkthrough of the facility after the cut.
With speeches concluded the group
posed for the traditional photo then assisted with the countdown
when Brickey snipped the ribbon on her new business.
Wild Woof inn is located at 1255 Hickox Drive in Lincoln. They are
open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to
noon on Saturdays. They accommodate dogs and cats, and according to
Brickey they occasionally have a rabbit who stays with them.
Services offered include day care for
pets, longer term boarding during pet parent vacations, and grooming
services.
Anyone interested in Wild Woof’s services can reach out to Brickey
and her staff by calling 217-732-1529.
[Nila Smith] |
