Margaret previously worked at a pet store, learning to take care of all different types of animals. Margaret has been in animal care since 2022 and started working hands-on with dogs once she joined our team in May of 2025. Margaret helps supervise the daycare pups, care for our overnight friends, and does baths and nail trims for our guests. Her favorite thing about working here is being able to care for all the dogs as if they were her own. When Margaret isn’t at A Joyful Dog, you can find her horse-back riding, creating art, or playing with her cat, Phoebe.
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 is our Senior Manager! You'll mainly see her working front desk, caring for our boarding pups and supervising daycare groups. 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 5 snakes, a tarantula and a scorpion!!
Bre
Since 2023
Kira
Since 2023
Victoria came to us all the way from Indiana, and has been working with dogs since 2022. She has worked at multiple other dog daycares and boarding facilities prior to joining our team in July of 2025. Victoria graduated high school in 2019 and has aspirations to return to school to become a certified Vet Tech. You can find Victoria supervising daycare, caring for boarding pups and giving baths to all our four-legged friends. Victoria has her own dog, a Pit mix named Luna, and a cat named Athena. In her free time, she loves doing crafts, decorating, and spending time with her husband and son.
VICTORIA MISURACA
Co-owner
Since 2013
Margaret
Since 2025
Kira joined the Joyful Dog team in May of 2023. Before she launched her career in the animal field, Kira worked in the customer service industry. In her spare time, Kira loves going out in nature, hiking, and finding new creatures to befriend! Kira can be found working the desk, supervising play groups, bathing, taking care of our overnight friends and handling our social media presence! Kira has one pup of her own named Cooper. Kira's favorite part of working with dogs is getting to build strong bonds with each pup while they're in her care and creating a fun and exciting environment for them!
Victoria has been working in the Dog Daycare, Boarding, and Training field for nearly 20 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! 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 has a miniature dachshund named Peanut who makes ALLLL of the friends in daycare!
Ash
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!
Shelbi
Since 2024
Bre joined the Joyful Dog team in August of 2023. Prior to coming to work with us, Bre worked at another Dog Daycare and Kennel. In her spare time Bre loves outdoor adventures, listening to music, and singing. Bre can be found working the desk, supervising playgroups, helping out with our overnight friends, bathing, and handling our social media presence! Bre has 2 pups of her own named Stella and Lucy. Bre’s favorite part of working with dogs is making her own special connections with them and becoming the best of friends!
Maia joined the Joyful Dog team in May of 2024. Maia is currently in her senior year of her undergrad program in Anthropology, and works with us on her school breaks and summer vacation. Maia supervises our playgroups in daycare, bathes and trims nails, and helps care for our overnight guests on the weekends. Maia loves the outdoors, especially hiking and walking her 2 dogs, Laya and Daisy.
Sophia
Since 2025
Victoria
Since 2025
West
Since 2025
Shelbi has been working with dogs since 2018, working at two different boarding and daycare facilities before joining our team in January of 2025. She also does dog sitting and dog walking on the side! Shelbi helps supervise our daycare playgroups and care for our kennel guests on the weekends. Shelbi has a Bernese Mountain Dog/Husky mix named Sake and 2 cats named Edgar and Hemi. In her free time, Shelbi enjoys crafting and sewing. Shelbi’s favorite part of working with dogs is getting to meet and care for all different kinds of pups!
Maria
Since 2024
Ash is our veteran staff member; she has been with our family since October of 2014. Ash 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!) Ash sometimes supervises daycare groups but mainly cares for our overnight pups! 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. She also has two dogs at home, a Cattle Dog x Rottie mix named Mako and a "Panda" colored German Shepherd named Mushu!
Kayleena
Since 2015
MALLORY JOHNSON
Co-owner
Since 2013
EM ALLEN
Co-owner
Since 2013
Maia
Since 2024
Maria joined the Joyful Dog team in January of 2024. Maria’s previous experience includes working at another Dog Daycare and Kennel in the area, and also as a preschool teacher for human children with special needs. Maria has also worked with horses since 2013, currently at Applewood Farms. In her off time Maria enjoys reading & knitting. Maria works the front desk, supervising our daycare pups, and caring for our overnight guests. Maria’s dog, a boxer/ pit bull mix named Summer Rose, loves to come help on Maria’s overnight shifts!
KAREN DELBERT
Co-owner
Since 2013
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 a 6 year old Greyhound named Rodger, and a 15 year old Rat Terrier named Zeda. 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. Karen has been working in the animal field for 10 years and she holds an Associate degree in Animal Management.