Cats and dogs and chickens, oh my!
Teacher Katherine Roy cares for various pets
From beehives to chicken coops, biology teacher Katherine Roy is creating a small farm in her backyard. Roy has a dog, Rocko Roy, a cat, Boots Buchman, and four chickens, Donna Jean, Winnie, Claire and Susan Beakman. Roy also maintains six hives of honeybees.
“It’s just so much fun,” Roy said. “I love caring for them. They are all so sweet and loving.”
When owning multiple pets, interactions between pets are important according to Roy. Roy says that her pets are able to interact well with each other for the most part.
“Rocko Roy loves the chickens, and they love him,” Roy said. “Rocko and Boots get along. Rocko does not like the bees, he’s been stung like twice.”
Rocko is three years old and Boots is ten. Roy and her husband, Rob Roy, have been caring for the bees and chickens for about two years. Roy says she and her husband have had some memorable moments with their pets over the years.
“I drove all the way from Texas to Florida with my cat,” Roy said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I let him out of his crate and he ran around the car the entire time. It’s definitely something I will never forget.”
Roy said that caring for several pets brings with it a lot of responsibility. Roy and her husband follow a daily routine to care for their pets that works around their schedule. Waking up early is amongst one of the many chores Roy and her husband share.
“I wake up early, feed Rocko and Boots, clean Boots’ litter box, and make sure they both have food and water,” Roy said. “In the afternoon, I clean the chicken coop and collect any eggs and make sure they have food and water. Rob usually goes and checks on the hives on the weekend.”
Roy hopes to expand her little farm in the future by adding more pets to her troop.
“I really want to get some baby goats,” Roy said. “I would love to have more dogs and chickens too. I’ll have to see what Rob says about that.”
While she performs many duties in taking care of her pets, Roy said that she doesn’t mind how much work it is.
“I love caring for all of my sweet pets, no matter how much work it is,” Roy said. “I love living at the Roy Farms.”