To call Kim Woods, a renaissance woman would not be an understatement. She spent most of her professional life in national sales, advertising, and marketing then made a career change to a financial advisor with a world-renown financial services company.
Beyond her accomplishments as a businesswoman, she has been active in numerous charitable organizations throughout Ventura County, California. These consist of serving on several non-profit boards, including the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce. Currently, she is serving as Chairman of the Board of New West Symphony. With all performing arts theatres closed due to the pandemic, Kim admits, “it has been a challenge to pivot and be relevant during COVID, but we are finding creative ways to keep the music alive during this time.”
Although originally from New York, Kim and her husband Mark have called the Conejo Valley home for over the past 25 years. The Conejo Valley is a scenic paradise located between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. The couple has no children, that is, except four-legged ones; all of them shelter rescues, and all dearly loved.
Their first dog, Luke, was an adopted Springer Spaniel puppy who proved to be an ‘aha moment’ for Kim. “I never grew up with dogs; Luke was my first. Suddenly, our mellow homelife became turned upside down.” However, Kim had an epiphany while visiting a local pet store. She picked up a magazine and started reading an article written from the dog’s point of view. In the article, the dog was adopted from a shelter and then returned by its owners to the shelter. The dog was left asking, what did I do wrong? At that moment, Kim realized, “I had to shift my mindset; it was up to me to love Luke and train him; knowing we would be just fine.”
Kim and Mark currently have four dogs who are all shelter rescues: Cody, an English Springer Spaniel; Roxy, an American Staffordshire Terrier; and two Yorkshire Terrier mix, Freddie and Lily. Now with two large and two small breeds as well as seniors and puppies, Kim’s household became one filled with multiple bags of kibble; she thought there had to be a better solution. One day she met a fellow Conejo Valley resident, Rick Pack, Founder/CEO of Do Only Good (D.O.G.) Pet Food. Rick explained how D.O.G. was a super-premium food created for all breeds and all stages. Kim liked the quality and sourcing of D.O.G’s ingredients plus the convenience of feeding all her dogs the same food. She also appreciated that D.O.G. kibble is rotational, so her dogs could enjoy a different protein without digestive issues. As a consumer, Kim is grateful that D.O.G. is line-priced and offers discounts via their website. “I would absolutely recommend D.O.G. products to pet parents. Our dogs are our kids. We want them to live healthy and long lives. Giving them the best nutrition plays a big part in that.”
All of Kim’s dogs have their specific personalities and have brought joy to her life. Her advice to new pet parents is to realize “you are always learning. Each dog is different and needs to be trained in a way that works for them and their breed. Whatever you put into them, you will get out of them. Love them and listen to them, and you will have a great dog.” We couldn’t agree more!
