Our Story
Outdoor Dog Adventures was established in 2017 by lifelong dog lovers Mary and Theo Simon. They noticed the behavioral issues that were created when people had to work all day, and did not have time to exercise their dogs or give them some positive attention in the middle of the day. That need, as well as their great love for the outdoors, led them to found Outdoor Dog Adventures.
Flash forward two years later. Mary and Theo decided to relocate back to Massachusetts to be closer to family after losing Theo’s father. Their friends, Kim & Joe, stepped up and offered to carry on what they started. Being lifelong dog lovers as well, Kim and Joe promised to continue to provide the love and care that this business is known for.
This company is founded based on the belief that a dog walk can be more than just a chance for a dog to use the bathroom. It can be an adventure during which the person and dog are paying attention to one another, learning from other, and being present in the moment. At Outdoor Dog Adventures, we endeavor to better the lives of dogs and humans alike through the implementation of mentally stimulating walks and social interaction whenever the owners cannot be present. We strive to alleviate owner guilt during the workday, to provide healthy exercise for dogs, and to be part of the prevention of problematic behaviors resulting from boredom and loneliness in dogs.
Our Team
Kim Keys
Owner & Business Manager
Kim was born and raised in Harford County, Maryland. She attended Towson University where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business. For the past 7 years, Kim has worked in the banking industry but has always had a passion for animals. In 2014, Kim and her husband Joe moved to Louisville for Joe’s job. They have fully embraced their new life here in Kentucky and love to show their friends and family everything Louisville has to offer when they visit. They enjoy watching the races at Churchill Downs, visiting the dogs that are up for adoption at the Humane Society, and exploring every spot in Louisville that is dog friendly!
Kim is a proud dog mom to Lilly, a Puggle that she and Joe adopted in Maryland, and Chuy, an Austrailian Cattle Mix they adopted from the Kentucky Humane Society. When not working, Kim enjoys spoiling Lilly and Chuy, taking too many photos of them, and trying to convince Joe to let her adopt every dog she sees at the Humane Society. She also loves making crafts, spending time outdoors, traveling, and attending spin class. Her favorite weekend activity is snuggling on the couch with the dogs and binge-watching The Golden Girls.
Joe Keys
Owner
Joe was also born and raised in Harford County, Maryland. He attended Frostburg University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. After graduating college, he moved to Indianapolis where he worked for a non-profit organization that allowed him to travel all over the United States for 3 years. After those 3 years on the road, he moved back to Maryland where he began his career in Finance and also obtained his insurance license. Fast forward 13 years later, and he is now a Regional Assistant Vice President for the 2nd largest finance company in the U.S. This job is what brought him and Kim to Louisville and they are sure glad it did. Since moving here back in 2014, Joe has fully embraced the Kentucky
lifestyle and has become a Certified Bourbon Steward. When not working, Joe enjoys spending time with Kim and their two dogs, Lilly and Chuy, traveling, hunting for rare bourbon, and finding new adventures and things to do in Louisville! Like a true Kentuckian, he enjoys horseracing and bourbon!
Kate Bariteau
Team Member
Originally from the midwest, Kate Bariteau has a BS in Speech Communication from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has a background working in higher education as an advisor and educator, as well as many years of customer service experience. Kate has found that serving in a customer care capacity brings her back to her farm roots, where she can troubleshoot problems and get her hands dirty. She brings with her over 22 years of experience fostering and training dogs. While preparing to bring a service dog into her own family, Kate strengthened her dog-work skills through intensive study of the Karen Pryor training methods. Her mission to help owners enjoy their pets makes her a natural fit for Outdoor Dog Adventures.
When not working at work, Kate is probably working at home, and is often happiest when she is fixing something. She and her husband have four children, two dogs, two cats, a foster hospice cat, and a revolving door of additional foster cats and dogs. Kate has been known to utilize the same positive training techniques used with dogs on her own children.
Jessica Titzer
Team Member
Jessica Titzer is originally from Newburgh, IN. She attended Bellarmine University, and now works as a full time registered nurse for Jewish Hospital’s transplant program. While at Bellarmine, she spent a semester abroad in Australia. Jessica has always had a love for animals and has worked with animals in a volunteer capacity off and on since she was young. She was the volunteer of the month several times at her hometown animal shelter, where she gained experience working with dogs of all backgrounds and personalities. She was particularly valued for her patience in getting shy and timid dogs to come out of their shells.
Jessica has two beloved pets: Parker, a spunky little mutt from the Kentucky Humane Society, and Phoebe the cat, who is also a rescue. When she isn’t at the hospital, Jessica likes to decompress through spending time with dogs as part of the Outdoor Dog Adventures team. If she is not working at the hospital or walking dogs for Outdoor Dog Adventures, Jessica can be found spending time with her pets, binge-watching Netflix, dabbling in indoor rock climbing and taking advantage of the wonderful parks of Louisville.
Shannon Miller
Team Member
Born and raised in Louisville, Shannon Miller has devoted her life to working with animals. Starting at 10 years old, she started horseback riding lessons that sparked a passion that lead her to spend every waking moment on the farm working and learning. After she graduated high school, she attended the University of Kentucky where she started volunteering at the Lexington Humane Society. This kick-started a new passion- this time with dogs! It led her to move back to Louisville where she worked at a vet office before going to the Kentucky Humane Society where she worked for almost four years.Shannon has two dogs of her own- Gator, a Lab/Cattle Dog mix she adopted from the Lexington Humane Society and Fiona, a Chihuahua/Italian Greyhound mix who she found as a stray. When not working, she enjoys cuddling with her dogs on the couch and going to Louisville City FC matches.
Eric Montgomery
Team Member
Eric Montgomery grew up here in Louisville, Kentucky. Eric grew up playing football and participating in many different music ensembles. He just recently finished his Bachelors degree in Music Education this past May. During college, Eric worked as a music teacher and youth mentor in many capacities from marching band, to summer camps, after school programs, and private music lessons. In addition, he found his love for pets by house/pet sitting for family friends and friends of friends. Eric currently works nights at a local Dog boarder and is looking for his first full time teaching position.
In his free time, Eric loves to take his family dog, Sophie, for rides in the truck and walks in the park. Unfortunately, Sophie will be staying at home with his parents once he moves out, but he plans to adopt a dog as soon as he is able to. He also enjoys to read and play all sorts of music outside of his professional music activities.