A woman has made her childhood dream come true by moving to Wisbech to run a dog kennelling business- more than 40 years after she was turned down to become a vet.
Judy Goldfarb was refused a veterinary school place in the 1970’s despite her teachers predicting five A grades at A levels.
She said: “In those days only 10 per cent of places were allocated to women. There were six vet colleges in the country so once those places were filled no more women were taken on to study.”
“Can you believe that - it seems unthinkable now. I was so upset I went off the rails a bit and ended up moving to Israel to work on a Kibbutz for four years.”
She then worked in insurance rising up the ranks to a job as a Lloyd’s broker where she closed $100,000,000 deals and lived on a daily diet of stress and the big bonuses of city life.
“It was glamorous in many ways, but highly stressful and competitive. Over the years, always in the back of my mind was this dream to work with animals, but once you get used to earning then it is hard to give up.”
“It was a standing joke in the family that when I was about five I used to say I wanted to live in a big house in the country surrounded by animals, and finally as I approach my 60th birthday, I have achieved my dream,” she said.
Judy, 59, and her husband Avi, 62, moved from Hertfordshire to the Fens at the beginning of the year where she says their life has changed beyond their wildest dreams after taking over Tejaycey Boarding Kennels and Catteries in Cox’s Lane, Wisbech.
“We were approaching retirement and knew we didn’t want to stop working for good,” she said.
“So we Googled Businesses for Sale and a boarding dog kennel came up which is when I realised never say never. We found the kennel here and the rest is history.”
The business, which has been open since the 1960s, has 54 kennels, 18 catteries, and is licensed for 112 dogs and 36 cats and is about to be treated to a grand renovation project.
“Life now is totally different to the long days and crammed London commute. Now I wake up every day, pull on my wellies and smile,” she said.
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