About Our Pets

JERSEY'S STORY:

I found Jersey alone and lonely in a pet store in Albany, New York the weekend after I returned from a fun vacation on the New Jersey Shore. He was only 6 weeks old.

Feeling sorry for what looked like the runt of the litter, I drove this little white fur-ball 3 hours to his new home in Lake Placid, New York in 1991. He's been by my side ever since, and has adjusted well through 5 different moves to 3 different states. He's an American Eskimo (aka "Spitz").

Articles featuring Jersey, our American Eskimo dog

Photogallery with even more pictures of Jersey

DESTIN'S STORY:

Jim found Destin hiding under a dumpster outside of his office in 2003. He was a scrawny black pup with white paws... barely alive, yet wild with fear. He bit and clawed when Jim tried to rescue him.

The vet only gave Destin a day or two more to live, but we brought him home anyway. He also had scabies and was losing his fur in chunks. Add to that, a blood disease he got from a tick (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever). It didn't take him long to come back to life though, and he's brought a new spunk to our family ever since. He's part Black Labrador Retriever, part Golden Retriever. Regardless of the exact percentages... he definitely acts 100% Retriever! He's mostly got the friendly face and loving eyes of a Lab, and the wavy coat and powerful tail of a Golden Retriever (that thing could take out a small child!).

Articles featuring Destin, our Black Lab / Golden Retriever dog

Photogallery with even more pictures of Destin

TENOR'S STORY:

As 2006 was approaching, we started to come to grips with Jersey's advanced age and Destin's need to have a playmate (...he's such a social dog). So we began thinking about what type of puppy would make a good companion for Destin to grow old with.

After several months of searching & researching many different breeds, we eventually learned of a litter of puppies born near our home (Black Lab/Great Pyrenees mix). We looked up pictures of other Great Pyrenees/Black Lab dogs, and we researched the characteristics & personality traits of both breeds thoroughly. It wasn't long before we knew that a puppy from this litter would be the perfect match for Destin. Not only would they be similar in genetic makeup, they also had similar white spots on their paws, chest and chin! It just so happened that Tenor was made available to us as a Christmas puppy.

Articles featuring Tenor, our Great Pyrenees / Black Lab dog

Tenor's MySpace page

Photogallery with even more pictures of Tenor

How They Get Along Together...

Jersey was the perfect "big brother" during those first days with Destin (but not so much later). Early on, he would nose the puppy, and smell him, and be all curious about him. He didn't try to hurt him or bug him too much. It was as if he knew we were taking care of a sick puppy.

As soon as Destin got his strength back, he wanted to play with Jersey more and more. But Jersey wasn't so sure... he was jealous that Destin was receiving so much of our attention.

After a month in the house together, Destin finally charmed his way into Jersey's heart -- well kind of. Basically, Jersey just learned to ignore Destin. But eventually Jersey got tired of being a bump on a log and he actually started to initiate play with Destin at times.

The truth is, Jersey and Destin have battled it out many times in "mock" battles (with bare-teeth showing), where each is trying to display their utmost masculinity. And to this day, they still try to "out-pee" each other! (...If you're not familiar with this type of Alpha dog behavior, it's where they repeatedly pee on any given tree, and whichever pees the highest or the most recently is the winner!)

In the end, Jersey more or less tolerates Destin's existence. Due in large part to the fact that we have always followed the trainers' instructions to a tee (e.g. making sure that Jersey always gets petted first, gets treats first, gets baths first, etc., etc.), Jersey is content with the way things are -- since he is officially the Alpha dog. And Destin is such a social creature, he's just happy to have another four-legged playmate at times...

Fast-forward about 3 years to 2006 when we entered another puppy into the mix... Suddenly, there's a lot to talk about. In brief, let me just say this: If you are considering adding a third dog into your family, please reconsider. Especially if all three will be sharing space inside your home (rather than outdoors). The details of the many-month ordeal (for the most part, all minor incidents) are contained in other articles here on the site.

In sum, it takes a lot of time -- and the learning curve is steep -- when attempting to cohabitate in peace with three dogs (all males, no less!). Most important: Whenever two or more are together at any given time, they must be closely supervised, as there is a significant amount of "jockeying for position" in the dog pack hierarchy once you introduce a third dog. It's perfectly natural... just time-consuming. It takes a lot of "confrontation" in order for the dogs (and their owners) to figure it all out.

So far so good... We have managed to become one (BIG!) happy family: 2 adults, 0 kids, 3 dogs, 1800 SF house. 'Nuff said.

UPDATE: After nearly 16 years together, Jersey eventually spent his last days with us. He played such a big role in my life, and he will live on forever in the photographs which appear here at this site. And Destin is playing with Jersey somewhere... as we speak. Tenor now has the run of the house.