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About

A long time resident of the Hudson Valley in Upstate NY, I have had 

many wonderful pets. Rather than a boring bio, I want to introduce you to my best friends over the years. Well, really it was an excuse to look through photos, enjoy and miss them all.

They have all been rescues, and they have all made my life better for having known them.

German Shepard and 7 year old me straddling a fence between our houses

Me with King. He actually belonged to our next door neighbors, the Joneses.

(Yes, really)

1964

Me with Kelly, my first dog. From our neighbors litter.
My 5 sisters and I on our 'dad built' patio with our first dog Kelly.

My first dog, Kelly.  She could play with a rock all day long. With my 5 sisters. 1968

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ME!
Someone stopped at my shop, West Hills Sheds, with a litter of puppies. I fell for Trapper. 1984. He was almost human.
Trapper and I at our home under construction in 1986 in High Falls, NY.

Trapper. So smart, so loved. He's buried on my property and I still talk to him.

1986

Rosie was found on the exit 4B ramp on the Cross Bronx Expy. On our way to High Falls we enticed her with leftover turkey.
Cris and Rosie at our Long Island home in Huntington Station. 1998

Rosie...found on Rosedale Avenue in the Bronx.

Very camera shy and terrified of storms.

1990

Donated shed from West Hills Sheds in Huntington Station. Gifted in Trappers name after we lost him in November 1996
Uncle Jimmy's namesake, Seamus O'Shea. He could curl up his lips, bare his teeth and SMILE. Wish I had a photo of that.

Seamus O'Shea. Named after my uncle. Back when I owned a construction company I donated a storage shed to the Huntington Animal Shelter and they gifted me with a dog. It was right after I lost Trapper. I'm second from left. 1997

A friend at the Huntington Animal Shelter mentioned a pup that was tied up outside with no food or water in February. I stopped by to offer the 'owner' $ for him. No one was home. I threw him in my van and got the hell out of there. He was forever grateful. 1997
Tim Tim as we called him, was the sweetest boy. He took to Cris & Andrei like a big protective brother. What a great dog.

Timber. I rescued him from a yard where he was 'sheltered' under an old boat in February with no food or water. He showed his gratitude by being the best behaved dog... 1997

100_3176.jpg My Killian, adopted from the Ulster County SPCA. 2008. She is a beauty.
IMG_1617.JPG

Killian was our first cat, and obviously, my spirit animal.

She is beautiful, and she knows it. Adopted from the Ulster County SPCA in 2008.

Morgen and I 2009, at the Ulster County SPCA. My first lab mix. Chewed everything, including sheetrock and shoes.
Morgen and I in High Falls.

When I went to adopt Morgen, the rest of the litter clamored around me but she just sat still and watched. Thats how I knew...By the time she was 6 months old she was a very accomplished shoe eater.  Thankfully she out grew that fixation. She was a great hiker and we miss her.

Friends mentioned a miniature schnauzer that was being fostered in Cabo San Lucas. They flew her in to JFK. 2009. She was a loyal soul.
000_0432.jpg I made her the faux fur coat she's wearing, out on the Stone Dock Golf Course for a run!

Lyla. Rescued from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico in February and brought to a snowy upstate NY. I thought she might never forgive us. 2009

Troy, a former NYC dweller adapted to country life quickly. He always followed me on my walks along the Rondout river...

Found under a bench in Columbus Circle in NYC, Troy was smart as they come. We realized later that 'Troy' was short for Destroy. If he wanted 'OUT', he was going. 2009

Cross, also adopted from the Ulster County SPCA. He started out cross eyed, and eventually his eye devolved and had to be removed. He loved to run laps in the house, around and around.
I had surgery and the catsittrer accidentally let C ross outside. He was missing for 6 weeks and we were heartbroken. But he came home, and with medical care from the emergency Animal Clinic in Kingston, NY, he survived. We think he was locked in a shed.

Around Halloween in 2011, our local UCSPCA was giving away black cats. I asked for whichever was the best snuggler. Cross the cross-eyed cat lived up to his reputation.

Giddi came to us from Houston. He had been found in Giddings Texas. We kept the name, he was the happiest swertheart and it fit him.
Sadly, Giddi developed Cushings and Diabetes. But he was a very very good patient. Better than most men, I can tell you.

Giddi came to me through Shaggy Dog Rescue out of Houston, transported by Rescue Roadtrips. Special from day one. Bomb-proof, smart, a joy. Only his right ear could go up...2012

Cous Cous came from Animals for Adoption in Accord, NY. She caused crazy cat fights in our house and had to be seperated from the 'Mean Girl'.
She really is only slightly cross eyed...

Someone mentioned a cross eyed cat at a local shelter...within hours Cous Cous was mine. The other 2 cats hated her, so she has lived happily in my bedroom since I got her in 2014.

Tangley was exactly what I wanted, a little, portable furry dog. We think she is 14 now, not sure. She doesn't have many teeth left, but will still bite if you try and groom her or clip her luxuriously long nails!

Tangley also came to me through Shaggy Dog Rescue in 2016. They named her aptly. She hates to be brushed yet she's so close to the ground she needs to be brushed CONSTANTLY.

Puppet popped up on a post from my friends at Nothing But Love Canine Foundation in Binnewater, NY. It was love at first sight.
SNARR, an animal rescue organization had him fostered, we ended up also adopting one of his house mates, Pooka.

After losing Troy, Giddi & Morgen within just a few weeks, I was going to pause pet adoption for a while...until I saw this little guy...Puppet is a total handful. Smart as a tack. And that face! 2022

Pooka was the image of baby Morgen. Although he is mini-Aussie shephard, not a lab.
Pooka. Food driven, beyond affectionate. Loves to lick lick lick. He is charming as long as he doesn't catch you right after a shower.

Puppet wore me out, so what was I to do but get him a buddy to play with? Pooka is an Irish word for a spirit that returns in the shape of a horse or a dog. He's the image of baby Morgen. It was the right move. Puppet and Pooka play together all day long. 2022

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