Iris Alvarez and Tom Matusiak
with Rocky, Conan, Mishka, and Phoebe
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These lucky 4-legged children spend the day with Tom, who works from home. When Iris gets home, she goes straight to the backyard for doggy playtime. Iris rescued Rocky, a Husky/Lab mix, from an abusive owner 8 years ago. “All the Staffies came with my husband. He moved here from Poland.” On weekends, Mishka (4) and Phoebe (3) sunbathe on chairs by the pool, and 14 year old Conan follows Iris everywhere she goes. “If it hadn’t been for my elderbull, Conan, I would never have experienced the human-canine bond. It wasn’t until he came into my life that I discovered receiving the purest form of love.” |
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Sheley Rene Revis, MD,
with Her Pack of 6
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Sheley, a physician and “mommy” to a pack of six, spends most weekends training and hiking with dogs or helping out at a dog rescue. If dogs are allowed, she’ll have a few with her. “They’re basically my kids,” she says. She had rescued Delilah, a Schipperke-Pomeranian mix, 11 years ago to befriend her then-single Aussie, Navajo. “She locked eyes with me and rolled over slightly while lifting her paw with this ‘Help me! Help me!’ look, and I fell for it. She’s the top dog in the house.” The rest of the family is all Aussie! In fact, all her dogs are rescues. Enzo (5 years old), Sydney (6), Haiku (3), Kalua (7), and McGrady (4) all star in photos that decorate Sheley’s office. |
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Shelley Davis
With Kendra
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Kendra, a Samoyed, insists that Shelley, her person, accompanies her into the backyard for her “nightly ritual,” before heading upstairs to cuddle. “Kendra sleeps on the bed with me, but she also has several baby blankets on the floor that she can use,” Shelley says. On the weekends, Kendra loves to romp with her visiting doggy pals. Shelley has a beautiful, large, safely fenced yard with a kiddie pool, deck, patio, sunroom, and various toy boxes. |
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Imelda Suriato and Nathan DiSanto
with Rosco
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Rosco gets organic treats and fun toys, but he wasn’t always so lucky. The first time Nathan spotted Rosco, a man was punching and kicking the young, skinny Pit Bull, and Rosco just cowered and dragged behind his then-owner. When the man tied Rosco next to a corner store, Imelda says, “My husband was so mad that, without thinking twice, he got out of the car, went to the dog, untied him and told the dog, ‘Come on! Let’s go!’ The dog didn’t even blink and quickly ran with my husband back to the car.” |
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Quinn Bennett
with Bella
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Bella, a blue American Pit Bull Terrier, is an “only child” to Quinn Bennett. From the day she received Bella as a birthday gift in 2007, the two have been inseparable. She goes everywhere with Quinn to promote her breed. Quinn says she wants to show everyone that Pit Bulls are not monsters. She explains that you’d have a better chance of drowning from Bella’s kisses than getting bitten by her. Bella is currently helping to socialize a more timid rescue dog, and she loves meeting anyone. |
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Tom, Dorothy, and Jennifer Raftery
with Their 5 Huskies
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Six years ago, when Tom and Dorothy’s daughter, Jennifer, was almost 18, her parents gave her a Husky puppy. But Harley needed a playmate, so Gibson joined the family. “He immediately fell in love with Harley,” says Dorothy, and still is. He cannot be away from her.” When Gibson turned 3, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Dorothy explains that they have him on a “successful-to-date regimen of medicine, vitamins, diet, and homeopathic therapies.” |
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