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Application from Miller & Gleeson was submitted as PDF
From Kel who interviewed them:June 23, 2023
Phone interview: Dave Miller & Ann Gleeson
440 Shady Lane, New Bern, NC
davekmiller@aol.com aglee2733@gmail.com
703-624-1784(For some reason this application was not able to be placed on our board.)
Dave and Ann have no children. Both work from home though it appears when trying to schedule the home visit that she also does some traveling for work.
Being that they work from home the ‘dale would just be alone for a few hours/week. They have an inside cat and a 4 y/o male ADT/mix that they adopted from ATRVA thru Cathy Biersack. They have had 3 Airedales in the past…2 of the 3 having been rescues and 1 from a breeder.
They own their home, having lived in New Bern for about 3 years having moved from Leesburg, VA. They have 5 acres, an invisible fence. Their home is in a large neighborhood consisting of 5 and 10 acre parcels. Their 5 acres is wooded, no fence, there are no sidewalks.
Dave told me they are “not actively” looking but want to be ready if the right dog comes along. They prefer males. Want no health issues. He wouldn’t settle on an age or age range that they would accept.
Vacations the dog would go to a kennel or a sitter would come in. They have boarded at Lynnaire in the past.
Vet: Relatively new clients. No red flags on their record.Home visit is scheduled for July 5, 2023 per Keith and Ann Geren (Kelly’s folks). The Geren’s have had 4 Airedales in the past, having rescued 2 from Linda Jarvis at Lynnaire Kennels.
Home visit was completed by Keith and Ann Geren (parents of Kelly Imbody).
They found Dave and Anne to be “delightful people”. They were out working in the yard when my folks
arrived. They have a large 5 acre property, wooded and no fence. They have a 4 y/o ADT-mix named
Boomer and he was very friendly.
They got Boomer from Cathy Biersack as a rescue.
Dave works on refinishing furniture as a hobby and the garage was his workshop.
Both Anne and Dave interacted well with Boomer and Boomer was well-behaved.
They have boarded in the past with Lynnaire Kennels and my folks have rescued 2 ADTs from Linda.
This was the 1 st time my folks had done anything for ARG (I had planned to do the HV, but broke my leg).
My folks said that they would have no qualms about leaving their ‘dale with these folks and feel they
should be approved.Aside from emailing the Wimpy’s and Gary Hayes to introduce them on June 21, I followed up with another email on June 27 to ask if they had connected. I’ve heard from neither of them!
Ann & Al Wimpy in Dahlonega, GA will do the home visit for Gary. Send info to annwimpy@gmail.com.
Ann & Al Wimpy in Dahlonega, GA will do the home visit for Gary. Send info to annwimpy@gmail.com.
Vet references: Alyssa at Animal Medical Center said Gary Hayes brought Leslie in to check a limp in Sept. 22 and had been vaxed April 22, but nothing since. (He stopped going there bc they were too expensive and the vet he liked retired.)
Nancy Delgado at the Human Society of NE GA said he is a very nice man who obviously loves animals and shows them photos of his dogs and has asked them about adopting other dogs. He got the full medical on Leslie in April this year which included exam, HW and parasite testing, all vaxes, and purchased 6-mo Credelio (sp?) and had his ProHeart shot. I asked her what she thought about him adopting an Airedale, it being a larger dog and him being elderly, she laughed and said he seems healthy and loves all animals.Connie Ollis called me back. She is JJ, his renter who takes care of his dogs when he’s gone. She was very nice and said he is and will be a great dog-dad. He loves his Leslie and takes him to the vet routinely and when anything is wrong, feeds them well, and loves them. He’s busy constantly doing something and out in his yard and he’s a good guy.
David Fisher also called me back and said that Gary cares about his dogs and he’s glad he’s thinking of getting another one.
Neither of them had anything negative to say about Gary.
Gary is a nice man, perhaps a bit of a curmudgeon, complaining about the loud teenage girls next door and that they and their friends “roll” houses. He owns the house and the neighbors rent from him. In fact, his house is a duplex and he rents the front part of it to a woman he calls JJ for Janis Joplin because she dresses like Janis. She’s been there 15 years and they are good friends. She watches his mini-Schnauzer Leslie if he has to be gone overnight, which is rare. He has a cottage behind his house that has been occupied by the same tenant for 6 years. So, he sounds like a good landlord.
My biggest concerns were with his age and that he said his Airedale would stay “in the yard or the laundry room.” As to his age, he goes to the gym 3 days a week to stay strong and takes good care of himself. He is proactive about his health — dermatologist, urologist, internist, eye doctor, etc. He’s a cautious man. He doesn’t walk Leslie because he doesn’t want Leslie to go anyplace that he himself doesn’t want to go. Sometimes his friend JJ walks him. I didn’t really get into that further with him, but will. It will depend on the age of the ‘dale he gets.
As to leaving a dog in the yard, I told him we require that his Airedale never be left in the yard unattended, particularly when no one is home. He immediately said that he could do that and that his Schnauzer Leslie would probably like that too once he has a roommate. Leslie apparently likes to be out in the yard, and Gary’s routine is to let him out and go check on him, toss his frisbee for him, and enjoy cocktail hour (either inside or outside) with him. He doesn’t leave Leslie in the yard if the temp is above 85 or below 50. Leslie always sleeps inside, either in the laundry room or the adjacent sun porch, where there are 2 doggy beds. The laundry room has a crate that is always open for him. Leslie doesn’t like loud noises, particularly thunderstorms or fireworks. Even though Gary said the bedrooms are off-limits for his dog, Leslie climbed in bed with him the night before last because a storm rolled through and he did not have his thunder shirt on. Gary let him stay there.
Gary responded to the lost dog question that he had planned for that. He meant he takes precautions for that because at one point when he had to WHFTs, they climbed a shrub beside the fence and got out. When he got home, he immediately started scouring the neighborhood for them with the help of some of his neighbors, and they were found a couple of blocks away. A nice young couple had found them and taken them in and he got them back immediately. We talked about how prey-driven Airedales are — just as WHFTs are and Schnauzers are. We talked about their similarities to WHFTs with their independence, stubbornness, prey drive, intelligence, and love of companionship.
Gary got Leslie when he was about 6-9 months old. The breeder had sold him to a couple and they decided they couldn’t keep him and sold him to someone else, but that person’s check bounced so the couple repossessed him, and Gary bought him from the breeder. It was apparent that Leslie had been abused. He was head-shy and would cower; he was squeamish, squirrely, and anxious. It took him a long time to gain Leslie’s trust, and now they are good buddies. (He named Leslie after his brother who died.) He has worked with all of his dogs to teach them manners and to come when called. They know their boundaries and know what’s expected of them. Mostly they’re just happy dogs. Gary has had to be very patient with him.
Gary rarely is gone overnight: once a year for a reunion in VA and he has recently visited his brother who is very ill who lives in Boone, NC. When he does travel, JJ takes care of Leslie by coming over several times a day to let him out and to play with him and feed him.
As to his vet, he listed a vet practice and the Human Society of Northeast GA. The primary vet at his practice retired and he’s not fond of the other vets there and they’ve gotten so expensive and it’s hard to get an appointment and then you have to wait and wait. So he started going to the HSNG and is very happy with them and their young vet who is very personable, treats Leslie and him with respect and their prices are much less expensive. He’s fine with me calling both.
He gave me phone numbers of his personal references.
Gary is very forthright and sincere. I talked to him about the fact that Airedales are much larger and stronger than any dogs he’s had as an adult. He said that’s why he stays in shape.
I liked him and will check references and find a home visit volunteer.
No HV required bc they are previous adopters, their vet and personal references were great, and their home looks wonderful on Zillow. They are ready per convo today with Shelly. Talked to Chris Lincoln to let the folks at Pet Parlor know and send me PP’s address and phone so the Brownes and I can set up their visit to meet Boone.
Hello, Shelly & John. I enjoyed our conversation the day before yesterday, Shelly. You will not be surprised by this, I’m sure, but your vet’s office and both of your personal references gave y’all excellent references. Marlie did say she was mad that you weren’t going to adopt a Doodle 😃. We, in ARG, agree with them. In looking back at your application in 2022 and the current application along with our notes from conversations, we think your home would be perfect for Boone. We talked about him in our phone interview and we are anxious to find the right home for him. You two are certainly experienced with Airedales and you have no small dogs or other furry creatures, so we think he would thrive with you.
Shelly, have you been able to discuss the potential of adopting Boone or any Airedale with your children? Please let me know what you’ve decided and if you want to proceed, our next step will be a home visit by one of our volunteers.
We look forward to speaking to you and answering any questions about our process or about Boone.
Thank you for considering a rescued Airedale.
Got a good vet reference from Allison at Family Pet Hospital. They always kept Jack up to date, ran any tests necessary, used Heartgard, did senior blood work, and were great pet parents.
I called each of the personal references and am awaiting callbacks.
Personal reference Christina called me back and said the Brownes are great and will take good care of any dog they get. She did not know they were thinking of getting another Airedale.
Personal reference Marlie called me back and said the Brownes are great, dedicated Airedale parents, even cooking special meals for Jack when he was with them. She didn’t know they were thinking of getting another Airedale and said she was mad… because she breeds Doodles. (she was kidding about being mad.)
I spoke to Shelly Browne (John was not home) yesterday. My notes:
What kind of fence do you have? Wooden privacy fence on one side; across the back and part of the right side is a chain link. A lot of trees around that part that makes it difficult actually to get to the fence. They have triple gates toward the front. There is a dog on one side of the fence. Jack never spent much time in the backyard. Jack didn’t like to be in the backyard by himself.They used a trainer with Jack but she didn’t like that the trainer wanted her to keep pieces of hot dog in her pocket; it was messy and yucky. Jack was obedient and learned quickly but she didn’t continue with that trainer. I told her that we help with the expense of training and that pleased her.
Shelly & John have had many Airedales over the last 50 years. Jack had one when he was a teenager. Shelly adopted one from a shelter and he was a large, wild Airedale. He could escape from anywhere and when he did, he killed small animals. She had to give him up. (I don’t recall where or to whom she gave him.)
They had Katie who was relinquished to us or our predecessors. She was 5 years old and would bark at the kids next door when they were out playing. The kids teased her all the time and threw rocks at her. One evening the kids were playing hide-n-seek and didn’t know that Kaatie was in the yard. One of the kids jumped over their fence and right on top of Katie. Katie bit him (of course!). Even though it was the child’s fault, the neighbors were outraged and threatened to sue and did call animal control. So, Shelly & John decided for Katie to have a good life, they’d need to surrender her to Airedale rescue.
Jack was with them till he was 12-13. He developed a large blood-filled tumor on his side and they tried everything. The vet thought he could do surgery but that would yield the same result as not doing surgery: Jack would have about 1 year left. So it would not make much difference. They kept him and he died in a year. That was 1-1/2 years ago.
Shelly revealed that she was diagnosed with cancer in January. It is of the uterus, clear-cell, and had spread into the peritoneum and into the liver and her lung. She had some surgery for some of it. (?) Then, the other lung started acting up. She said that she decided against chemo because it is so hard on the body and is, instead, handling this naturally. She said it is killing the cancer cells. She is feeling fine and continues all her normal activities, she just doesn’t have as much energy.
We talked about Boone and what a wonderful dog he is and how much he needs his own home and people to dote on him. She said they had talked about him a lot and John really wants to get another big dog, but she is not sure. She wants to talk to her 3 adult children who live near them because if anything happens to her, they will be the ones to have to help John and the dog. She also said that they would want to meet him and I told her we could arrange it. I’m not sure how that would work, but anything right now to place this sweet boy Boone.
We agreed that she would talk to the children and John and I will proceed with checking references and vet and we’ll get back together; they will need a home visit.
I do not have high hopes for this to work. At least one of her sons has questioned why they would want to add a dog at this time. We can only hope that she stays stable and the kids agree to this.
05-19-23 from Chris Lincoln
Good morning ladies, I made a trip to visit Boone yesterday and I am amazed at the new dog I found! He is so much calmer, relaxed and a pleasure to be around. His neutering made him a new man. Andrew said he is no longer being aggressive when other dogs are around. He has manners, he comes when he is called and loves to be near you.He has gained some weight and is able to rest and relax in his kennel. Bad news is, now being calm we are able to see in his mouth and his rear molars are worn flat to the gum line. Andrew said he does not chew his food he gulps it down whole so he has been softening it with water. I made an appt for him to have them checked out on June 1st. They may have to sedate him to get a good look at them and his palate. Let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts on how to proceed. I have some new pics with his new collar I bought for him.Chris
