Want to talk about your pet subject?*If you would like to feature (with your pet) in a forthcoming edition of this regular column, please contact Colleen Morgan at Colleen@MoodieDavittReport.com |
The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to bring you the latest edition in our Pet-sonality Profile column, in association with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
In this regular fun feature, we discover more about travel retail pet-sonalities, their back stories, traits and habits, as well as offering some insights into their owners. Each pet-sonality is also painted digitally by pets and equine artist Sami Moodie.
In this edition we meet 1000 Islands Duty Free* Owner Jeff Butler and his two Golden Retrievers, Rosie and Rascal.
Names + nicknames: Rosie, who is also known as Rosebud, Rose and Sweety; and Rascal – Rasc for short, Rascy and Goofball.
Breed: Golden Retriever.
How old are they? Rosie is a stately but playful 13, and Rascal is still a pup at three.
How did you meet? We met Rosie when she walked into our house at Christmas 2010. We had lost our first family dog Indy in October of that year and while my wife Leeanne and I couldn’t imagine a new love entering our home and hearts so quickly after our loss, my Dad got our family the most wonderful gift I could ever imagine and delivered Rosie into our hearts.
Rascal was a different story, and much more complex. COVID-19 lockdowns hit every country differently, but Canada experienced significant lockdowns – not only on the border that was closed to all but commercial traffic for 20 months, but also in our everyday life with schooling moving online, restaurants only allowed to do takeout, and sports all but cancelled entirely.
With two boys working from home with my wife who is a kindergarten educator, the five of us (Rosie included) saw a lot of each other but not much of friends. In the fall of 2020, we started the search for a new member of our family, and just ahead of Christmas we found Rascal at a farm on the opposite side of Ontario, our province in Canada.
Everything was done by video chat, which is very surreal experience when meeting a dog. In early January, amid some of the heaviest COVID-19 restrictions in place, my sons Ethan, Devon, and I set off at the crack of dawn for a seven-hour drive to meet our newest friend. When we met, I was fully dressed in PPE including gloves, gown, mask and visor. I can only imagine what poor Rascal must have thought when I picked him up, wiped him down and whisked him away.
From the moment he got into the van, he was our little cuddle bunny and he rotated between sitting with my sons and in his plush bed filled with toys to make him feel welcome.
Love at first sight? Absolutely! I’ll never forget Rosie coming down the hall from the front door and how amazing it was to have her with us. All four of us dropped everything else that Christmas and just zeroed in on Rosie and making our house her home.
Meeting Rascal happened in a manner that I could never have imagined before the pandemic. But, from the time I took him in my arms and the boys cuddled him in the van, our love for him, and his in return, was instant.
Quirky habits? Rosie rules the roost and likes to know where everyone is and what they are doing. To ensure that no one can sneak out without her knowing, she greets every visitor at the door with a wagging tail and in search of great petting, but then immediately snags one of the person’s shoes and takes it to the back door where she can keep an eye on it. No-one leaves without saying goodbye to her.
Rascal has learned all that he knows from Rosie, which sometimes means that he knows he is supposed to do things like bark at squirrels in our yard to get them out. But he is always a bit confused as truth be told he would rather play with them.
The one quirk that he does have is that no dog toy should ever be put away. The moment that the tidy up is done, and the last toy is placed in the bin, he starts taking them out one by one. He works hard to ensure that every toy is taken back out and ideally situated in a pile in our living room where he can cuddle them.
Funniest and/or nicest moments? Rosie loves her people and home and is very protective of both. One of my funniest memories was back when she was three or four years old, and we were at our family cottage. Despite never training her in this way, she has always been a relentless protector of the shoreline and even frequently expresses her disapproval to those who dare to fish the waters within ‘her zone’.
One summer day, I was cutting the grass when I noticed a fishing boat slowly approaching our dock. Not recognising those onboard, I walked out to greet them and noticed Rosie proudly sitting up on the front of the boat staring back at me and the gentleman asking me if this was my dog. More than a little puzzled I confirmed that she was indeed our Rosie and asked what had happened.
Apparently, she had been barking from the shore as they fished along it. When they refused to retreat as she wished, she jumped in, swam out and barked alongside the boat. Luckily the fishermen were dog lovers, and they were concerned she might get tired and into trouble, so they pulled her aboard to return her to shore.
True to her Golden Retriever roots, once they pulled her onto the boat, she was exceptionally happy to have met new friends.
While Rosie is lover and protector, Rascal is 99% lover. He is the first one to hop up and cuddle on the couch, bed or chair and doesn’t seem to understand that not everyone believes that at 70lb he is the perfect lap dog. From the first day that we met him he was our little cuddler, and as he has grown that has never changed.
As Rosie has aged, she relies more and more on Rascal to be her eyes and ears and he has taken on that role with pride. When the door opens for Rosie to go out, he is right there to join her and make sure he is by her side.
Favourite trick? And treat? Rosies’ favourite trick has evolved over time, but now centres on convincing everyone who visits that she is really meant to eat people food, and that she is more than happy to share. That’s also her favourite treat.
Rascal’s favourite trick is to turn his eyes on you. He can generate the saddest dog look that I have ever seen, and he wields his power to always get more pats and love from everyone. His favourite treat is getting to play with anyone; another pet, new people, or his immediate family. He is always ready to go and have fun.
Social media account? No. Both Rosie and Rascal relish their privacy.
If they could talk what would their first words be? Rosie: Are you really going to eat all of that? I am happy to help. Rascal: Love me.
Favourite airport/airline: While they haven’t flown, they cross the border regularly from our home in Canada to our family cottage in the US. Their favourite crossing is between Lansdowne, Ontario and Alexandria Bay, New York and they are always front and centre at the window as we approach Customs on the chance that the officer might want to pet them. And many do.
Anything else we should know? Having grown up with dogs, I can’t imagine life without them. They bring so much joy to every day and can turn any day around.
No matter the day that you have had it’s impossible to not smile when you are met at the door with two loving faces and wagging tails.
*Jeff Butler is the third generation of his family in travel retail/duty free. His family has owned and operated the 1000 Islands Duty Free store at the Thousand Islands border crossing – which connects the towns of Alexandria Bay, New York and Ivy Lea, Ontario on the Canada/US border – since 1987 when his grandfather Barney Marshall and mother Heather Howard opened the store. 
Click here for our introductory story on the Duty Free Unleashed partnership with Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The independent vodka brand from Austin, Texas, has had a close connection with the welfare of dogs since its founding by Bert ‘Tito’ Beveridge in 1997. The company has always been committed to rescuing and protecting the animals that have come into the lives of its people, and has even created a programme, Vodka for Dog People, to help that come to life.
Note: Through this new column, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and The Moodie Davitt Report are partnering to promote the work of brokenbiscuits.org, a disabled animal charity. As the world’s first disabled animal centre, its work includes:
- Providing equipment to families
- Offering homes to paraplegic, deaf, blind and disabled animals
- An education programme of visiting schools and universities
- Working alongside rescue centres, rehabbers and veterinary professionals
- Caring for stray and surrendered disabled animals
To support the work of Broken Biscuits, you can donate via this link or find out more via the youtube channel.
Previously on Pet-sonality Profile
Meet Dügme and Peter Marshall
Meet Taxi and Antoine Bona
Meet Duke and Lindsay Hitzeroth
Meet Barry Geoghegan, Milly and Jess
Meet Julio Cesar Magaña Ortiz and Hope
Meet Pauline Prescott’s Daisy and Digger
Meet Jeff Bond and his four-legged friends
Meet Bronwyn Clementson and Harvey
Meet Sinéad El Sibai and Guinness
Meet Alex Thompson and Chester
Meet Jilly Brocklebank and Sadie
Maitreyi Karanth’s Shaggy (and Demi) dog story
Meet Tankred Stachelhaus and Pepina
Meet Denz van der List and Jazz
Meet Aaron Lay and Emmett and Lenny
Meet Daniel Levin and Garfield
Meet Hannah Tan-Gillies and Charlie
