Let's start at the very beginning ... it's a very good place to start

I've always LOVED animals ... all kinds of animals and had many during my childhood (kittens turned cats, worms, turtles, birds, ducks, bunnies, chicks and even a horse). I used to doctor my cats back to health following any midnight fights and hold funeral services with my friends for dead animals I would find at our family camp in Weld during the summer. I told my mother often as I child that I planned to have a Cat Farm when I grew up; she was always glad I didn't refer to my future venture as a Cat House (why, then, I did not know). One of the most painful experiences of my childhood was having to give away my long-haired coon cat "Who Knows" after my younger sister was diagnosed with asthma and highly allergic to cats (and dogs and a million other things).

We got our first dog, Trapper, a golden retriever and son of the Scott family dog, Bullet, shortly after Russell and I married in 9/1978. It's been one golden after another from that time on ... Jessie (a rescue from the Waterville Humane Society), Lord Dillon of Four K's CD, American Canadian Champion Four K's Jolly Boomerang, Logan (Boomer's grandson), siblings: Franklin and Hannahbelle in 2005 and this year, Barkley (our first golden doodle).

We enjoyed helping out with all the goldens at Four K's Golden Kennels near our home in Farmington and assisting with dog obedience classes. When the owners moved south in 1983, we took over their business and called ourselves Good News Dog Obedience. We taught in several towns throughout Franklin County; Farmington, Wilton, Weld and Dixfield until 1996 when we moved north to Piscataquis County. We have taught group classes at the Penquis Higher Education Center in Dover-Focroft and are now providing both private and group classes at our home in Guilford.

In the summer of 1990 when our children were 6 and 4, we hosted our first "Fresh Air Kid," Alex for 2 weeks, who returned for 4 weeks the following summer with Jay. The Fresh Air Fund [http://www.freshair.org) provides 6-12 year old boys and girls from NYC the opportunity to experience the simple pleasures of life outside the city.] Hosting these kids was a great excuse for me to take some vacation time to spend just having all kinds of fun with the kiddos; swimming, hiking, exploring, biking, picnicing, etc.

Last summer, while on vacation at our camp in Weld, I decided to do something that we've always thought would be a good thing to do in our retirement years; provide a really fun place for dogs to go and have a blast while their people were away for the day (or a week or a month) ... and what would I call it? Only one thing came to mind ... Fresh Air Dogs! A place for dogs to do what dogs like to do and get lots of pampering, too! They enjoy daily pack walks in the woods, get to take a dip in the stream, run and romp and play with other dogs, fetch the ball or stick or rope or tire or snowball, chase eachother around, eat home made treats and sleep like a logdog. There's no time for them to get into trouble as we stay pretty busy and they always have a couple watchful eyes on them (mine) to make sure everyone plays nice. This is the most fun I've had in my whole life!

I guess when I prophesied that I wanted to have a Cat Farm when I grew up, I was just a little off ... a Dog House is just fine with me. I'm so glad Russell and I get to share our lives and love and home with these awesome creatures, they are truly a gift from God!