The Boss: A Social Worker for Pets
December 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Career News and Advice
MY dad was a dog trainer and handler like his father before him. We lived in Madison, N.J., across the street from the dog kennel on the estate of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, a prominent dog fancier. He showed her dogs in competition — she had about 100 — and brought many of them home.
Geoff Tischman
ED SAYRES
Chief executive, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Manhattan
AGE 61
HIS PET Jezebel, a toy poodle
HOBBY Playing conga drums
From the time I was born, I was surrounded by golden retrievers, German shepherds and bloodhounds. My first word was “doggie.”
I helped my father feed and groom the dogs. He took me to my first dog show when I was 8. I got to see him working in the ring that day instead of just training. The golden retriever he was showing was known by a long, formal name for competition, but at home we knew him as Bouncer. Bouncer won “best in show” that day, and to me it was as if my dad had hit a grand slam.
In college I transferred from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to Sonoma State University in northern California, …
Read the original article at NYTimes
