Taters Time to Shine: Interview with Chris- Gremlin
Gremlin is a page on Facebook that currently has 33,000 likes! This page documents the adventures of 9 (yes, 9!!!) dogs and their 2 owners, Chris and Mariesa.
I was lucky enough to get in contact with them and interview them!
Enjoy!
1. You have a HUGE pack, did you ever think it would get to be this big?
We never thought we would end up with nine dogs but we are very happy and blessed to have such a large pack. When Mariesa and I met I had 6 dogs and Mariesa had 2. I had Gremlin, Quinn, Moses, Sammy, The Stig & Meatball and she had Money and Tejas. We got DaVinci when we went to visit the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society to see if they needed any help and we could not leave him there.
2. What do you think is the hardest part about having 9 dogs?
The hardest thing about having nine dogs is a good question. There are a lot of things that are difficult at different times. It is tough for us to ever go away because we can’t ask someone to watch all 9 of them and it’s to costly to board them. It is also difficult to spend an equal amount of time with each one. We work very hard at cleaning and making sure that when someone walks in our house they cant tell we have 9 dogs. The nice thing about having a pack is that they train each other so training is not to bad. As you have seen in the pictures of all 9 of them sitting for a picture they are very well behaved.
3. Do each of the dogs have a totally different personality or are there similarities between some?
They do each have a different personality, just like all humans are different, so are dogs. Here are all 9 of there personalities and traits listed:
Money: Money is not a typical greyhound, he is very demanding of attention and if you don’t give it to him he will bark until you do. He is also very playful but does not quite know how to play.
Tejas: Tejas is very independent, he likes his space but is also one of the most affectionate dogs we have. He can sit which is not very common for greyhounds. When he was rescued from the track he went to a Florida Womans Prison for training.
Moses: We rescued Moses from a shelter in Florida at the age of 10 or so. He has a very strong spirit, soulful eyes and has tons of great expressions. We think he can talk because of the way he grunts and moans as we talk to him.
The Stig: Stig was rescued from the shelter the day he was supposed to be put to sleep. He is a registered Therapy Dog and the most loving dog we have. All he wants to do is kiss your lips!!
Gremlin: Gremlin was rescued from a fighting ring when Odessa Second Hand Rescue and Rehabilitation saved her and her mom. She is a bad bad dog, since she has recovered from her illness she is living life to the fullest by getting in lots of trouble with Sammy. She has eaten parts off of many vacuum cleaners, rearranged our DVD collection, and loves to get into the garbage.
Meatball: Meatball is very high energy and very focused on certain objects. He loves tennis balls and also likes to suck on rocks (he does not swallow them) He wears a weighted vest on occasion to help with sensory input and calm him down. He also rocks in a rocking chair to chill him out.
Sammy: Sammy was rescued form the basement of a foreclosed home, he is very nervous and anxious around new people but warms up quickly. He loves to run full speed and bark randomly. He also loves to lick the top of people’s heads.
Quinn: Quinn also gets very nervous and anxious around new people and also warms up quickly. He loves to lick and because of his hairy face he tickles us a lot. He responds to everyone’s name because I think he thinks if we are calling them we want him to.
DaVinci: DaVinci was rescued in January of this year after we saw him at the local shelter at the age of 12 or so. He seems to have a permanently grumpy face and barks at us for all his needs. If he wants on the bed he barks, off the bed he barks, food he barks. He likes to bark.
4. Do you and Mariesa have a certain dog that you really connect too?
I wouldn’t say that we have a certain do we connect to but I know myself (Chris) will always have a special place for Gremlin. She was the reason I started the rescue and she has done so much for “Pit Bull’s”. Mariesa has a special connection with the older dogs and Tejas as he was with her while she traveled for work and he went with her everywhere.
5. You have 6 "bullies" in your pack, was there ever a time that one of you believed the stereotypes about Pit Bulls?
Before Mariesa met us she was very naive and really did not know about the pit bull stereotypes. Now that she lives with all these bullies she is one of the most passionate people I know about educating the public.
6. Have you always been a dog person?
I (Chris) grew up with dogs and my parents instilled compassion in me at a very young age. Mariesa also grew up with dogs and her child hood dream was to have a shelter at her house.
7. Before a person adds an additional fur-member to their home what do you feel is the most important thing to do or think about?
Adding a new dog into a household that already has dogs is not a decision to take lightly. There are certain things you should always consider such as cost of another dog, time commitments, and your currents dogs. One of the most important things is the introduction and doing it the correct way. If you introduce them incorrectly it could make for a tough living situation. I always recommend having a trainer help with introductions and helping everyone get along.
8. Rescue-wise, do you have any goals for 2014?
Now that we have settled down here in New York we want to get everything back up and running. Saving more dogs is always the goal. We need to build up a foster base again so that will be able to pull more dogs and get them into loving homes.
9. Anything else you feel we should know?
We both think that your blog and what you are doing is wonderful, keep up the good work and know that with your care, you and Tater are going to change lots of peoples minds about Pit Bull’s and service dogs.
I learned so much I never new about Gremlin and her siblings, I hope you did as well!
If you aren't already, you can follow Gremlin and her siblings on their Facebook page!
https://www.facebook.com/GremlinTheTherapyDog
Also be sure to "Subscribe to their YouTube Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/doghouse
