6. Gertie

Pet name: Gertie

Interesting story behind your pet’s name or nickname: Gertie is short for Gertrude McFuzz. I got her name from my favorite Dr. Seuss book about a bird named Gertrude who, in the beginning, envied others and wanted to look like another bird. By the end, she learned to love herself just the way she was. I was teaching fourth grade at the time and thought it was a beautiful message for my students to hear.

Pet’s date of birth: 12/28/2011

Pet’s gender: Female

Is your pet spayed or neutered: Yes

Pet’s breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Physical description: Gertie is a small, silky coated Blenheim Cavalier. Blenheim means she is white with chestnut markings.

How long have you had your pet: I’ve had Gertie since she was 10 weeks old—so we’ve been together for 13 years.

If adopted, how did you come to adopt your pet: N/A

Favorite food/treats: Gertie loves all food. We call her the vacuum cleaner because we never have to sweep or mop in the kitchen. She especially loves standing under the cutting board for apples and carrots.

Tell us about your pet’s personality: Gertie is gentle, sweet and calm. Though in her older age, she also comes with a bit of sass. She is wonderful with kids and makes the perfect lap dog. She would even lay in the crib with my boys when they were babies. She is the perfect combination of a princess and a “hunting” dog—although she’s only even been able to catch lizards.

What makes your pet happy: She is happy being dressed up, snuggling in your lap and being pampered. She’s even happier chasing birds on the beach, riding around with the kids in their go cart,s or hopping on the excavator with her dad. She has made the absolute best therapy dog through Tallahassee Memorial Hospital Animal Therapy. She has put in around 1,000 volunteer hours over her 12 years, and her favorite activity has always been reading with kids. She loves her job.

What is unique about your pet: Gertie is the most gentle, patient dog. She has put up with a lot of handling from her two human brothers and has never complained. She has just been such an easy dog to care for and an even easier dog to love.

Please tell us about any of your pet’s unusual characteristics or special talents: Gertie has a repertoire of tricks that we pull out for animal therapy visits including roll over, spin, high five, fist bump, and (everyone’s favorite) waving goodbye at the end of visits. She also has a unique ability to sense when someone needs a little love. We visited the hospital one time, and she pulled towards a specific room over and over, but that patient wasn’t on our visit list. Eventually, I gave in and went to his room. He started crying and said a visit from her was exactly what he needed to get through his day.

Please share a heartwarming story: Recently, we were volunteering at a local school, visiting a classroom with nonverbal students. I read a story before I walked Gertie around the room to let the students pet her. One student kept hugging Gertie. His teacher was trying to get him to communicate through his Ipad by saying “thank you.” He kept pressing, “No. More.” So, we kept letting him snuggle up with her. This went on a few times until he finally pressed “thank you” with the biggest smile on his face. The teacher came out into the hall and said that was the most he had communicated in months.

What makes your pet special to you or your family: I call Gertie our first born. She is so special to us that she has been included in our family’s life in every way. She comes on vacations with us, was the flower girl in our wedding, used to sleep on my belly when I was pregnant, and now she watches over her brothers every day. Someone even said at our rehearsal dinner that if I loved my husband half as much as I love Gertie that we would live a long and happy life together.

Why should your pet be Tally Top Pet: Gertie should be crowned Tally Top Pet because of what she does for the Tallahassee community. She has provided love for many people in our area and continues to do so. Her being Tally Top Pet would be a full-circle moment, as my husband and I met through Tallahassee Magazine as Tally Top Singles. Without Tallahassee Magazine, we wouldn’t have the family we have today—so I owe you all everything!