|
YOUR PET
The Key to Our Heart & to Our Success
OK, we surround our guests with luxury – cozy, specially appointed rooms, lofty feather beds, gourmet breakfasts served at the table, gorgeous grounds. But what makes Audrey’s truly special, what makes our guests truly happy is our love of pets, and your pets! Nothing speaks more to our loving obsession than our 27 years of opening our doors and hearts to our guests’ beloved pets.
On any given day, you can see not only our little dog, Kieva scampering around with Audrey, but pets of all sizes freely ranging the grounds, or getting ready with their humans to go hiking in the mountains. Inside, you may see a rescued greyhound lounging by the fireplace in the great room, or another canine guest waiting in the kitchen for our chef to sneak her a treat from the counter. If you get a glimpse into a room, you will not only see a sprig of lavender on the pillows, but a small saucer of dog treats on the chest of drawers. Details are important, but those details don’t extend to humans alone!
“From the very beginning, we opened our doors to pets. We never even thought about it. We love our pets, animals are as important to us as people are! We could never have discriminated.” Don and Audrey’s devotion to their pets, dogs and cats alike, is what sets them apart from other pet-friendly establishments. On their travels, Kieva is their constant companion; why should their guests travel without their best friend?
What’s the alternative? Leaving your pet with strangers? A cold pet-boarding facility that can make any sensitive pet depressed and neurotic while you’re having a good time? To Don and Audrey, there is no alternative. And the happy tails that keep beat with the good times our guests have at the farmhouse is reward enough to justify the rumor that Audrey’s has truly gone to the dogs!
Their policy is more in keeping with the times than ever before. National statistics show that more and more people are travelling with their pets. This year, over 12 million pets accompanied their owners as they travelled for the holidays. And generally, over 29.1 million people travel with furry companions throughout the year, and the numbers are rising. Why? One guest put it succinctly: “The wonderful love of our pets stands as a powerful antidote to a society that has become so impersonal and so technologically driven, that we need their unconditional love as a reminder of what matters.”
As a testament to this year as the “Year of the Dog” at Audrey’s, we are planning a new page for our web site that will feature travelling tips, timely pet news and stories, close-ups of recent pet guests, and links to carefully endorsed pet-related services and products in the area and on the web. It’s time we acknowledge how important pets have been to Audrey’s and to put an emphasis on why we’ve been so successful where it belongs: on the hundreds of furry heads that have entered our home.
What to Do With Your Dog in the Hudson Valley
At Audrey’s: Besides socializing in the Farmhouse, you and your dog can take a quiet little stroll down to the Dwarkill River on two lovely paths named for your hosts’ beloved dogs, Shawnee (now passed) and Kiva, their darling little Shih Tzu. Just enough for a morning or evening walk before bed!
- State Parks: Three “famous” state parks are within 20 minutes of the Farmhouse: Minnewaska, Mohonk, and Sam’s Point. All are great for hiking, affording gorgeous views of the Hudson Valley, the mountains, and pristine mountain lakes. Our favorite is Sam’s Point because of the clear, 3-mile loop up to one of the most beautiful, private, and and peaceful lakes in the Northeast. Pets are welcome at all the parks listed, but need to be on leashes. There is also entrance fees for all parks.
- A Great Little “Family” Visit to New Paltz, including a pet-friendly café and a leisurely stroll on the New Paltz Rail Trail next door. Drive on in to the college town of New Paltz, and be sure to bring your dog! Have lunch at the outdoor café at the antique marketplace right across the Wallkill bridge on your right. And then wander down the Rail Trail; either follow the river and go down to the edge to wander around on the lowlands or cross the street from the marketplace and explore the backdrop of the village. When the day is done, do a little shopping at the boutiques, wine stores, and Toscan’s famous deli in the center of town. A great day for you and your pet!
- Go to our PetCo in Middletown! If you and your dog like to shop, this is the place to go! Pets are allowed inside, on a leash of course, and they have every imaginable pet product you can imagine. Maybe buy him or her a doggie backpack!
|
 DOGS WE LOVE
When we recently considered this new Pet Page for our web site, we realized that we love virtually all the pets that enter our door. But we thought one dog, our editor’s noble hound, Chet, would be a great first feature while we compile our gallery of our most favourite or unusual canine guests. He can be seen any day that Candice Piaget, editor and all-around Audrey’s helper, is at the Farmhouse. As you probably realize, Audrey’s is well-known for its love of dogs, especially rescue dogs. Chet is such a dog, and here is his story.
Born two years ago in December in Jeffersonville, New York, to a Great Dane father, Apollo, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback mother (name unknown), Chet was impeccably trained by his owner (name withheld). Specially bred for sale, since the combination is a beautiful mix of both breed characteristics, Chet (his name then was Hercules) was among many who inhabited a small ranch house in the rural outskirts of Jeffersonville.
One day, Oasis, a wonderful rescue facility nearby received a call from a concerned woman. Her neighbor had abandoned a house full of dogs, and she had been feeding them in the backyard for over four months. Oasis rushed to the scene and found the house freezing cold, filled with debris, and torn apart by frantic dogs waiting for their owner never to return. They quickly confiscated the dogs, only to find that Apollo and Hercules were terrified and hostile. They had to sequester the two dogs in a small kennel in a hollow, about a quarter mile from the main kennels.
Oasis’ first priority is to socialize such pets, but they found the two male dogs to be difficult characters, especially the father. And with so many dogs to take care of and retrain, these two dogs were relegated to a waiting list, the only thing to look forward to was being walked twice daily by a keeper favored by the dogs, Tyrone, a volunteer from NYC. Because of their size and strength, these dogs, sadly, were not likely candidates for adoption.
To make a long and tender story short, Candice, in search of a “real dog,” found her way to Oasis after seeing a picture of “Hercules” in the paper. He looked like a dog she often visited in Virginia at her best friend’s farm, a dog she grew to call her “boyfriend” because of his noble good looks and absolute devotion while she was there.
Candice and her friend, Kerry, another dog lover, waited as Tyron took his van down to pick Hercules up. As the van approached, the women saw an erect head in the passenger seat, and when Tyrone let his passenger out, they saw one of the most beautiful dogs there could be. Of course, he was anxious and when he was put on the leash for Candice to walk, he pulled madly. But Kerry saw something in that dog from the first and said, “Try saying Heel!” Candice did, and Hercules acted as if someone had put his emergency brake on. Commands started to fly, and they soon saw that this dog did everything from give his paw to roll over to stay down. He didn’t miss a trick. A home inspection was scheduled.
Chet is now the most beloved dog on Candice’s horse farm. A gentleman from the tip of his thick luxurious tail to the end of his big black nose. His eyes are like those of a deer, and his manners shame most humans. After four months of living in chaos and three months of living in an outdoor kennel with his aggressive father, Chet behaved like a king. Never an “accident” in the house; never an aggressive response to Candice’s feisty little Schnauzer Rudy; never a torn slipper even though he was still a pup; never a growl when he eats his dinner – just love, from the minute he gets up to the minute he gets into his designer bed by her side. Now Chet runs on trails alongside Candice and her horse. He goes with her everywhere in her truck and he greets guests at the Farmhouse with a courteous and dignified nod, never a bark!
When we read about dogs like this, dogs that have suffered and emerged with all their dignity intact, we realize how important it is to give abandoned dogs a home and the love and respect they deserve. Chet certainly has come home!
If you have a story about a dog you would like to share, be sure to email us at audreysfarmhouse@aol.com and we’d be glad to feature your tail….
|
