RYE RESCUES: with The Carvin Family

The Carvin family — Roz and Joe (Rye Town Supervisor) and daughters Keira and Rhianna — has grown with the addition of two furry members. Roz sent us their wonderful and inspiring rescue tale.

The intention was to adopt one dog and, for a couple months, that’s what happened.

Keira (10) and Rhianna (8) had been begging for a dog for years and Joe and I had done just about everything to put off the inevitable. Unsurprisingly, convincing the girls that beta fish were actually real pets could only last so long.

We finally bit the bullet in the summer of 2012. Joe was in the midst of a very tough, busy Congressional campaign which meant both of our schedules were packed full, leaving little time to just relax as a family. I think this, coupled with the realization that we’d “have to do it some day anyway,” led me to promise the girls that as soon as we came back from vacation in August, we’d get a dog. Needless to say, they kept me to it.

The day after returning from vacation found me in front of my computer, four little eyes peering over my shoulders, trolling the Internet to find that one special dog. It didn’t take very long to find Yankee, a cute, black and brown puppy with bright, bright eyes. I have to give credit to PetsAlive in Elmsford.

Everyone I met there throughout our adoption process was extremely helpful and the love they all have for the animals that come through their facility is more than evident.

Two days later, Yankee was firmly ensconced in the household, being spoiled terribly by two little girls who couldn’t have been happier. The joy of all three made the pains of adjusting to a new being in the house worthwhile.

Two months after Yankee arrived, I had to take him back to the shelter to be neutered. Yankee had been one of a litter of ten, rescued from Puerto Rico.

While I filled out the paperwork and checked him in for his procedure, I noticed a puppy identical to Yankee playing behind the desk. When I asked the receptionist about this dog, I was told that she was in fact Yankee’s sister and the only one of the litter yet to be adopted. Her name? Yareliz, in honor of her Latina heritage.

Yareliz stayed in my mind all day and when we sat down for dinner that evening, I told my husband and children about Yankee’s sister who was still waiting for a home. The response was heartfelt and unanimous: “Let’s get her!” A few days later, Yareliz was enjoying the ministrations of two doubly lucky girls.

For anyone considering getting another dog, I can highly recommend it. Yankee and Yareliz entertain each other constantly, chasing squirrels, leaves, balls, and each other. Like any other brother and sister, they fight over toys, snacks, and just for the sheer orneriness of it all. However, one glimpse of an unsuspecting squirrel usually is a successful distraction.

Their best friend, Stella, lives next door and comes to play often. Stella is a 100-pound Bernese Mountain Dog and to see the three dogs racing across the yard playing is definitely worth the price of admission, not to mention a real lesson in the compassion and consideration dogs routinely exhibit. Stella, clearly knowing that there is a 60-pound differential, couldn’t be more gentle with Yankee and Yareliz as she allows them to climb and crawl all over her or as she chases them across the back yard, always stopping short just as it looks like she’s going to collapse on one or the other.

We’ve now had Yankee and Yareliz for almost two years and (on most days) I think they’ve been a great addition to the family. I’veoften wondered if they know they’re brother and sister and if they ever wonder about their eight siblings. The rational side of me knows that’s not possible, but the fantastical side of me wonders who their parents are and imagines how happy their mother would be to know that at least two of her ‘children’ remain together.

If you have a dog rescue story you would like to share, email RyeRescues@gmail.com.

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