Former President of the National Breed Club Finds a Rescue Dog
My husband and I met our first Great Pyrenees in 1977 at a dog show held at Madison Square Garden. We were not looking for a pet – it was just an afternoon excursion! Neither of us ever had a dog, but I did have access to a relative’s French poodles! At the time of the dog show we lived in an apartment in NYC. Several years later, we decided to move to New Jersey, and purchased a home there. Prior to moving in, arsonists broke in on Halloween eve, and basically totaled the house. So began our story in Pyrs.
We decided that once the house was rebuilt, and given our relatively long work hours away from home, we had to have a guard dog at the house. Naturally our choice was one of those beautiful big white giants called Pyrenees. I knew enough not to get a “pet shop” dog, and Pierre, who came from a Presbyterian minister, was our first. I tried to show him, but he really wasn’t show quality. He was also a tough dog to deal with, and perhaps even dangerous. Within a year after arriving, he broke away, was hit by a car, and died. We knew we needed another, and contacted a well-known breeder in Illinois for a pet puppy. On our way home from a vacation out west, we at the breeder’s to pick up a bitch puppy who became Ch.Pyrless White Cloud! In a short time, we added Ruffian from a local New Jersey breeder, who as we did with Cloud, hoped to show. She was definitely alpha; poor Ruff was a hen-pecked sweet boy who turned out to be a monorchid and thus not showable or breedable.
However, Cloud was shown to her championship; her first litter was born in 1987. And so our life in Pyrs really began. Seventy-six litters and 100 Champions later, I’ve retired from breeding and showing. Along the way I was able to identify an inherited crippling disease called Neuronal Degeneration (NDG) and subsequently was involved identifying the recessive gene responsible. (Ed. Note: This is no accident, as Valerie chaired the Department of Biology at one of the branches of City University of New York (CUNY) and Bob headed the unit that provided biology courses for nursing students at NYU.)
Testing is now required for all breeding Pyrs, male or female. While I was President of the Great Pyrenees Club of America, it was suggested that the disease be named after me. What a horror that would have been and I refused, but did indicate my appreciation for the consideration.
In January ’25 our last home-bred Pyr Sophia died at 14 of complications from multiple cancers. Because I use a walker, we began our search for an adult Pyr that would not get under foot. And along came Rufus (left) from National Great Pyrenees Rescue! (Ed. Note: Rufus was formerly Kris Kringle, rescued from the Brownsville Haywood shelter in Tennessee in December ’24. Mona Cossaboom, an experienced Adoption Coordinator who adopted from NGPR in 2016, worked with Valerie to facilitate the placement.) We got Rufus in March ’25. He adapted beautifully; he became housebroken in a single day, once I showed him the dog door. He reserves his barking for anyone approaching the house or front door. What else could we ask for?
I wish you all good luck with your Pyrs.
Over the years, Valerie has been involved in several Great Pyrenees and/or dog related organizations—President, Secretary and Director of the Great Pyrenees Club of America, an officer of the Pyrenean Fanciers of the Northeast, a founding member and officer of the Garden State Great Pyrenees Club; and Past-President, and Director of the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs. In 2014 and 2017, Valerie was awarded the AKC Sportsman of the Year Award.
