Our love of the Great Pyrenees breed has roots in the Nickelodeon cartoon series, Belle and Sebastian. Our daughter loved Belle when she was 6 years old. Fast forward to her sophomore year in high school. Our son had died suddenly and our house was terribly quiet. She and her dad began to “campaign” for another dog. Kate remembered Belle and suggested we look for a Pyr puppy. Since we had had a St. Bernard in the past, a big dog was not intimidating to us. We love them!! So I hit the internet to find out breed information and was intrigued by what I read. Their independent spirit appealed to me and reports of the “soulful” gaze.

We found a family out in farm country who had just bred their pair – a 5 hour drive away – and had our first Pyr. Daisy was a spirited girl who bonded with Kate immediately. Kate taught her to play soccer and they played vigorously together. Wonderful. Then Kate went off to college and I wondered who would play with Daisy. So we rescued a Pyr from a somewhat local breeder and they became a pair. She had to teach him how to play – he didn’t know. They lived good long lives -11yo and 12yo. And once again our house was too quiet. But we thought we were getting a bit old for such big dogs.

However, our wonderful neighbor kept sending me emails with Pyrs for adoption. I kept thinking…no, we really can’t….UNTIL the day I saw Moose and Addie on Petfinder. The GPRW description talked about how sweet they were and how very bonded; they would not separate them. I remember thinking it would be difficult to find a home that would accept both of them. But WE had already had a pair of Pyrs. Who else would be more perfect? So now there were two quite wonderful Pyrs in need and suddenly our fears about being too old faded into the background. We made the drive from Northern Illinois to Neshkoro to meet them.

You’ve heard of love at first sight?

Moose was well named – a big beautiful male. His tail wagged and he greeted us with a smile. Hubby Mike grabbed his leash. Addie is a bit smaller than Moose but has gorgeous Cleopatra eyes and clearly desired some attention. I walked with her. As we sat on the porch with them afterward, Addie hugged her whole body to me as if to say, please stay with me. There was something special about these two.

Carole had prepared us for their degree of bondedness – they would likely not be in different rooms and were stressed when separated. So we were a bit surprised when they went off exploring our house right away. And Addie came to stand by me without Moose. She wasn’t kidding. She wanted to come home.

That was just over 4 years ago — they were 7 yo at the end of March. They are truly the sweetest dogs on the planet. Addie asks for my touch daily…closes her eyes and stands very still as I give her nose to tail massage. She doesn’t care all that much about food or treats, but touch is definitely her love language! And I would characterize Moose as a true gentleman. He cares for Addie – checks her over regularly, greets her nose to nose, lets her have the couch if there is no room for him. And he cares for us too. His tail still wags every time we walk into the room where he is. His smile warms the heart. And he is the obvious protector as well.

They no longer have to be in the same room – or even in the house at the same time. We can take one to the vet alone. Not walks, though…..they both love their walks!!! But I would say a big part of the beauty of having a pair is the relationship between the two of them.