Marni Raitt
This week, the Detroit Jewish News is proud to unveil our inaugural pet issue, honoring the incredible animals in our lives.
My partner Rich says I can’t walk past a dog in the street without saying hello. A close friend laughs that if I see one who doesn’t immediately love me, I am depressed for the rest of the day. If there is a pooch at a party, I will probably spend more time with him than I do with the humans. I have a T-shirt that says “I’m sorry I’m late. I saw a dog.” These pretty much sum it up.
Dogs have been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a child, I would cut dog food coupons out of the Detroit News on Sunday mornings to bring next door to our neighbors for their Golden Retriever Sparky (named for Sparky Anderson, of course).
When I was 10, after years of begging for a puppy of my own, my parents finally broke down and agreed — if I promised to take care of the two female gerbils they bought me from the local pet store first. We were obviously quite surprised a few weeks later when we woke up to find six baby gerbils in the cage.
It was the morning of my brother’s bar mitzvah, in fact, and chaos ensued as we rushed to get ready for Temple while, at the same time, trying to figure out what to do with these little pink erasers that had appeared. This was long before Google would make such an endeavor much quicker and easier.
Jane Raitt with Mollee and Norman at Karner Farm Dog Park
One year (and three miracle litters of gerbils) later, my parents were finally convinced that I was responsible enough for our first puppy. Or they just wanted these rodents out of the house. Either way, one morning I found myself in the back seat of the Volvo headed to Ohio to pick out our first dog — a bearded collie named JayJay. With his long flowing hair and silly demeanor, he was beautiful and sweet and dumb as a box of rocks. We were smitten.
After that, I can’t remember having a house without anywhere from one to three dogs in it. A year later came Mickey, followed by Mollee, Norman (named after the cow in City Slickers) and finally, little Emma, who was my parents’ loyal companion until she passed a few months before they did in 2020. Always people names, always beardies.
Having dogs was not just a casual thing in my house. It was a lifestyle. Our schedules revolved around walks, play dates, haircuts and treats. The dogs were the mascots for all my sports teams. They were also therapy dogs, visiting ill people at nursing homes and hospitals and brightening their days with their signature mix of affection and goofiness.
When dog parks were becoming popular, my mom made it her mission to have one established in West Bloomfield. She formed a committee who collectively lobbied WB Parks and Recreation until they agreed, and the bark park at Karner Farm has been a playground for our community’s pups ever since. There is even a bench at the park that was dedicated to my parents after their deaths. Given their passion for their furry friends, it was a fitting tribute. If people didn’t know my mom and dad personally, they certainly knew their bearded collies!
Fast forward to the fall of 2007. I was living in Royal Oak and had just started a job in PR for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. My mom and I went to a pet adoption event “just to look,” and there we met Oliver, a scrappy, knotty mess who we were told was a bearded collie and springer spaniel mix. Uh, oh. It was a foregone conclusion. We took him home and cleaned him up and, for the next six years, this gorgeous little guy was my best buddy.
While I had dogs most of my life, there is something special about having your own. Ollie came with me to New York and saw me through all my early adventures in the city. The pain of losing him was so great that I swore I would never get another — until I met Chester four days after my 40th birthday.
Oh, Chester. Where Ollie was a perfectly behaved human in a dog suit, Chester is all dog. He tested me from day one. A beagle/border collie mix, he is super stubborn and scary smart. Food is his master; I am just occupying space. I believe he really wants to be good, but, oh, is he naughty. Yet he is the sweetest, most sensitive little boy I have ever had. Now 11 going on 2, he has won me over with his big heart, big bark and big antics.
The other current member of the pack is Jac, my partner’s standard poodle. He made the smart move of bringing Jac along on our first date. Today, Jac and Chester are like stepbrothers who love each other one minute and argue the next. We can’t imagine life without the two of them.
I have been so fortunate to experience the joy, frustration, humility and absolute unconditional love of having a pet. Each, with his or her own unique personality, has left an indelible mark, and I’m sure many of you feel the same about those who have padded through moments in your life.
This week, the Detroit Jewish News is proud to unveil our inaugural pet issue, honoring the incredible animals in our lives.
It also celebrates the dog people, the cat people and all the others whose families could not possibly be complete without their critters. To those people, we see you, and we salute you.
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