Every Cover Has A Story by Anna Cooke D
eveloping the cover of The New Barker dog magazine is an arduous process, one that has not gotten any easier since
our first issue in 2006. After going through the process of selecting a cover artist (a dif- ferent artist for each cover), we usually select an original work of art from their portfolio. Occasionally, over the years, we have donated the opportunity for some- one’s dog to appear on the cover as a fundraising incentive. We’ve raised more than $42,000 for charity organizations including SPCA Tampa Bay, Humane Society of Sarasota County, Canine Companions for Independence in Orlando, Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Frankie’s Friends and CASA of St. Petersburg. Of course, this adds another couple
of steps, including working with a photographer to capture the dog’s personality. Usually, the artist likes to have several photos to work from. The three dogs who appear on this
issue’s cover of The New Barker are Christie and Jake Kriseman, two black Labrador Retrievers, and Lad, a German Shepherd Dog. Their appearance is as a result of a donation made to CASA, the domestic violence shelter in St. Petersburg, by Gregg and Leslie Ciccone, Lad’s humans. In 2018, The New Barker hosted a
fundraiser for the on-site pet kennel at CASA. Organized by Heather Schulman, the event took place at I Heart Corky Art, a cozy paint and sip studio in Palm Harbor, Florida. Leslie and Gregg Ciccone are the
creators of the Tampa Bay Area’s Swah- Rey Dessert Bar known for their delicious Mini cupcakes and HookUps – a perfectly paired dessert and beverage, invented by Leslie. The HookUp consists of a Mini served atop a shot-glass filled with the beverage of choice, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic. In addition to the CASA pet kennel,
the Ciccones are passionate about supporting local businesses, as well as
www.TheNewBarker.com
various other animal advocacy programs, like Pet Pal Animal Shelter and Southeastern Guide Dogs.
a great dog. He loves any pool and especially enjoys the waterpark at Love My Dog Waterpark.” Leslie started training Lad with the
hopes of having him become a therapy dog. “I wanted to take him to visit the veterans hospital,” said Leslie. Although he could master the neces-
sary steps needed to pass his certification, it was clear to Leslie that Lad was uncom- fortable with this line of work. “It was more my goal than his,” said
Leslie. “So, I never pursued it. He’s lived like a retired dog all his life,” she added, laughing. As the City of St. Petersburg’s first
We met the dogs at the Kriseman’s
St. Petersburg home for the photoshoot. Photography by Laura Allen Studios.
family, Mayor Rick Kriseman and his wife Kerry are also ambassadors and longtime supporters of Southeastern Guide Dogs (SEGD). They have volunteered to raise 10 puppies for the organization over the years. To prepare the future adult guide and
service dogs, puppies-in-training are raised by volunteers, known as puppy raisers. Puppies begin their home experi- ence with volunteers at 10 weeks of age. They return to SEGD for formal training to become guide dogs when they are 12 to 16 months of age. SEGD covers all veterinary care expenses during the puppy raising period. Volunteers take care of providing quality food, flea and tick prevention, collars, leashes, crates and approved toys. “Volunteering as a puppy raiser is a
Using a compilation of a couple of Laura’s photographs, we worked closely with artist Enid Romanek throughout the process. This is an in-progress she sent us.
Lad is a gentle giant,” said Leslie, “His
favorite toy is a rubber beer bottle, and we play a lot of fetch.” Leslie has worked a lot with Lad on
commands, and they still practice almost every day. “Sometimes, I line up Minis on his legs and tell him to ‘leave it.’ He’s just
win-win,” said Kerry. “Especially when you see the results of your efforts. It comes full circle. We’ve made so many friends over the years, and have met peo- ple we would never have met otherwise.” Christie was the couple’s eighth
puppy raised for SEGD. “She did great and was a pleasure to raise,” said Kerry. After their puppy raising period was over, Christie went in for training in August 2016. In February 2017, the Krisemans received a phone call from Southeastern Guide Dogs.
Continued on following pageg THE NEW BARKER 65
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
