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We Our Pets! True Tales from the Capital Region pg.24 Times Union Home Expo pg.57 special section A TIMES UNION PUBLICATION Albany’s Cheese Man pg.66 Word on the Street: Schenectady Casino pg.39 FEBRUARY 2015 Smartphones, Activism & the Capital Region pg.32 By Jennifer Gish WNYT ANCHOR BENITA ZAHN AND HER DOG, TIKI

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Page 1: february 2015 We Our Pets! - Design Samples€¦ · We Our Pets! True Tales from the Capital Region pg.24 Times Union Home Expo pg.57 special section a tiMes union PubLication Albany’s

We Our Pets!True Tales from the Capital Region pg.24

Times UnionHome Expo

pg.57

special section

a tiMes union PubLication

Albany’s Cheese Man pg.66 Word on the Street: Schenectady Casino pg.39

february 2015

Smartphones, Activism & the Capital Region pg.32

By Jennifer Gish

Wnyt ancHor benita zaHn and Her dog, tiki

Page 2: february 2015 We Our Pets! - Design Samples€¦ · We Our Pets! True Tales from the Capital Region pg.24 Times Union Home Expo pg.57 special section a tiMes union PubLication Albany’s

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8 518 Life

On the Cover

Photograph by Heather Bohm-TallmanCover design by Tony Pallone

Pampered PetsWhy we’re obsessed with our animals

Activism in the Capital RegionHow social-justice movements are on the fast track, thanks to the Internet, cell phones and, of course, lawyers

24

32

CONTENTS

Home eXPo Special Section57 Sneak Preview! What’s coming up at

the Times Union Home Expo

518 Life Magazine | february 2015

10 What’s Online

12 editor’s note

Up Front14 Trending

18 Where & When

22 in Other Words

Features39 Word on the Street

What some Schenectadians think about the casino

44 friends and neighborsThe Santores’ home was built for entertaining

53 block PartyVisiting the Stockade

55 Diy guyJason Cameron headlines the Times Union Home Expo

66 The Cheese TravelerEric Paul takes us on a tasting trip around the world

70 affordable bordeauxWe win as the U.S. surpasses France in wine sales

75 STeM SavvyGetting our girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math

78 Cruisin’10 reasons to book one — now!

81 Trainer TipsKristi Hickling shows us the Hang Power Clean

82 fyi with rod Pelley

So many pets!

pg. 24

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10 518 Life

OnlineWhat’s

518LifeMagazine.coM

GAlleRieS

Photos, photos, photos!Hundreds of readers submitted photos of their pets (pg. 24). You’ll definitely want to check out our complete slideshow online. And look for more pictures of the Stockade (pg. 53) and this month’s featured home, too (pg. 44)!

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On the Edgeblog.timesunion.com/ontheedge

What we’re talking about in the 518.

YouTubeyoutube.com/TimesUnionMagazines

Check out our tutorial videos on food and exercise and more!

Twitter@518LifeMag

The best tweets this side of the Hudson. (Either side, really.)

Facebookfacebook.com/ 518Life

Pictures and events and videos and more!

On your Smartphonem.timesunion.com/518life

Flip through our online extras from your cell phone!

Pinterestpinterest.com/timesunionmags

Check out our home, life, garden and food boards!

more Online

MORe Stuff

The Deal with internshipsKids are starting internships earlier — and that’s a good thing. Read all about it online.

How Do You feel About the Casino? We asked people in Schenectady how they’re feeling about the casino (pg. 39). See more of their responses online.

See the answers at ellismedicine.org/heart2heart

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12 518 Life

Humans are so funny. They actu-ally think they’re in charge!

We pets know better of course. They think they’re training us, but really the shoe — which we happily don’t wear — is on the other, er, paw. We do just enough to make sure we get what we want, and the humans get what they need: a little snuggle or a doleful look of unrequited love. It’s a beautiful thing.

This month’s 518Life is a perfect example. Janet thinks it was her idea to feature a pet story. In real-ity, (see photo proof) Janet has very few original thoughts. I jump on her lap while she’s working, look her in the eyes, and suddenly inspiration — via my telepathic powers — hits. She thinks she’s brilliant and I get some schmoofing. Everyone wins.

Echo 15 months old, Black Lab

Parent: Janet Reynolds, Executive Editor

Editor’s Note

Pets Rule Three things you’ll learn in this issue:

1. Why having a pet is the

smartest thing you can

ever do. 2. Why pets are

awesome and you better go

get a rescue animal right

now. 3. Who cares? More

adorable pet photos on

page 24.

Is this little thing

really a dog?

Dinner, please!

Is it playtime?

WiLLY 5 years old,

Mutt

MAcY 12 years old, Rat Terrier

Parent: Tammy, Event Marketer

STEPhEN 2 years old, black cat

Parent: Brianna, Senior Editor

hARLEY 1 year old, Tabby

Parent: Tony, Design Director

BudA 1.5 years old, Chocolate Lab

Parent: Cira, Magazine Advertising Sales Manager

MiERA 10 months old,

Domestic Shorthair/MixParent: Colleen, Graphic Designer

No, really, I

am a lion.

It’s exhausting, this whole

“king of the jungle” thing.

I just want you to be OK.

OK?

Rocco 8 years old, Chihuahua/

Pomeranian mix

Parent: Lisa, Magazine Marketing Consultant

Words from the Rest of the Staff

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24 518 Life

Why we’re obsessed with our animals By Jennifer Gish

Chi Chi

frankie Jonas

Gypsyhudson

izzy

Magellin

Penelope

Phil & scooby

rexford

robby

Tatertot Casserole

Archie & Olive

Mr. Wobbles

Miss Dubh

Zulani

Pampered Pets

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26 518 Life

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Local Animal Advocacy

Pet Connection

Steve Caporizzo’s Pet Connection group on Facebook says it all: “Pet Connection is a large family of pet lovers that want to make a difference in a Pet’s life every day. Adopt ... never shop!”

With 31,000 and growing likes, Caporizzo showcases pets that need adopting or that are lost and need finding. It’s kind of a flyers on steroids strategy. And it works.

facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Steve-Caporizzos-Pet-Connection/88822113077

Mohawk Hudson Humane Society

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society (MHHS) of Menands has been saving the lives of abused and unwanted animals since 1887. A non-profit, it receives no ongoing funding from federal, state or local governments or any other animal welfare organization, and relies instead donations.

Want to get involved?

Website: http://mohawkhumane.orgfacebook: www.facebook.com/mohawkhumane

When Jennifer and Michael Lauer were married in October 2014, Jennifer’s 7 ½-year-old black lab, Lucy, stood at the altar

with them, and the reverend included Lucy’s name in the couple’s vows because together they would be a family.

“We knew we couldn’t do it any other way,” Jennifer Lauer says. “She walked me down the aisle with my dad.”

And they are a family. The Albany new-lyweds don’t go many places without Lucy, who has been with Jennifer almost all of the dog’s life. Lucy doesn’t get boarded when they go on trips — though luxury pet con-dos have become as common as concrete-floor boarding kennels and she might enjoy kicking back in a room furnished with a TV just for her. And Michael takes Lucy to work when he can, even though his allergy to dogs left some serious questions in Jennifer’s mind when they started dating. It was nothing some love and Benadryl couldn’t cure, and soon, Lucy was as much Michael’s dog as Jennifer’s.

Not that many of us consider our relation-ship with our pets to be a matter of ownership anymore. Pets are simply part of our fami-lies. It’s why we call ourselves “pet parents,” grandparents talk about their granddogs as much as grandkids, and you might see the sil-houette of a cat with those stick figure family decals on the back window of a Range Rover.

Which end of the leash are we on again?About 68 percent of U.S. households own a

pet now, up from 56 percent of households in

1988, the first year the American Pet Products Association started conducting its national survey of pet owners. Most of those house-holds are occupied by pups, so the man’s best friend thing holds up after all this time.

And we give them more than an occasion-al belly scratch. The APPA estimates overall spending on pets reached $58.51 billion in 2014, a nearly 5 percent boost over 2013 and an all-time high, and we’re willing to open our wallets for anything for our furry friends, from holistic dog food that sounds as if it came off a menu at a Michelin-starred res-taurant (salmon with Yukon gold potatoes, carrots and golden delicious apples, anyone?) to extensive surgeries that wouldn’t have even been discussed in veterinary offices years ago. We send them to doggie daycare, buy them sweaters at boutique shops dedicated just to dressing them and hunt for a place for every-one to stay on sites that list the ever-growing number of pet-friendly hotels. Some new luxury homes even have dedicated pet rooms. Today’s dog would take one look at Snoopy’s iconic doghouse — if he could fathom why any animal would be made to sleep outside — turn up his wet nose in disgust and settle back in on the leather couch.

That’s if they didn’t have a hockey game to go to. Because the Albany Devils have been hosting a Pucks and Paws night for go-ing on five years. Never been? Wrap your brain around 150 dogs adding to the roar of a crowd and the air horns after a goal. Or maybe your dog’s a baseball fan. The Tri-City ValleyCats, despite what you think would be

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Frankenstein

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Jake

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Pet Ownership by the Numbers

Pet ownership in the U.S. has more than tripled from the 1970s, when approximately 67 million households had pets, to 2012,

when there were 164 million owned pets, according to the American Pet Products Association. That means that in 2012, 62 percent of American households included at least one pet. Americans also, according to the association spent more than $50 billion on their cats, dogs, and other animal companions.

Dogs

83.3 million Number of owned dogs

70% owners with one dog

20% owners with two dogs

10% owners with three or more dogs

20 percent — Percentage of owned dogs who were adopted

from animal shelters

$231 — Average annual amount spent by dog owners on routine veterinary visits

83 percent — owned dogs who are spayed or neutered

— Even — Proportion of male to female owned dogs

AlbAny county

Dog-owning households: 47,674

Cat-owning households: 39,707

Dogs: 76,279 Cats: 83,332

schEnEctADy county

Dog-owning households: 21,891

Cat-owning households: 18,232

Dogs: 35,025 Cats: 38,263

REnssElAER county

Dog-owning households: 24,423

Cat-owning households: 20,341

Dogs: 39,076 Cats: 42,689

sARAtogA county

Dog-owning households: 33,351

Cat-owning households: 27,777

Dogs: 53,362 Cats: 58,296

Source: Estimated using national percentages supplied by the American Veterinary Medical Association and U.S. Census data from 2013. For more information, visit www.avma.

org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx

Here’s how the ownership

broke down nationally:

518LifeMagazine.CoM 27

cAts

95.6 million Number of owned cats

46% owners with one cat

31% owners with two cats

24% owners with three or more cats

26 percent — Percentage of owned cats who were adopted

from an animal shelter

$193 — Average annual amount spent by cat owners on routine veterinary visits

91 percent — owned cats who are spayed or neutered

73% vs. 62% The difference in number of

owned female cats and owned male cats, respectively

Capital Region Estimates:

Do You Spoil Your Pet?

We polled our readers on our On the Edge blog to see just how obsessed we are with our pets. Here are the results:

Do you celebrate your pet’s birthday?

46% Kind of. It’s a pretty informal situation.

38% Yes. With presents and cake and everything!

16% Nah.

Do you take your pets on dates?

53% Every day is a date with my pet!

46% No, that’s a little too weird for me.

1% Every Friday!

Do you like animals more than humans?

52% YES.

39% Sometimes!

6% I love them both equally.

2% No, I think I like humans more than animals.

1% I hate animals and humans and I hate you for asking me this question.

What kind of pet food do you buy?

53% Something else altogether.

23% Only the finest organic product imported from Switzerland.

22% Whatever my pet will eat.

2% Whatever’s on sale.

Do you let your pet sleep in bed with you?

71% Yes

13% No

13% Sometimes

3% Only on special occasions

casey & Fred

george & Alice

six, ollie & shrimp

Josie & Elihot toddy

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28 518 Life

feline bias, have a dedicated dog night. Just in case your canine companion should get the urge to Bark in the Park.

And maybe we’ve let it get a little out of hand. Multiple news reports last year report-ed people buying service dog vests and cer-tificates off the internet and trying to pass off their untrained pets as service animals, mak-ing it tough on those with disabilities who legitimately depend on properly trained dogs to help them negotiate life. Airlines have been struggling with customers who aren’t content to just leave old Cooper in the cargo hold, and want him to have a window seat instead.

“As we so humanize, or at least make ani-mals part of our culture, you have some of the conflicts … if animals are so much a part of the family, why can’t I bring them to work?,” says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Beck says the term “human-animal bond” came into being in the late 1970s, echoing the idea of the “parent-child bond,” which says a lot about our shifting attitude toward pets. Some of it he suspects has to do with our in-creasingly protective and nurturing society. It wasn’t all that long ago, he says, that we stopped letting children work in factories and

we gave women the right to vote. Helping the environment eventually became a focus, as did preserving historical buildings. And that sense of care reached our pets.

“It is just an extension of our maturing, to realize we’re not alone in the world,” Beck says. “That we have these nurturing instincts, and animals are very much a part of it.”

Beck says if you add this increased warmth for the creatures around us to more discretionary income, you’ve got some pampered pets.

And it appears a lot of the pampering is coming from adults looking to fill a void, says Brad Shear, executive director of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in Menands.

“It’s become more and more of an impor-tant issue for people. They realized how this great connection with animals can enrich your life. We see this generation of Millenni-als, for whatever reason are getting married a little later, and so they’re getting pets instead of kids,” he says. “(We have) a large empty nester group that are looking for companion-ship. The kids move out, and they get their pets, and the pets become very important to the Baby Boomer generation.”

For people in the animal welfare business, this attitude shift has been tremendous when it comes to reporting animal abuse and do-nating to animal charities, such as the hu-mane society, Shear says. People once though it was reasonable to leave a dog in a kennel in the backyard. Now, many people consider

that cruel, he says, even if it’s legal in cases where adequate shelter and care are provided. Our standards have simply changed.

When in 1991 Mary Lynn Gagnon opened Pet Estates Inc. — a boarding business in Mel-rose, which allows pets to be boarded in small, fully furnished home environments (some cot-tages with pond views) — people thought she was crazy. Now boarding in home settings has become highly desirable for those times when pets and their “parents” must part.

“Pets give us unconditional love. It’s an in-dustry that’s been growing, and I think people realize that there is that unconditional love with their pets,” she says. “They give us much more than we give them, let’s put it that way. You could scold an animal and two minutes later they’re back on your lap again. They don’t hold grudges.”

And so you have therapy dogs sitting be-side children in libraries where reluctant readers don’t mind sounding out a word for an attentive Golden Retriever, and you have a group of therapy dogs dispatched to students at the University at Albany during finals to help calm exam nerves.

Animals have always offered the comfort of affection without some of the complicat-ed dynamics that come with humans, Beck says. That’s why so much of children’s litera-ture and cartoons feature animal characters. They’re simple, not even bringing sex, age or race into the equation.

“For young people, they are a way of learn-

The Albany Devils have been hosting a Pucks and Paws night for the last five years. Never been? Wrap your brain around 150 dogs adding to the roar of a crowd and the air horns after a goal.

— Photo by James DiBianco

Therapy dog Ruby gives junior student Joe Alberts of Levittown, Long Island a high five at the University at Albany. Local therapy dogs were brought into the campus center to help students ease the stress of final exams. — Photo by Lori Van Buren/Times Union Archives

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ing about life without the baggage that comes with human beings,” he says.

Not that we aren’t known for bringing our own baggage to our pets, perhaps at times, lov-ing them too much. It’s why problems such as pet obesity have become an issue (reflecting our own tendency to overindulge.) We take pets to work sometimes without thinking of how much they actually enjoy — or don’t — sitting under a desk in our office. And pet train-ers are often seeing owners who have trouble providing their dogs the structure they need.

We humanize our pets so much, that we expect them to act like, well, humans. “I spe-cifically have noticed that having an overly personified relationship with your dog can lead to a lot of behavioral issues,” says Cassie Kennedy, co-owner and trainer at Hounds on the Hudson, an Albany business that offers services including dog walking, play groups, boarding and dog training. “A huge part of my training is setting the dog up for success. You are human; the dog is a dog. As much as you love your dog and you want them to be a human, they’re not.”

So when they’re counter surfing or tug-ging at the leash you can’t just expect them to know better or remember what you told them, Kennedy says. You need to think about how the dog is viewing the situation — as an animal who really, really wants that loaf of banana bread you left out on the kitchen island — and then work on changing the be-havior from there.

Or you can head down to the gourmet dog treat bakery to pick up some organic cookies for those fur babies, because we can’t seem to help ourselves when they give us those puppy eyes.

Kennel No MoreDon’t want Sport to be “traumatized” by staying in a ken-nel? Here are some options that have cropped up to make us feel less guilty when we go away.

DogVacay: Sort of like Airbnb but for dogs. You can search for dog lov-ers who are willing to dogsit your pup in their home. Pet sitters are “trusted and insured,” ac-cording to the web-site, and it costs about half of what traditional boarding does. dogvacay.com

Hounds on the Hudson: Offers dog walking, training, pet-sitting, boarding and playgroups. 472 Madison Ave., Albany; 291-WALK; houndsonthe-hudson.org

Pet Estates Inc.: Provides home-like boarding that’s like a human’s retreat. 250 North Pole Rd., Melrose; 663-5732; petestates.com

Jennifer and Michael Lauer with their dog Lucy on their wedding day. — Photo by Jeff Foley Photography (www.JeffFoley.com)

See our 518 Furbabies on page 30

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30 518 Life

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Places to Pamper Your Pooch or CatHere is a sampling of some of the Capital Region shops and artisans catering to animals.

pet photographers

Tracey Buyce(518) 441-2704traceybuyce.com

Heather Bohm-Tallman978-500-2301hbtphoto.com

Jessica Painter(518) 542-3346jessicapainter.com

Joe Grant(518) 925-9785joegrantphotography.com

doggy boutiques

Henry Loves Betty195 River St., Troy(315) 744-8277henrylovesbetty.com

Barking Boutique and Doggy Daycare98 Everett Rd., Albany(518) 454-9663

Sloppy Kisses: A Treat Boutique for Dogs 425 Broadway, Saratoga Springs(518) 587-2207sloppykissesofsaratoga.com

Mini Me Pups Pet Boutique454 Broadway, Saratoga Springs(518) 306-1121minimepups.com

The BoneYard Barkery(online only)(518) 852-5321boneyardbarkery.com

The Lazy Dog Cookie Company101 Ford Street, Ballston Spa(518) 309-3732lazydogcookies.com

Hair of the Dog Grooming Boutique1051 Curry Rd. Ste. 2, Schenectady(518) 355-6802

Benson’s Pet Centervarious locationsbensonspet.com

Pet Owner: Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany

Pet Name: Ozzy

Age: 11 years old

Breed: Boston Terrier

Ozzy’s Favorite Activity: Curling up in front of the fireplace and taking a nap

Pet Owner: Benita Zahn,

WNYT Anchor

Pet Name: Tiki

Age: 7 years old

Breed: “We figure she’s a Chihuahua/Jack Russell

mix ... maybe a little cattle dog … or, to put it another

way, she’s a Heinz 57.”

Tiki’s Favorite Activity: She loves to patrol our

property ... and announce everyone who passes by

Did you send a pet photo but don’t see it here? Go online to timesunion.com/518life to see the full 518Life gallery of pets.

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518LifeMagazine.coM 31

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Pet Name: Cuda

Age: 5 years old Breed: Pit Bull

Background: Cuda is very different than the norm. She is one of 9 dogs living in this world with short spine

syndrome. It is not painful. It is a rare congenital event.

The other dogs live from Italy to Texas and are between one and 10 years old. Cuda is

the only Northerner in the bunch.

Favorite Activity: She loves playing with our other dogs and cats and flipping toys and treats

in the air. She also gets bursts of zoomies.

Pet Name: Buzz the Fuzz

Age: 5 years old Breed: Ragdoll

Background: He was rescued from filth with 39 German shepherds. He had to be shaved because he was so matted.

His journey is chronicled on his facebook page www.facebook.com/buzzthefuzz

Favorite Activity: He LOVES having his belly brushed and his purr is loud!

518 Furbabies

Pet Name: Hudson the Railroad Puppy

Age: 2 years old Breed: Blue-Nose Pit Bull

Background: On September 8, 2012, railroad workers found me and my 2 sisters nailed by our paws to the railroad tracks in Albany. We were 3 weeks old. We

were taken to Mohawk Hudson Humane Society where we were given life-saving treatment for dehydration, malnutrition, infection and the injuries to our paws.

Unfortunately, one of my sisters didn’t make it.

On September 13, 2012, it was determined that I was a good candidate for a prosthetic limb. I will need

several more prosthetic paws as I grow up.

Read more about my journey at facebook.com/HudsonTheRailroadPuppy

Favorite Activity: Sleeping. And meeting with people and making them smile.

Pet Name: Tigger

Age: 3 years old

Breed: Orange Tabby

Background: She was found as a 3-week-old kitten, all alone in a barn. She was fed by syringe and

raised with the help of a nurturing Border Collie, who also mothered her.

Favorite Activity: She loves to play

tennis with crumpled pieces of paper.