Breakfast with Herb & Mike

At first glance, a breakfast conversation about pets seems simple — just stories about dogs, cats, and the occasional bird. But listen a little closer, and something deeper comes through. For Herb and Mike, these animals weren’t just companions; they were, and are, constants through every season of life. They showed up in childhood, in the busy years of raising a family, on long days at work, and in moments when nothing else quite touched. The stories are funny, but also grounding. Because in the end, pets don’t just share our homes. They share our lives, our burdens, and sometimes understand us better than we expect.

Mike: Let’s talk about pets today. I remember Louie, a Greater Sulfur Crested Cockatoo. I trained him to eat out of my hand. When we got him, he had a vocabulary of about 20 words, but we taught him a lot more – most were words I wouldn’t want to include here. He was a squawker. After a while we’d get sick of his noise and yell “Bad Bird Louie.” Then he’d mimic us – “Bad Bird Louie.” What pets do you remember, Dad?

Herb: I’ve had dogs all my life, starting with Lucky, a little black mutt I had as a child. There were so many as you kids were growing up, I don’t recall them all. In the nearly 40 years since Mary and I moved to Cumberland Head we’ve had five Springer Spaniels, one Yellow Lab, a Bichon, and now two Cavachons.

Mike: The Springer I remember most was Jessie. Do you recall the time she disappeared just before you were going away? You had to leave so you asked me to check the house to see if she had come back. I went out, but no Jessie. I took the canoe out to see if I could spot her along the shoreline. I paddled north and, on a small rock outcropping about a quarter of a mile away, there she was. I pulled up alongside, picked her up and put her in the canoe, but as I paddled away, she freaked out and the canoe tipped over, dumping both of us into waist high water. I ended up walking back to the house, carrying her and pulling the canoe. It’s been more than 20 years, and I still remember how cold the water was that day.

Herb: By the time we’d had four Springers, Mary and I decided to try a different breed. That’s when we drove to Canandaigua and brought home a yellow Lab puppy. That little dog grew like a weed and soon we had a 75-pound dog who liked to show her affection by body slamming us. We had to be on constant guard for an “attack” but she was an amazing part of our family.

Mike: When I was driving truck in the early 90’s, I had a Husky/Lab mix named Maddy who went everywhere with me. She rode in the truck and was a huge hit with customers.

Herb: Since I was a young patrolman, I have been fascinated by tropical fish. I love the beauty and serenity of them. In 2000 I decided to go big, building a 200-gallon tank in the wall of my office. It was an amazing attraction for colleagues and customers alike.

Mike: You’re right, it was quite an attraction, but once you moved on to teach at SUNY and I took over the office, I wanted to make the space my own. I gave the fish away and replaced the tank with an 85” television. Not as beautiful as your fish, but a bet-ter fit for a sports fan like me.

Herb: In addition to dogs, Mary and I have had a few cats over the years. One was a “Maine Coon” cat we drove to New Hampshire to adopt. It was a cute kitten, but after months of waiting for it to grow, we realized our “Maine Coon” was just a run of the mill, over-priced cat that was never going to get any bigger.

Mike: Talk about cats and size, you must remember Grover, the barn cat a friend gave Lizzie and me. He turned out to be a mean, hateful animal who wanted to do nothing but eat. When he finally died, he weighed 44 pounds. The vet said he was one of the largest, most beautiful cats she’d ever seen. She didn’t know the Grover we knew!

But when it comes to cats, the one that has meant the most to me was Scheuster who was with me during my darkest days of drinking. He was my one connection to reality at that time.

Lizzie and I chose not to have children and so our animals have played an out-sized role in our lives. Last year we adopted a Bernese Mountain dog mix named Gunner. When we picked him up at a Capital District shelter, he was thin and skittish. Now, a year later, he is strong and healthy and has become the Northeast Group’s mascot. I take him in to work with me several days a week. We have always been a family that loves our pets and they love us right back.