By Adria L. Henderson

Virginia Jess, a resident of Apple Blossom Lane, is a true animal activist, in the best sense of the word.

Founder and President of Canine Advocates Inc., the Newtown-based, non-profit organization that sponsors the spaying, neutering and socialization of local pound dogs, Jess has been reelected to the position of President for the third straight year. She has worked closely with First Selectman Herb Rosenthal and Sgt. Cole, the Police Department liaison to Canine Advocates, to establish new guidelines for the care and socialization of the Pound dogs. Recently, Sgt. Cole and the Police Department, at the request of Jess and Canine Advocates, corrected a long-standing problem by instituting a new traffic plan that clearly identifies the travel lane and entrance to the Newtown Pound.

A retired grade-school teacher, Jess has lived in Newtown for 28 years after moving from Milford with her husband Dave, also a retired elementary-school teacher. They reside with Bergen, their two year-old Akita-cross, affectionately referred to as the “Empress of Apple Blossom Lane.”

Bergen was found abandoned on the streets of New Haven with her five day-old puppies and was adopted by Jess at a local shelter. (All her puppies were adopted out as well!) Shelter personnel told the Jess’s that the dog was a Norwegian Elkhound mix.

Dave and Virginia, who are frequent world-travelers, promptly named their new dog Bergen, after a favorite Norwegian city. However, it soon became apparent that Bergen leaned more heavily to the Japanese Akita-side of the world, but by then the name had stuck.

Jess has always adopted pound or shelter dogs, and has a soft spot for dogs that were abused. In the past, some of her dogs took months and a lot of work just to properly socialize to people and other dogs. Lady, a Husky cross, and Jess’s last “pound puppy,” never did relate to people well, but was a favorite of the Jess family nevertheless.

Her portrait hangs proudly on the wall in the Jess home.

Bergen, for all her days on the street, was immediately loving and affectionate to both Dave and Virginia Jess. Because of this, Jess believes that she probably had a people-family of her own at one time. Bergen was, however, initially leery of other dogs, ostensibly from having to fend for herself and her puppies. And, she has the scars on her ear to prove it.

Jess began her now familiar routine of socializing and walking with Bergen, for about two miles every morning, around the Apple Blossom Lane loop. After some months, Bergen began to realize that most of the seventeen dogs on the street were willing to be friends.

Today, Bergen greets and verbalizes with her buddies as she passes their houses. And, over the last year has developed close relationships with many of the dogs on the street. Her special favorite is Tank, a large Doberman owned by Patti Smith, also of Apple Blossom Lane. Bergen knows just where Tank lives and is clearly disappointed when he is not outside ready to play. They frequently play together in Jess’s large fenced-in yard where they have a big, grassy area in which to run and frolic.

Bergen’s early habit of covering her food with anything available, i.e., a towel, blanket, etc., a throwback to her days on the street, when she had to scrounge for every bit of food has almost been eliminated. Now, she takes only a few pieces of kibble back to her bed to hoard and no longer feels the need to “cover” or guard her food.

Bergen, the former New Haven stray, has acclimated to home-life easily. She has become a wonderful and loving Jess family pet. Bergen has appeared on Cable TV with Jess, as well as “starring” at many adopt-a-thons and articles about Canine Advocates.

A typical day –

Up at 8 am for a few bites of breakfast and then out for her two- mile morning stroll with Dad or Mom; errands are next, possibly a ride in the car to the post office or grocery store, followed by a long afternoon nap and some TV (Animal Planet is her favorite); Tank, her best dog-friend, may come by for late afternoon playtime in the yard; at 5 pm, Bergen gets another long walk, followed by dinner. Then it’s TV or “hanging out” with Mom and Dad until bedtime.

NOTE: Information about Newtown Pound dogs, as well as adoptions in other venues can be found at the Canine Advocates website at www.canineadvocates.org.

Newtown Paw Prints will be profiling a Newtown pet and their “person” in a series of regular articles. Know an interesting pet or animal person who might be a candidate for a profile? Contact Adria Henderson at Safe at Home Pet Sitting, 426-5784 or e-mail at petfocus@aol.com.