We really don't need much .... just food, water, shelter and a whole lot of loving! Created in memory of Dreamboat for the benefit of the American Humane Association's 2005 Tag Day.

©2005 Lori Faye Bock

All of my 5" by 7" art note cards are printed in New Mexico, USA on environmentally sensible recycled and/or kenaf tree-free fiber and sealed in clear poly protective sleeves.  The cards are blank inside, ready for any personal message you wish to communicate!

This design is also available as a limited edition print on this site.

And you ask ... "Who was this special dog named ... Dreamboat?"

After she had delivered two litters of puppies in her original New Mexico home, her pet guardians decided they didn't want to deal with her anymore. So instead of having her altered, she was dropped off at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society and put up for adoption.

She was adopted out to nine different homes, each time escaping and finding her returned to the Santa Fe Animal Shelter.

We believe Dreamboat's winning personality made her a favorite at the shelter and she was featured her in the Albuquerque Journal North as the pet of the week in July 1991.

It was in that write-up that my husband and I spotted her picture and a description of her personality, went to meet her and when we bonded instantly, adopted her and brought her to a forever home on Von Bock Farm here in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

In 1992, a Shepherd mix, Dreamboat was elevated to the position of chief of staff for the farm after successfully protecting four orphan lambs from an attack by a dog twice her size. As icon of the farm, she was on-call 24 hours a day as the official greeter, a job she shared with Wags, a Northwest Farm Terrier that joined us in 1996.

Thousands of people, both young and old, met Dreamboat during her 14 years on Von Bock Farm. Children from Head Start programs and schools in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Los Alamos Counties had the opportunity to spend time and interact with Dreamboat and discover her canine gentleness.

Dreamboat was particularly fond of lambing season, especially those times when she was entrusted with the responsibility of caring for orphaned lambs. Once, when two such lambs, Valentino and Rao were orphaned, Dreamboat and Wags spent so much time making these lambs feel loved that the young ovines simply wore them out.  


On the Von Bock Farm, Dreamboat also acted as the goodwill ambassador and intermediary between six indoor cats, six dogs (including herself), and a flock of sheep, including the biblical, spotted Jacob sheep. She routinely led her family, and as many as eight visiting dogs, on daily treks to frolic in the Chama River adjoining the property.

In 2002, Dreamboat was featured in the magazine article, Dream Work, in the ASPCA Animal Watch.

A few days before her passing in Novermber 2004, her veterinarian indicated she was much older than the 16 or 17 years she was presumed to be due to her teeth and blood work. Yet, as an economy- sized shepherd dog, she seemed to have more energy than dogs half her age.
 
When one contemplates adopting a dog or cat from an animal shelter or rescue group, know that -- despite the animal's history -- with humane and kind treatment, companion pets in their new environment can truly become friends for life.  

We remember that Dreamboat was a prime example of that ... and we still miss her.

Lori Faye Bock