Andrea DiFiore is an artist and designer who started her second career by starting a business designing silk scarves that she has made in Italy. She has a website: https://difiorenewyork.com/
She has a dog named Lucie, a Cava-Poo who is twelve years old.
She chose this breed because she wanted a small, hypoallergenic dog. She lives in an NYC apartment and apartments there are small, and her daughter has allergies.
Andrea found Lucie through a breeder. Her daughter wanted a dog for her 10th birthday, and after careful research, they settled on Lucie. She was four pounds when they got her.
Lucie did a little modeling when she was one year old. She is also very smart. Andrea shared, “I started losing my hearing in my late teens, and now I am partially deaf. Several years back, the tea kettle was whistling, and I did not hear it. Lucie started barking. From then on, she barks when the tea kettle goes off. And now I trained her to alert when my espresso pot starts to gurgle.”
Andrea also trained Lucie to do many things for treats, including giving her a kiss. “But since she is older now when I ask for a kiss, she looks the other way! How rude! If I say to her, “can I have a kiss, I’ll give you a treat”, she kisses me quickly, and runs into the kitchen and barks at the cabinet where I keep her treats!
Oh, and she snores.”
When I asked her what having, Lucie means to her? Andrea answered, “Seems cliché, but she really is part of the family. I had people tell me that I don’t treat her like a dog. Lucie is loving, happy, and a great companion. It has another living being to love and care for.”
Andrea found a baby bird in August and brought it home. Lucie was very curious to have an unexpected guest staying for a while. Andrea thought that Lucie might harm the bird, but no, she was sweet and gentle with it.
Andrea loves to hang with Lucie. They walk in the woods or by the river. Lucie also likes to go for car rides and the perfect passenger.
Lucie’s favorite snack is watermelon.
Andrea works from home, and she has set up Lucie’s bed next to her desk. Andrea adds, “she does not like to sleep with me anymore; she’s outgrown that.”
When asked the question, “Why do you choose to have a dog in your life? “Andrea responds, “I grew up always having a dog in the home. As a family, we respect all living beings. It breaks my heart that animals are neglected and/or abused and hope our laws become stricter in penalizing animal abusers.”
“Three weeks ago, someone abandoned a dog in the park across the street from where I live. My neighbor called me, and I ran down and untied the poor thing. It must have been there for several hours, cold, and could barely walk because the matting was so bad. I wrapped him in a towel and held him for two hours while waiting for the police to come. They took him to Animal Cares Center (upper Manhattan, NYC), and the dog was groomed and adopted immediately. That was a success story. Many dogs (and cats) are not so fortunate.”
Indeed that dog was fortunate to have met a loving and caring person like Andrea.
