o 'l'han One Tree Grows Here e call it “Cagney’s ' Big Adventure.” It all starts with this lit- tle dog with the big attitude named Cagney. Cagney, also known at one time as “Dogzilla,” was rescued off the streets of Brooklyn, NY about 3 1/2 years ago and taken to my home in Northern New Jersey. Having run an animal shelter for the last six years, I thought I was well equipped to adopt this per- sonable sheltie. What I came to find was an animal that had been abused, under-socialized and left to the fate of the streets. She was malnourished and in such sorry shape that it literally took about a year for her coat to stop break- ing off in my hand when I I touched her. My partner and I now live on a working dairy farm in South Burlington. It’s afar cry from the streets of Brooklyn. ' Instead of reacting in a timid or frightened manner when "neriencing something new or unc°"fortable, she lashed out. Anything 5-e wasn’t familiar with (practicali, everything), She tried to attack — lllcioding me_ Why, she even tried to auqck a statue of a dog on someonei’s= front lawn! Today though, she is a happy, well-adjusted (well, for ' the most part) pup who loves to meet people and has a healthy curiosity. She still has her moments, but hey, don’t we all? and I now live on a working dairy farm in South Burlington. It’s a far cry from the streets of V Brooklyn, but Cagney has adjusted nicely. She loves the open fields, has been seen giving some friendly glances to a few fellow canines, and is absolutely mesmerized by the cows — who coincidentally," aren’t so sure about her. My partner and I moved to Vermont because we wanted a better way of life. What I’ve found is that people and animals are very similar. Living in a high- _ paced, highly com- petitive and popu- lated area, people start to react just like frightened ani- mals do. They lash out, become destructive, their “hackles are up,” and their humanity is shelved. It becomes — pardon the expression — a dog-eat-dog world. Road rage; mall rage; cell phones and pagers; doors slammed in your face; restaurant servers who won’t look up or who are simply annoyed by ’ your presence — you experience aggression on every level on a daily basis. As if that weren’t enough, if you didn’t encounter aggression, you encounter apa- thy. Either way, it’s no way to live. What made us leave the NewYork/New Jersey area was not necessarily the daily assault itself — it was the fact that we 0‘ ourselves began to feel andreact Slmlhrly. We were burnt out and discouraged with our jobs. We felt uninspired and angry most of the time. All of our energy was spent on battling this invisi- ble enemy. We didn’t like who November at the suggestion of a dear friend, and absolutely fell in love. Who wouldn’t love the Green Mountains; the blue, clear (even on an overcast day) skies; the quaint charm of downtown during the holidays; or the open land? That’s not all we feel in love with, however. It was and still is the people. The people of Vermont helped us to rediscover our own humanity. This is not to say that every encounter was perfect or that we were living in some Utopia. For the most part, what we find is that people acknowledged us. There is a per- meating warmth and friendliness here that is rapidly diminishing elsewhere. Every new person we meet seems to help us on our - journey of acclimation and rediscovery. In a very short time we have come to feel that we belong here in the Green Mountains. We are more patient, more courte- ous, and chuckle at those who race past us on the road. We smile when we meet people, look them in the eye, and are anxious to find ways to get involved with our community. We marvel at the scenery and bask in its essence. We appreci- ate and value what we’ve dis- covered. _ , We needed to return to New Jersey for a few days to take care of some business short- ly after our relocation. We immediately sensed the tension, the aggressiveness, the conges- tion; as we got closer to our des- tination even Cagney became agitated. While we miss some of the establishments we used to frequent, we realized that that was probably all we missed. Isn’t it a sad commentary that upon returning to the_area where you’ve spent some thirty years of your life you realize the only things you miss are a few good restaurants and a handful of spe- cial people?’Driving back to Vermont we instinctively knew that our choice was right. Our trip back to New Jersey confirmed our suspicions — we’ve come home. V Jill van T uyl, her partner Cindy, and Cagney the dog live in South Burlington. The rwo women recently celebrated their civil union. The Samadhi Singers present “The Best of Broadway” Directed by George Reynolds , _ .lunel5,2lllI3 9 Z 3:00 pm. St. Paul's Cathedral 2 Cherry Street a Burlington,llermont Tickets $10 [sliding scale] it I *This is a fundraiser Concert to send The Samatlhl Singers to the 2004 lilllfl choral festival in montreal.* This concert is a PRIDE llleeli Euent Laurie S. Rosenzweig Attorney at Law Real Estate Law, Wills, Family &Civil Union Issues General Practice L.-_R P.O. Box 1455 Rutland, Vermont 05701 Phone & Fax: 802-786-2251 Free initial consultations Sabu234@AOL.COM I Are your greatest You might think of your home or your retirement savings as your greatest asset. Many people do not realize that their ability to earn an income is their single greatest asset. Find out how to protect your greatest assets. Call Glenn Steinman today at (802) 863-280 1 . Glenn Steinman Financial Represenative New England Financial 302 Mountain View Dr., Suite 300 Colchester, VT 05446 T: (802) 863-280] F: (802)‘ 863-0343 www.nefvt.com ./' N"F /' NEW ENGLAND FINANCIAL" VERMONT iii}: 8.’ l)l.\;1l)lll[)' lnsumncc 0 l.mig'lL-i'ii1(?.i1'c lll\llI'.1llLk‘ W" /- _ sets protected‘? , we were becoming and feltgwe llI\'L‘.SllIlL'llI 5ti‘.1Icgic.\ 0 RL'(ll'L'lIIL'llI l’l.1nninf_: 0 liilxincxs l’l.mI1ing had lost sight of ourselves. We visited Vermont in My partner — whom she simply adores and who can’t believe stories about the “old Cagney” — New England Financial is the service mark of New England Life Insurance Company, Boston, MA and related companies. Securities products offered through New England Securities. CD200304280