animal lover's profile

By Nancy Dewar

Chris, Anne, Cosmo, Bertie & Violet

Anne and Chris of North Hampton are originally mid-Westerners from the Chicago area. I asked them how they met. “We met the good old-fashioned way. No internet. No apps. We met at a bar on Division Street,which was the single’s scene in Chicago” Chris said with a laugh.Both had recently graduated from college, and they’ve been together ever since… two grown children later with some very special dogs along the way.

Chris grew up in a dog-loving family. “We always had Irish Setters. They are the most beautiful and the dumbest dogs on earth. All of them were given to us. Probably because they are crazy!”Anne grew up surrounded by Pugs. “We had Pugs until my sisterbrought home a mutt given to her for Christmas by her boyfriend. She named the dog Noel, and my father immediately said, ‘This dog is going back.’ And then we came home a few days later and caught him in the kitchen kissing her. I think that’s when my love for mutts started,” Annesaid.

After living in an apartment for a year in the city, Anne and Chris bought their first condo. “We really wanted our own place so we could get a dog,” Anne explained.The next weekend, Labor Day 1983,they went to a local rescue and I first met Anne Nettleton a few years ago when she reached out to me and said, “We came across Seacoast Bark and would love to become a part of it.” We had met for lunch at Joe’s Meat Shoppe in North Hampton, and I loved Anne the minute I met her! I felt the same when I met her husband Chris, as these two are huge animal lovers… especially when it comes to black mutts!

found their amazing Asta; a one-year-old Shepherd/Chow mix who turned out to be their heart-dog. They were blessed with himfor 15 ½ years. “He was so smart and truly stole our heart all of the years we had him,” Chris said.

After living in various Chicago suburbs, Anne and Chris moved to Stratham in 1992 due to a job transfer. I asked Anne how she felt about her move to the Seacoast. “At first I was heartbroken, and then I fell madly in love with the area. We had no idea what New Hampshire was about nor that it even had a coastline!”Though only here for three years before eventually ending up in New Jersey, New Hampshire captured their hearts and they always looked forward to “coming home.” Anne and Chris’ second dog was Shelby, aHuskey mix. “She was beautiful, smart;and we had another dog that lived 15 ½ years. We lost her in 2013 while in New Jersey.”Shortly after losing Shelby, a darling black rescue named Violet joined their family. “We found Violet about a week after. I could hardly wait a week before getting a new dog. Not that I was trying to replace Shelby” Anne said. “I just needed another dog to love.”

Violet was an abusedmixed breedfrom North Carolinathey found online.“We got her when she was nineorten months old, and she was a train wreck.She had been returned once, probably because of her fear. She still is a bit fearfulandnervous buthas settled in with us.”

The Nettleton’s always did “one dog at time.” Well, that is until another black mutt came to their attention. Bertie, a rescue from Georgia, joined the family in December2013.In describing him, Chris said, “Bertie is like Ronald Regan. Older than he looks but his hair is all black; no gray!”

Anne and Chris (and Violet and Bertie) moved back to New Hampshire when Chris retired in2016.The plan was to simply relax and en-

First Rescue Asta with Baby Ian

Cosmo

joy a more carefree life after years in corporate America. That lasted about one year until Anne talked Chris into going into real estate. “I didn’t want to just sit around,and I’d always wanted to get into the real estate business,” Anne explained. Chris expounded, “We had really been in real estate for 35 years. Having bought and sold eight homes in five states, we know all that’s involved in a transaction.” Hence, they created “The House Finch Team” and are affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realtyin Portsmouth.

As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans;” and the Nettleton’scan attest to this. New careers after retirement. And their old “one dog at a time” motto, that had now become two dogs, changed to three whena few ofAnne’s friends posted a photo of a precious black mutt on her Facebook pageat the beginning of COVID. This little guy with one missing eye immediately caught their eye. Their daughter Tory and her boyfriend (who lived in Brooklyn)picked him up from Rescue Dogs Rock in NYC and drove himhometo New Hampshire. Cosmo arrived on April Fool’s Day 2020. “He’s now about two but still acts like a teenager,” said his Mom. In addition to being busy with real estate, Anneis also activelyinvolved with Maine-based Lucky Pups Rescue. She connected with founder Sue Richardson through a friend and said it’s a perfect match. “I wanted to work with a grass roots shelter, rather than a large one as they are generally more well-funded.” Prior to COVID, she did home visits to perspective adoptees. Anne currently assists in garnering monetary support as well as phone interviews with adoptees’ references.“I’ve had some wonderful conversations with people while getting references. Of coursewe connect, as we’re all dog lovers!”

When visiting Anne and Chris at their home, one is greeted by a barrage of barking from an adorable little black pack…who eventually settle down and snuggle in. It’s definitely an animal house and even more so when their kids are home and the pack expands to six dogs and one cat. And Anne and Chris would have it no other way…the more the merrier!

(HouseFinchTeam.com) (LuckyPupsRescue.org) (RescueDogsRockNYC.org)

Bertie, Violet & Cosmo

Cosmo Hard at Work