Over the past year, we’ve interviewed many members of the hospitality industry, and one constant among the interviewees has been a profound love for their pets. We thought it would be great to share this love with our readers. That’s why we launched a new, ongoing feature called “Wag Wednesday” to showcase industry peeps and their pets.
This week, we’re featuring Katie Sullivan and Andrew Gilbert of The Seven Dials and their shelter dogs, Edward and Lucy:
![Andrew Gilbert and Katie Sullivan of The Seven Dials](https://miamifoodpug.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/seven-dials-katie-and-andy1.jpg "Andrew Gilbert and Katie Sullivan of The Seven Dials | <a href="http://www.billwisserphoto.com">Source</a>")
Your Names: Katie Sullivan & Andrew Gilbert
Your Pets’ Names: Edward & Lucy
Sex: Male and Female
Age: 10ish & 6ish
Breed: Jack Russell Terrier & Greyhound(ish) Mix (we don’t know)
How did you come to own your dog(s)? What drew you to them?
They are both shelter dogs … We adopted Edward first when we still lived in NYC. He’s from Long Island and was born deaf. He does know a little bit of sign language, though. He knows the hand motions for sit, and he can do a couple of tricks. He’s definitely the smart one.
Lucy is from the Miami-Dade shelter, and we adopted her a few months after we moved down to Miami. She was a stray, but had clearly been mistreated by someone in her past. She was terrified and didn’t leave the safety of the kitchen for a few days after we got her. It took a couple of months before she would let herself fall asleep around us … She had some trust issues. But she snapped out of it one day and now she is super happy and outgoing.
How would you describe your dog’s personality?
Edward is very smart … Because he is deaf, he is always watching everything around him. It drives him nuts if he can’t see your face or look out windows. He used to be super energetic and crazy, but he’s mellowed out as he’s gotten older. He’s an escape artist, which is a big issue because of the deafness. You can’t call him back and he can’t hear cars so we have to be really careful with him. Lucy is definitely not the smart one, but she is very sweet and has a silly streak. She likes to flop on top of you like a seal and give hugs, and she really likes to watch TV.
How has owning a pet made your life richer?
It’s always nice to come home to wagging tails and happy dogs. The restaurant industry can be so hectic and crazy, and walking them can be a welcome and relaxing break during the day that we probably wouldn’t bother with otherwise.
It’s said that dogs reflect their owners and vice versa. How does this apply to you and yours?
I don’t know how much we reflect each other, but we certainly all fit well together. Edward and Lucy get along swimmingly and they both get anxious when the other one isn’t around,
Tell us a funny story about your and your dog.
All the funny stories probably involve poop or dog farts, so would maybe not be appropriate for a food blog … Edward was once involved in a stand-off with a baby possum on the other side of our patio door. Neither of them moved for about 30 minutes … Poor little possum was frozen with fear and just could not snap out of it while Edward harassed him through the glass.
Are you involved in any pet organizations or philanthropies?
We are members of Deaf Dogs Rock, which supports deaf dog education and rescue. Thousands of puppies are put down every year because they are born deaf. There was always this idea that deaf puppies would become aggressive dogs because they can’t hear you coming and would lash out when startled, but it’s not true. It’s all about training them and making sure they get used to being around people…
We follow a lot of dog social media accounts like Doug the Pug and Menswear Dog. Do you? Which are your favorites?
I tend to go for Jack Russell-related social media accounts … Cutest dogs ever.