May 2
...serving up your daily dish.
What is it with 4 Stonebridge Road in the estate section of Montclair and dogs? When we first reported the Junior League of Montclair-Newark had chosen this gorgeous home for its May fundraiser, we ran into the owners’
dog. And at Saturday night’s gala opening, a 12 week old
Bichon-Poo -- described as hypo-allergenic (hair, not fur), gentle, smart, with
a promise not to grow bigger than 10 pounds – stole the show at the
evening’s live auction. The opening bid of $500 had auctioneer
John Terrio refereeing a bidding war that reached $2,000 within seconds. But the Bichon-bidders
were just getting started. When the bid reached a whopping $6,000 for the
cuddly canine -- upping the prior bid of $5,300 -- the astonished auctioneer
paused. In a brilliant fundraising coup, Terrio looked at the
last bidder, saying “you’re going to regret this in the
morning”, then asked (we think he knew the answer), “can we get
another puppy?” The deal was sealed: two pups for $5,300 each to the
final two competing bidders. The princely pups came with crate, pads,
food, and one obedience training class. Total raised at the auction that night: $45,000.
Watching the action: Priceless.
Meanwhile, we still have house and garden envy after our sneak peak tour of the mansion makeover. After 18 months of planning by the JLMN, and four months of decorators,
builders, painters, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers blitzed the
two acre property like guerilla armies, the result is jaw
dropping beautiful. Opening today,there are 28 reinvented spaces - each decorator’s resume is a room. You’ll gasp, drool, and smile
at spaces which are soooo fun. Our favorite funspace: the Tina Turner themed tub room on three. Predictably, a
couple weren’t our style, but what fun is it if you can’t be a little critical?
Leave time for the 16 sumptuously landscaped gardens. Slate patios surrounded by
lush flowered beds, a stone fireplace by the pool, water and rockscapes,
sculpture, fountains, stone paths to Zen meditation spots. Fortunately
most of us have gardens one-hundreth the size, so our dilemma is figuring out
what will work for us. We had a bunch of nice pictures to post here, but the JLMN told us no photography allowed. Here’s my advice: sit outside, dream,
and take your camera sketchpads! It's hard to imagine that it all goes away at the end of May. The home tour - and special events – are expected to raise
$400,000 for the League’s various charities. For information, 973-746-8500 or click here.
May 2, 2006 in Parties We Crashed | Permalink
Awww, he or she is cute but I'd rather have a Labbie.
Posted by: Miss Martta | May 2, 2006 3:08:42 PM
I've got a 20 lb. long haired tabby that craps outside the litter box that I'll sell for a few hundred...
Posted by: RadonMan | May 2, 2006 3:10:57 PM
Over 5 grand per pup, and yet the pounds are full of bigger, sloppier cats and dogs who'll love you to death for free....I guess I can't see the purpose of such an auction, especially not when saving at least one dog or cat from certain death strikes me as the greatest possible charitable action here.
Posted by: cathar | May 2, 2006 3:41:59 PM
I agree with you, Cathar. I feel the same way about people who seek to clone their dead pets.
Posted by: Miss Martta | May 2, 2006 3:43:19 PM
Check out
http://www.petfinder.com/
Put in what your looking for and it will tell you what is available at the local shelters and rescue groups.
Posted by: Bitpusher | May 2, 2006 4:05:06 PM
They should have checked but I believe that auctioning off a live animal in NJ is against the law .
Posted by: JT | May 2, 2006 4:44:15 PM
I think you are right JT - and I agree too with cather - i only hope these cuties dont wind up in the shelter or neglected and that the bidders truely are dog lovers who wont grow tired of same
Posted by: megan | May 2, 2006 5:32:40 PM
I have to second the recommendation of petfinders.com. About eight years ago, our youngest was determined to have a dog and of course there was a long list of requirements (provided mainly by me for sanity's sake). Anyway, after about two months of checking regularly, she found the doggy love of her life at the Hoboken shelter. The rest of us are pretty fond of him too.
Posted by: Kim | May 2, 2006 6:35:10 PM
i think the money goes to a childrens' aids organization or something similar.
Posted by: pentimento | May 2, 2006 6:38:01 PM
I think you should actually check out what this organization does before you dis the people that contribute to it (or the people that participate in the charity auction).
http://www.jlmn.org/
This was a charity auction. The price may be high, but it was for charity.
There are many animals that could benefit from the money spent at the auction. There are also many children who will benefit from the money raised at the auction.
When you are ready to spend as many hours as these women have spent to raise money for children, then I will I will take your comments to heart.
Posted by: Laura | May 2, 2006 9:22:17 PM
megan, I don't think these dogs are going to a pound, really.
Posted by: katie | May 2, 2006 11:54:43 PM
If $5,000 dogs ended up at the pound, it would be the special one with live harpists and cello players for each doggie to enjoy while they ate kobe beef and were groomed by specially trained spider monkeys. Velvet pillows and scratch-proof artificial sapphire kennel windows on the inside, with golf-course quality runs on the outside (stocked with slow cats). Ahhh, poor things....
Posted by: appletony | May 3, 2006 2:27:23 AM
I doubt that people went to this auction looking for bargains. It was, rather, an opportuity to do good and have fun at the same time.
Good work Laura.
Posted by: Bitpusher | May 3, 2006 7:06:30 AM
Bichon-poos do wind up in the pound as does every other "breed" (they aren't recognised by the AKC).
The Jr. League does a great job but it'll be a real shame if this starts a pup auctioning trend.
Posted by: badd_patti | May 3, 2006 7:23:38 AM
I'm sure it was done for a good cause but that doesn't stop it from being poor judgement.
Adopting/acquiring a pet should only be done after careful investigation of the type of pet that is right for you and after interaction between you and the pet. It should never be a spur of the moment action no matter how many people may benifit from the money.
I mean if the cause and the money raised was the only necessary justification I bet they could get a huge price for auctioning off a newborn baby right?
Posted by: Max | May 3, 2006 8:16:44 AM
That last post didn't come from me.
Hey "Max" get your own handle.....
Posted by: maxbe1 | May 3, 2006 9:27:40 AM
I've never seen you before, I've been here for some time and Max is my name so if you don't like it maybe you should change your "handle".
Posted by: Max | May 3, 2006 9:33:57 AM
Patti is correct.. The Jr League does
do a great job.
When the House selected was Michael Strahans', we donated !
For other worthwhile causes, The "Dog Show" that was held at the Ice Skating arena last May... we gave a years' supply of dog food.
And I believe the Window painting by
children (sponsored by the Musuem) is this Saturday!
:)
Posted by: JT | May 3, 2006 9:39:08 AM
Oooooohhhhh, a blog dis. Nothing packs a punch better than a blog dis.
Maybe one of you should go by the handle 'Mad Max.' That would be crazy, yo!
Posted by: The Bird | May 3, 2006 9:40:39 AM
I am thrilled that the Junior League reaches 5000 children-at-risk each year, and helps countless community not-for-profits fulfill their missions to help these needy kids. What an awesome group of volunteer women!
Auctioning live animals is legal, and done all through the year--especially in farming areas. I heard that MAM auctioned a dog recently too.
I also heard that the winning bidders had to be vetted--intentions and ability to understand the animals' needs checked out by the JLMN--before the animals were released to them.
These people thought over their purchases: the puppy and other auction items were described in an advance mailing.
Posted by: Cath | May 3, 2006 10:51:00 AM
Cath,
Thank you for clearing that up. I'm sure that you can understand our concern. Obviously I'm not on the Jr. League mailing list.
Posted by: badd_patti | May 3, 2006 11:12:41 AM
Give me a break, Max! Dogs are not children! Many years ago we "adopted" a dog from PAWS after looking at her for all of minutes. She became a loving and trusted member of the family for over 10 tears, and just think we didn't interact before bringing her home.
The JLMN does a terrific job of raising funds for children in need, and you should be applauding that, not berating them for selling a puppy!
Posted by: Patty | May 3, 2006 11:15:26 AM
Neither would manolo. (one of my favorite blogs)
Posted by: Right of Center™ | May 3, 2006 11:30:09 AM
