The Villages - March 2018 - Cover3

{ For The

Love

oF peTS }

The ForTiers and Crush

Sharing Smiles All
Around The Villages
By MARK ANDERSON | PhOtOS By ROB WILKERSON

MARCH 2018

When you're out and about in The Villages with a
pet, you'd better be prepared to stop for photos, ear rubs
and exclamations of, "Aww, how cute!"
That is certainly the case for Andre and Lucette Fortier and their 8-year-old Samoyed, Crush.
He's a great Villager," Andre said. "You can't go on a
street where people don't stop."
"It takes us an hour to get around the square," Lucette said.
The Samoyed breed originates from northern Russia, where they were used as reindeer herding dogs. The
Samoyed name derives from the Samoyedic people of Siberia, and the breed's iconic white, fluffy fur helped protect the dogs from the cold temperatures of the region.
The Fortiers adopted Crush from White Magic
Samoyeds after he retired from the show circuit a year
ago.
Crush has quite the list of awards and honors,
including multiple distinctions from the American
Kennel Club and the Samoyed Club of America.
For the Fortiers, however, it's less about Crush's
decorated past and more about the future they
have with their fluffy companion.
Crush's past as a show dog has made him very
friendly and accustomed to people wanting to pet
him. Crush rarely barks or whines, and sits faithfully beside his owners while they chat. He even lies
down and crosses his paws while the Fortiers laud him
with compliments, almost as if he recognizes all the
praise and attention he is receiving.
Crush makes it easy for the Fortiers to meet new people around The Villages, and in one case, he even helped
someone else make new friends.
"We had one guy, he said he's a new Villager by
himself and doesn't know anyone," Andre said with a
chuckle. "He said, 'I'll give you my wallet. Just hold on
to it and let me have your dog and I'll walk around the
square and meet people.'"
No matter where they go with Crush, the Fortiers
are used to stopping and chatting with people who just
can't resist taking a photo or giving Crush a pat on the
head.
It's obvious Crush loves all the attention, and the
Fortiers love seeing the smiles he puts on everyone's
faces.
"You cannot have a bad day when he's around,"
Andre said. "Every day's a good day when you're with
Crush."

MAGAZINE

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - March 2018