Tim Kondas recently joined the Canine Adventure crew, and took a few minutes (between splashing along the banks of the river and leading local dogs on Adventure Walks) to sit down with us and answer some questions about himself and his pets.
Tim poses with Zosia
Pets’ name/age/species:
Zosia, 5 years old. Lab/Pit mix (she looks like a halfscale black lab.)
Serveta, 8 years old. Gray & white cat.
Bob, 22 years old. Eastern Painted turtle.
How did your pets come to live with you?
Zosia: adopted from the Richmond SPCA.
Serveta: replied to an online classified ad, turns out it was the fiance’ of an old middle school friend!
Bob: Caught him as a baby in the pond at Deep Run Park when I was 10 years old, had him ever since.
Do any of your pets have an awesome trick?
Serveta is blind, but you’d never know it he gets along so well! I literally did not notice anything out of the ordinary for the first week he lived with me. Zosia doesn’t do much but she’s incredibly loving. She’s also good at running alongside my bicycle.
Serveta
What are your pets’ worst habit?
Zosia is a bed hog, and Serveta always tries to attack your shoelaces when you’re trying to put your shoes on. Also, you can forget about a closed door in the house with him around.
What would your pets say your worst habit is?
Probably all the stupid songs I make up about them and sing to them all the time.
What do your pets know about you that no one else does?
They know to keep their furry mouths shut if they want to keep getting fed.
Bob
Common wisdom is that people look like their pets – do you and your pet look alike?
Aesthetically, I can only wish I was as good looking as them! I think our similarities are more in personality and temperament. I’m fairly convinced my genetic makeup is 90% feline.
Aside from the parks and trails around town, where do you and your pets like to hang out?
Zosia loves to hang out with me in the backyard and garage. Serveta loves sitting right by my side whenever I’m on the couch. Bob usually keeps to his tank.
If you were a dog, what type of dog would you be?
A Corgi. We both have disproportionately short legs.
Serveta and Zosia napping together
What is the best part about your job with Canine Adventure?
Getting paid to hike and play with all kinds of wonderful dogs! There’s been a number of times when I’ve been out on the trail and thought to myself that I need to quit goofing off and get to work, only to remember that I AM at work! It’s also incredibly rewarding working with the fearful or difficult dogs and being able to make progress with them, that will translate to a more enjoyable life for them as well as their adopted family. I also love the sponsored walks through RACC and RAL! With the help of our wonderful and generous sponsors, I’m able to show a shelter dog what may well be the best day she’s had so far in her life.
