Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2019

92 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MtPleasant.pet | www.CharlestonBrides.com holds conversation through sounds, looks and paw moves. He shakes and wags his whole body whenever he sees them. Coming home to Rusty makes them feel like the most important people in the world. He completes their family. He is family. JIM AND MELISSA KUBU Jim is a field examiner for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He serves our veterans by ensuring they receive the benefits they have so greatly earned and richly deserve. Melissa is a program coordinator in the Volunteer Services Department for the Medical University of South Carolina. She coordinates volunteers for the Children’s and Women’s Hospital. No stranger to volunteering, Melissa has spent a great deal of her life serving others and giving back to her community by working with nonprofits and service clubs. When you ask either of them about their family, they both smile and are happy to whip out their smart phones, flip through their photo gallery and show you pictures of Jamison, 9, Olivia, 6, and Hank, their 9-year-old goldendoodle rescue. Hank has been with Jim and Melissa since he was a puppy. Extended family members and close acquaintances know him as “Hanky Doodle Dandy.” Hank entered the Kubu home with impeccable timing. Struggling with the recent loss of Porter, their 9-year-old yellow Lab, days were difficult to navigate without that special dog in their lives. Close friends rescued Hank and were desperately trying to find a forever home for the adorable puppy. The pain of losing Porter played over and over in both their minds, and they were reluctant about opening up their hearts again. After many days and much deliberation, they concluded this puppy deserved to be loved, and they had oodles of doodle love for him. Hank had found his forever home. Jamison was a year old, Olivia came several years later and Hank fell right in line as one of the kids. Whenever Jim decides to wrestle with the kids, Hank is quick to jump in on some of the action. The same applies to food. A snack staple in their home is peanut-butter-filled pretzel nuggets. Hank has a fetish for them, as do Jamison and Olivia. When he hears the container, he comes running right along with them. They dole out PBP treats to all three! Given Hank’s original upbringing, Jim and Melissa have had to make adjustments to accommodate him. Before his arrival, Hank spent most of his first year of life chained to a tree outside, even when it was freezing cold. It required a great deal of love, patience and time for him to learn that he was part of the family. Hank still is a bit of a flight risk, so a set of eyes are on him at all times. He loves the beach, and racing up and down the coastline seems to bring him his greatest joy. According to Melissa, “Hank has brought a lot of happiness into our Photo by Jeanne Taylor. Jim and Melissa Kubu with Hank the goldendoodle and their two human children, Jamison and Olivia. mount pleasant pets Pet Turf Artificial Lawns Putting Greens Golf Turf Playgrounds Athletic Fields Saltwater Resistant Turf For a FREE Estimate, call Marty at 843.618.6611 today! PalmettoMoonSyntheticTurf.com