Pet of the Week: Meet Steve, 90 Pounds of Furry Fun
A designer’s Great Pyrenees, who’s grown substantially since his puppy days, is both a willing model and a couch potato
The American Kennel Society says Great Pyrenees dogs are calm, patient and smart. That may describe Steve now, but when he was a 35-pound puppy, the Great Pyrenees was the energetic life of the party when accompanying owner and interior designer Pangaea on photo shoots. These days, he’s a hefty 90-pound stay-at-home companion for Pangaea’s husband, Miles, who mostly works from home, and playmate for the couple’s other animals.
Ready for my close-up: When he was a puppy, Steve was a natural in front of the camera.
Here’s Steve posing during a photo shoot at a design project in Tualatin, Oregon, when he was 3 months old. He was too young for doggie day care, so Pangaea brought him to the shoot and he took to the camera like a Hollywood star.
Here’s Steve posing during a photo shoot at a design project in Tualatin, Oregon, when he was 3 months old. He was too young for doggie day care, so Pangaea brought him to the shoot and he took to the camera like a Hollywood star.
“As my photographer, Jeff Freeman, set up the shot and checked lighting, Steve ignored us and just investigated the rooms,” Pangaea says. “But the instant Jeff would put his eye to the camera to take the shot, Steve would come running over and lie down right in the middle of the room, posing for all the world as if we were paying him to do it.”
Today’s Steve: Now, Steve is more of a stay-at-home dog. As the junior member of the pack, he loves playing with his two “big sisters,” who are also 90 pounds — Zuri, another Great Pyrenees rescue, who is 4, and Izzy, an 8-year-old black Lab mix.
“He plays with them tirelessly all day,” Pangaea says. The good-natured Steve also gets along famously with the household felines. He “lets our two kitties, a calico named Lucy and a black longhair kitty named Ceelo, rub against him and snuggle next to him,” she says.
“He plays with them tirelessly all day,” Pangaea says. The good-natured Steve also gets along famously with the household felines. He “lets our two kitties, a calico named Lucy and a black longhair kitty named Ceelo, rub against him and snuggle next to him,” she says.
Daily routine: Instead of accompanying Pangaea on design shoots, now “Steve is doing some really important work every day,” she says. Her husband, Miles, works at home most days, finding resources for the mentally ill, which can be “extremely stressful” work, she says.
Chill pill: Steve and the other dogs take Miles for a daily walk along the Sandy River. Steve also provides “fur therapy” by cuddling on the couch, and sometimes thinks he’s a lap dog. “Hilarious! My husband is no small guy at 6’2”, and look at my big baby dog now!”
Chill pill: Steve and the other dogs take Miles for a daily walk along the Sandy River. Steve also provides “fur therapy” by cuddling on the couch, and sometimes thinks he’s a lap dog. “Hilarious! My husband is no small guy at 6’2”, and look at my big baby dog now!”
Around the house: There’s clearly no rule about animals on the furniture in this household. Pangaea designed this sectional specifically to fit three dogs and two humans. Living on an acre near forest where the dogs play in mud and dirt, something durable and cleanable was a must. When choosing the sectional’s fabric and color, she took two samples of “taupey-gray fabric and rubbed them on the floor to see which one blended better with the dirt.”
Pets first: Pangaea says she loves helping clients with pets create great spaces while enjoying their animals. “I believe that our pets should live with us in our homes, and I believe our homes and decor should serve us … not us living to serve the home and decor.”
Read more about pets and design
Pets first: Pangaea says she loves helping clients with pets create great spaces while enjoying their animals. “I believe that our pets should live with us in our homes, and I believe our homes and decor should serve us … not us living to serve the home and decor.”
Read more about pets and design
Pet: Steve, a Great Pyrenees
Age: 2½
Location: Sandy, Oregon
Owner: Pangaea, who goes by that name only, owner of Pangaea Interior Design in Portland, Oregon