Sarah LesslerJennifer Januzis founded Double J Farm, a competitive training barn, in 2015. Based in Pittstown, New Jersey, during the summer, and Wellington, Florida, in the winter, she has a wide variety of clients and horses competing in all types of classes, from young jumpers to junior and amateur hunter and jumper divisions. Her students have won championships at prestigious shows such as Upperville, Lake Placid, and the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF).
“The second I graduated college, I got my first rescue dog, and that is how it spiraled out of control once I learned about rescues. I decided that would be the only kind of dog I wanted because they needed homes. I started off with large German shepherd-lab mixes. Then I happened to get Hector, a Dachshund mix, from Danny & Ron’s Rescue (D&RR) when I ran into them one day at WEF. Tragically, he was hit by a car, but, because of him, my husband and I fell in love with the breed. D&RR’s Kim Tudor called to tell us that they had just gotten a surrendered Dachshund. Coincidentally, he was injured by a car nearly the same day as Hector. Now, we have three Dachshunds from Danny and Ron: Charlie, Frank, and Boone, as well as a brindle mutt, Winnie, from a local rescue.
I don’t know if I attract a certain clientele, but our barn is filled with rescues, and mostly from Danny and Ron. There are nine here now. They all get along and fall in line. We really have a great group of clients, dogs, and horses at the moment.
My Dachshund, Charlie, who is also the smallest, is, without question, the leader of the pack. He’s quick to point out any bad behavior. He is the police, the one in charge. Charlie is like a human in dog form.
Frank is a stereotypical Dachshund. He is definitely a one-person dog—me—although he does love my husband. He’s quiet and keeps to himself. Frank doesn’t get involved in the hijinks with the others.
Boone is the life of the party. He is effervescent, happy to be alive every day, and loves everyone. Boone is the official greeter of the group.
Winnie is timid but extremely loyal to the people she knows. It’s like she was born already trained, and she adds a very calm presence at the barn.
Danny and Ron are transparent about what kind of life the dogs lived before adopting them out. They talked with the prior owners and gave me a pretty good idea of why the dogs were given up, what was not working out in their homes, and what they would need to transition into a new home.
Winnie’s litter was found in the woods in Tennessee. My first group of dogs was brindle in color, and when they passed away, I felt like I needed another, which was when Winnie arrived. She was fostered by my friend’s mom, and I was instantly drawn to her when I saw her picture.
It was the same thing with the Dachshunds. Charlie came into my life because he was hit by a car right after my dog Hector. Danny and Ron paid for his surgery, and then he came to me. Frank and Boone arrived shortly after. They’re the best group of dogs I’ve ever had.
The amazing thing is when you get a dog from Danny and Ron, it feels like you’ve received a dog from a family. What sets them apart from other rescues is they are so one-on-one with the dogs.
It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been; when I see them at the horse show, they will always ask me about Charlie, Frank, or Boone, and we’ll remember Hector and how sad it was to lose him. That, for me, is so meaningful.
To read more Barn Dog stories click here and to learn more about Danny and Ron’s rescue, check out Equestrian Livings Feature on them here or check out their website.