b"In Dog We Trust ConundrumLeads To Serendipitous Ending.Story and photography by Anna CookeIt was the typo seen all over the world - in print, broadcast and After the press conference, we met and spoke with Captainsocial media. Five rugs, ordered by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Mike Leiner, Public Relations Division of PCSO. In an email toOffice(PCSO),weretofeaturethedepartment'ssealand Captain Greiner later that day I suggested that the Sheriffs storyinclude the words In God We Trust. Four of the five rugs were about his family adopting a senior dog, revealed a human andmade correctly, while the fifth rug, prominently displayed in the humanesidethatwouldresonatewithourreaders.Inthatmain lobby entrance of the departments headquarters for two regard, I queried him about the possibility of interviewing Mr.months, was imprinted with In DogWe Trust. Gualtieri and his family including daughter Lauren, in a relaxedThe faux pas was first reported on January 14 by Adam Z. setting of his choosing.Winer of Tampa Bays ABC Action News, who posted a picture Captain Leiner responded with The Sheriff has requestedon his Twitter page with the words unfortunate typo. As it you contact him directly on his cellphone to discuss the details.wentviral,dogenthusiastsevery- After putting a call in to the Sheriff,wherebeggedtodifferwiththe I immediately heard back from hisdescription, pointing out the obvi- wife, Lauralee who graciously invit-ous: God spelled backwards is Dog. ed me to their home.and providedIt was kismet. accesstoallfamilymembers.petsInitiallyembarrassedbythe included. gaffe,departmentstaffersrelegated The visit began as expectedathe rug to storage. But, on January ringing doorbell eliciting barks from15,TheNewBarkeremailedthe excited dogs announcing my arrival.office of Sheriff Bob Gualtieri with I was welcomed inside by Lauraleea suggestion that his office put the Westine, Laurens mom, an attorneyrug up for auction and donate the andthewifeofSheriffBobmoney to a local shelter or rescue Gualtieri. The description Gualtierigroup. Surely, someone would love gave of his home during the pressto have the rug. Later that same day, conferencewasaccurateinallthe PCSO sent out a press release respects, inside and out. Surroundedconfirming they would auction off by other homes and overlooking anthe rug with the proceeds going to Bella, formally known as Annabelle, was adopted by the expansivegolfcourse,thisurbanCanine Estates, a Florida sanctuary Gualtieri family from Canine Estates. She is the farm includes a secure and screened-inspiration behind the $10,000 check.for homeless dogs. When the bid- in patio dedicated to a menagerie ofding ended on January 21, the winner was a generous donor pets, including rabbits and guinea pigs, each with their ownwho pledged $9,500. On January 28, Sheriff Gualtieri held a abode. And all of them adopted. The dogs and cats are comfort-pressconferencetopresentthechecktoCanineEstates ablewanderinginandoutofthearea,unfazedbyitall.founders. The Florida State Elks organization chipped in $500 Clearly, this is a home with lots of love. Lauralee philosophized,to make the check an even $10,000. We were told that the per- kindness is free.son who won the rug wanted to remain anonymous. This per- Lauralee grew up with lots of animals, so she knows theyson has ties with law enforcement and is a dog lover, was the will always be a part of her life. Her children have been raisedonly information the Sheriff allowed. to have that same love, respect, devotion and responsibility forMany people wondered how Canine Estates was selected to animals. Lauralee and Bob met during the summer of 1994. Shebe the lucky recipient of this generous largess. Sheriff Gualtieri was a law clerk at the US Attorneys Office and he was a caseexplained that he and his family adopted a senior dog from the agent. While they were dating, it was clearly understood that thissanctuary,andreallylikedwhattheyweredoing.Gualtieri, was anall or nothing relationshipLauralee and her pets werewhose presence in the media rarely shows him smiling, faced the a package deal. crowd of reporters, (many of whom were there for a second Abouttwoyearsago,whenthefamilydecidedtoaddpress conference to hear his stance on medical marijuana) and another dog to their home, Lauren and Lauralee visited Caninebroke into a big smile as he gave a glimpse into his personal life. Estates, a Palm Harbor sanctuary that devotes most of its effortsOur home is like an urban farm, he told us. We have and resources to caring for senior and sick or injured dogs. Thedogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs, he added. Lauren, our nine- all-volunteer group mainly pulls small dogs about to be eutha-year-old daughter, actually picked out the dog, a 13-year-old nized from high kill shelters. The dogs are vetted, cared for andMaltese, who was only supposed to live another 60 days or so. nursed back to optimum health.That was 18 months ago. Continued on the following page gwww.TheNewBarker.com Spring ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 41"