A GSP x Lab and a Bengal x Tabby named after Italian football clubs. The Scudetto is the Italian Football Championship created in the 1920s.
We had a photoshoot with this dynamic dog cat duo, Roma and Lazio, and wanted to dive in deeper. We believe our community becomes stronger when we share our stories with each other, and so we get to know our clients one story at a time. We spoke with their humans to get more insight into their adventures together. Follow their daily adventures on Instagram @the.scudetto
READ THEIR STORY
Q: Introduce yourselves and your pets!
Roma is our twenty-three month, 3/4 German Shorthaired Pointer and 1/4 Lab. Lazio is our fourteen month, orange Tabby and Bengal mix.
We both had pets growing up. I had a German Shorthaired Pointer, and my partner had many cats throughout his whole life. I always knew I would get another dog in my life but needed to wait until being done with school. Once we finally got established in our careers we decided to take the plunge. Starting with one dog and one cat, and will hopefully add another dog to the pack in a couple of years.
Q: What inspired you to have pets? Have you always had pets?
I just love animals. I think they add something unique in life that compares to nothing else. I had a long break while in many years of schooling, but I couldn’t wait until I could finally have animals again. Thankfully my partner was on board.
Q: Tell us how you chose their names!
My partner and I met on the soccer field, and both of us are half Italian and grew up watching Italian soccer. On our first date, we learned that we both watched and rooted for Roma while growing up in the Italian soccer league. We wanted to choose the name that connected both of us and Roma was the winner. Then when little Lazio came along, we picked his name because it’s Roma’s rival team in the Italian soccer league. Hence, the Scudetto.
Q: What led you to find your pets?
We were planning to get a purebred German Shorthaired Pointer, and we were talking to breeders all over the country. There were a couple opportunities for us to acquire one, but it just never felt right (the timing, particular pups, etc.). One of the breeders we were speaking to spoke about one of their solid black purebred GSPs they had planned to breed in the future and we saw a photo, and thought it was just the most beautiful looking dog. Of course knowing how rare they are, we figured that would never happen. We were just about to put a deposit down for one particular breeder’s next litter in March 2023 when we spontaneously discovered Roma’s puppy photo in October 2022, and learned she was 3/4 GSP (mom was half lab). We got in touch with the breeder and met the dog, and it was a done deal. We were sold – it just felt right!
Around May-June of the next year, we started casually looking around for kittens. We had always wanted an Abyssinian, but breeders in western Canada were few and far between. I love the Abyssinians, but I also always wanted an orange cat. My partner was more interested in the more exotic breeds like Abyssinians, Bengals and Savannahs. We looked around for a while and eventually found these Bengal orange tabby crosses. We both thought they were just the most beautiful cats, and it didn’t take long before one of them (little Lazio) was on the way from Alberta to our home in British Columbia.
Q: What do you love about being a pet owner?
The bond with each of the animals. Every single relationship is different and every bond is special. I also love learning with regards to all the training and progressing in dog sports.
Q: What, if any, challenges along the way?
Navigating Lazio was a bit challenging at times just because he is so vocal, and requires so much stimulation and activity. Thankfully he’s also incredibly smart, sweet, social, and adventurous, so we could incorporate him into lots of Roma’s adventures and activities.
Q: What are the top three training tools / tips / treats you use the most often? Why do you like them?
What I’ve learned in the process of my training is that the training is most successful as the bond strengthens. Consistency and repetition/practice is of course important, but I really noticed Roma being more in tune to me and all of a sudden very reliable with the recall once we were in the dog sports classes. Our bond further developed as we progressed through various classes/levels together and she really began to turn a corner with her other training and commands. We use K9 Leadership for tracking, and Extraordinary Canines and West Coast Dog Sports for scent work/odour detection.
Q: When are they most in their elements?
Roma loves being in the forest and in the water. Lazio loves being anywhere with Roma.
Q: Do your pets have any silly quirks? What are they?
Roma loves to give side eye and booping noses with people, and Lazio is super vocal and makes a lot of different kinds of sounds I’ve never heard cats make. He also loves launching himself off of walls and doing acrobatics.
Q: What activity does your pet enjoy most outdoors?
Roma loves running and swimming and pointing at birds. Lazio likes chasing Roma and hunting everything.
Q: What has your pet taught you about yourselves?
We have learned to be patient in our training. Training takes time and animals also needs time to develop and mature.
Q: If someone was interested getting a pet, what information would you advise to look for?
Breeding health is always really important. Also, of course, to understand the dog’s breed or breeds (if mixed), to understand what kinds of activities it will need in order to feel satisfied
Q: What refills your cup in your spare time?
Snuggling or adventuring with Roma and Lazio.
Thank you to The Scudetto for sharing their story with us.
We will be featuring some of our past clients over the next weeks’ and months, some local pet businesses and some pet features. Each with their own unique story to share. Follow us on instagram to ensure you don’t miss the next publication!
