Our family has been smitten with Missy since the day we met her.

About six years ago, we decided to get a dog. We carefully researched which dog would fit well with our family and our lifestyle. After about six months of reading about different types of dogs ( and there are a lot out there, more than I ever knew!) it finally came down to the Jack Russell Terrier. The bright, spunky personality and funny playfulness of this wonderful breed sounded inviting to us.

We found a breeder in Tamaqua ( a territory of the Poconos and about one hour away from Bethlehem) who had a seven week old Jack Russell puppy for sale. She told me that the female puppy she had left was the runt of the litter but would make a sweet little pet for us. So, one Saturday morning in October, the girls and I went for a picturesque autumn drive to the Poconos to find our new addition to the family. We drove and drove and about one and half hours later, we finally had to ask one of the local guys standing near the edge of his property with his pet goat to help us with directions. Luckily, he was able to help us out, and a few minutes later, we found the breeder's farm.

Now, before we arrived at the farm, I told Courtney and Shannon to behave very cool and nonchalant about the dog and not make a big deal about her as I wanted to try and lower the price. As I turned into the driveway of the breeder's house, we saw her sitting on the steps, waiting for us, with a tiny puppy. Our first image of Missy was this little bitty butterball of a dog waddling towards us. Without thinking, all three of us jumped out of the car to see who could get to the puppy first! Thankfully I was given a quote over the phone. If not, she could have quoted twice as much.

On the drive back home, we were so excited and trying to decide on the name for our new furry baby, but we decided to wait to talk to Bill for his input too.The most surprising moment of all is the way this little puppy and Bill bonded immediately.

More than five years have passed since that crisp October day. At that time, the girls were still in the middle school, barely into their teenage years. Today, Courtney is in college, Shannon will graduate high school this year and Missy is reaching her middle age status in dog years. But even so, Missy hasn't lost her spirit, and that's why she's our company's mascot.

Without a doubt, finding our little Missy and having her a part of our lives, not only at home but at work too, has been one of our greatest enjoyments.