1-1 Premeier Issue FINAL PROOF.pdf Holiday 2013 | Page 29

Debra fit right in, caring tenderly for the goat kids and taking wonderfully to the human ones as well. The family quickly appreciated her sweet nature, although roving predators did not. But when the children were busy with their home-schooling, or the goats were keeping to themselves, Jessica and David thought Debra seemed lonely in the field. So, in magnanimity apparently endemic to their family, they adopted for her a mate: another Great Pyrenees, Samson. The two dogs interacted so well, and exhibited such charming personalities that the Battlesteins decided to breed them, if for no other reason than to see what darlings they might yield. As it turned out, those first puppies were so fantastic that the family decided to dedicate themselves and Rehoboth farms to proper dog breeding. In the subsequent months, they built a kennel, adopted more Great Pyrenees, and registered everyone with the American Kennel Club. Astonishingly, the narrative to that point—loving parents cultivating a beautiful family and building a small farm, adopting a dog and later her mate, all ending in lots and lots of adorable puppies—is not the Disney part of the Battlesteins’ tale. In the summer of 2011, Disney was looking for four very specific dogs with precise dimensions, dispositions, and at particular stages of development. Essentially, they were looking for puppies possessing a very precise “Christmacality” for an upcoming film: “Santa Paws 2.” One can imagine Disney’s resources and the scope of their reach, scouring the nation until they found just the right pups. As it turned out, their eye landed on Rehoboth Farms, right here in Pittsboro, 29 more a