Master Class with Three Living Works of Art
Arundel-on-the-Bay has certainly gone to the dogs. Christina Buckner and her horde moved in about 3 years ago, and the place hasn't been the same since. With two Irish Wolfhounds (DaVinci and Mozart) and her Great Dane (Picasso), Christina is good at staying busy.
Christina always liked Annapolis. She has friends in the area, knows there’s music any night of the week, and there’s always something to do. Raised in Arnold, Maryland, she’s a big fan of the area, and is always out doing something fun and adventurous.
A technical project manager and systems engineer for a small cybersecurity company, Christina has the luxury of telecommuting. Having that option allows her extra time with her family members--especially her Great Dane, Picasso, who needs a little extra TLC as of late. Christina's two Irish Wolfhounds couldn't be more different form each other. Mozart is very outgoing and lovable, whereas DaVinci tends to be a bit shy till he gets to know you. All of her dogs are full of love and are very sociable and friendly, and you find yourself doing a special dance upon meeting them, as they are very affectionate--all 160 pounds of them!
Dog shows are a big thing for Christina. Her parents took her to them when she was a child, and she fell in love with the various breeds. She later started showing her own dogs. She notes that Mozart recently got his Grand Champion. Additionally, she is active in a Great Dane rescue organization, and has served as an officer for well over a decade. Christina also likes the interaction she gets with people of similar interests. She thinks it's also a great way to find a breeder that is a good fit. Mozart has such a wonderful personality that Christina is looking to add one of his relations to her family in the future. She likes that he is very outgoing, calm and loving. She says that the breeder described one litter saying, "These puppies are traveling salesmen..." as they get along with anybody at all.
When asked about the names of her pups, Christina explains that one came with the name, while others have names that go with the letter of their litter...so DaVinci was a D-litter dog. After she had a couple Renaissance dogs in her horde, she thought that she might as well stick to the pattern of great artists, so along came Mozart. Other dog names Christina has used over the years include: Isis, Fenway, Falkor (the Luckdragon from "The Never Ending Story"), Bentley, and Gavin. A potential future addition to her pack may be the name Figaro...
Volunteering with the dog rescue is only part of Christina's public service. She also is a trained disaster responder and deployed to Louisiana for Hurricane Gustav in 2008. She became interested in helping in such a capacity after Hurricane Katrina and is now Community Emergency Responders Team (CERT) certified and is even a CERT trainer.
If one were to take a gander at Christina's nightstand, they'd find tons of leadership and management books. She is a strong advocate and believer in mentoring and put together a mentorship program at work and is the lead mentor at her company. Mentoring is something she enjoys very much.
Christina is driven to help people. Whether it be for personal or professional reasons, she is always willing to lend a hand (Or yes, throw a dog a bone...) Helping people is in her DNA and she's always been this way. Living an independent, full, and happy life, Christina's calendar is packed. With those activities comes a lot of joy, and fun and fulfillment, whether it be hand to hand, nose to nose, cuddle to cuddle, or nap to nap...
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