Nonni and Nonno

Janice and Vito Bucco

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At Zia’s, we’re all about family. The land that makes up Zia’s Haven was the property that my grandfather, my Nonno, bought after coming to America from Italy. After years of hard work as a plastering apprentice, he created a plastering company of his own and it took off. He was finally able to purchase a large plot of land, with a barn and beautiful house attached. He was a dog guy, and always had either a beagle or a spaniel at his side. Buffy, Abraham, Ben or Sam to name a few. It is because of how hard he worked and how dedicated he was that we are able to enjoy ‘the Haven’ as it is today.

 

My grandmother, Janice, we called her Nonni, actually came up with the idea for Zia’s Doggie Haven herself. After the death of my Nonno in 2019, she was thinking of something to do with the land she owned, feeling the loss of her husband more and more as the yard sat unused. She knew I had been walking and hiking dogs, and casually mentioned to me one day “How about you bring your dogs here? It’s already all fenced in. They would love it.” And thus, Zia’s Doggie Haven was born.

 

My grandmother was very special to me, I am like her in many ways, especially in my love for dogs. She had always loved dogs, from the mutts she grew up with as a girl, to the beagles and spaniels she took care of throughout the years, to her trusty sidekick, rescue dog Gordo, who she called ‘Gordo the Wonderdog’. So, her granddaughter starting a dog business at her house was perfect for her. She would frequently come out of the house with her pockets STUFFED with treats. The dogs would hear the front door shut and they would take off to find Nonni and her treats. She loved all of the dogs who have been to Zia’s. From the little ones, to the big ones, Nonni always knew to stick her hand under their chin to let them take a good sniff before going for the pet. She just knew dogs, how to be around them, how to talk to them, how to get their affection by giving them tons of treats. It came naturally to her, like it does for me. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 2023 she was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away in July of that year. Her memory lives on at Zia’s every day, whether it be in the massive treat barrel she always kept loaded with healthy treats for the dogs or in the sound of that front door shutting, and the dogs taking off, looking for their Nonni treat.

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It is without saying that these two people in my life had a role in forming my love of dogs. I spent lots of time at their house as a kid, I often would find an old leash and "walk" their dogs around the yard. Nonno would tell me to take off the leash, let them free, let them roam, let them do what they naturally do. I told him I wanted to be a dog walker when I grew up. Who knew it would turn into something so much more meaningful!? 

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So this business, everything we do, is rooted in their love for dogs and love for me. I am lucky to have known them, never mind be their granddaughter, as all their dogs have surely felt as well.