Long time resident Bob Bick hopes to gather interested fellow residents in order to begin preliminary plans for a community dog park in Shelburne. To learn more about the dog park see the story on page **. Here are some details about Bob's life and love of dogs.

Family: Not surprisingly, Bob and his wife, Carol, met through their mutual affection for dogs. Carol was interested in purchasing an English setter puppy. Bob bred English setters. One year after purchasing her first English setter, Carol came back for a second puppy and got Bob as a part of the deal. Consequently, they have been married for 37 years. Bob and Carol have two daughters, Lienne, 30, and Sophie, 20. Sophie lives in Boston and works for the Berklee College of Music. Lienne lives in Shelburne and works at Centerpoint Adolescent Treatment Services. Lienne has two children, Ona, eight, and Ari, five.  

Education: Bob grew up in Massachusetts. He spent a number of years in college at the University of Hawaii on the Oahu campus. He notes that tuition at that time was $116 per semester. Bob finished his college years at the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology. After that, he attended graduate school at the University of Hartford and received a master's degree in clinical psychology. Initially, Bob wanted to become a veterinarian, but after working for a veterinarian early on in his college years, he realized that it was probably not the right choice for him.

Career: After graduate school, Bob began work as the director of an adolescent residential treatment program in Massachusetts. He and his wife worked as house parents in a group home that had as many as 15 children in the home at one time. The children Bob and his wife worked with had developmental disabilities and emotional challenges. Bob worked in this program for three to four years before Carol and he moved to Rhode Island. There he became a clinical director for the parent company of the organization he had worked for previously. In this position, Bob supervised programming throughout New England.

The next step in Bob's life was to take a year off and become a stay at home dad. His wife owned a gift shop and balloon delivery business, which he says was one of the first of its kind in the country.

After this year at home, Bob and Carol decided they wanted to move to Vermont. A job opening soon became available at the Champlain Drug and Alcohol Services, and Bob took it. He became the executive director for the company, which 10 years later, merged with Howard Mental Health and the Baird Center to become the HowardCenter. Bob is currently position the HowardCenter‘s director of mental health and substance abuse services.

Favorite food: Chocolate

Hobbies: "My dogs," reading, and cartooning

Favorite Music: My daughter's music (Sophie), and New Age. Bob also likes the soundtrack from "Les Miserables."

Favorite Movie: "Being There"

First Concert: Jimmy Hendrix - first row seats at a show in Hawaii. After the concert, Hendrix went to a nearby park and played, "Sitting in a Tree."

Bucket List: Visit China and Japan, see my grandchildren go to college, and find a way to let my wife retire.