Springer spaniel breeders get a second chance for love

People say dogs have a good sense of personality. This was the case for two dog breeders who found each other through English springer spaniel competitions.

John and Libby Naimo were two people who shared a love for dogs, specifically springer spaniels, and took part in competitions. They went up against each other many times without knowing that one day they would fall for one another.

John had lived in Jackson, N.J., during the late 1990s, while Libby lived in New England. Despite the distance, the two were familiar with one another because the community of dog breeders was so small. Nonetheless, the couple were not properly acquainted until the summer of 1977.

During that summer, John's wife, who was in her 40s, tragically passed away. He received an overwhelming amount of sympathy cards from breeders and competitors he knew, one of which was from Libby. 

“She had said to me, ‘I’ve kind of been through what you’ve been through. If you’d ever like to talk about it, give me a call; here’s my phone number.’ So I called her,” John said. 

Libby was also a widower and understood the pain of losing a significant other. Because of her involvement with the breeding community, she thought the least she could do was lend an ear. 

John and Libby spoke on the phone several times and bonded over their experience and, of course, over dogs. After establishing a friendship, Libby invited John to New England for a weekend for some sightseeing and a home-cooked meal.

Due to coastal storms and a heavy amount of rain, John and Libby did not get the chance to see much of the New England area. They were forced to stay indoors; however, the trip was far from ruined. 

“It gave us a chance to talk pedigrees; we looked in magazines to look at dogs we liked and really got to know each other,” Libby said.

It also gave Libby a chance to show off her cooking skills as they enjoyed several home-cooked meals, which John did not have much of since his wife’s passing. 

John passed the test when Libby’s favorite dog, Hershey, took a liking to him, which apparently was out of character for Hershey. This made Libby like John even more.

The couple quickly realized their feelings for one another after this trip and their relationship grew from there. In late spring 1998, John and Libby decided it was time to move in together. 

At the time, Libby was self-employed, so she sold her house in New England and moved to New Jersey with John. Shortly after, the couple had a small wedding and honeymoon on an island at a Sandals resort.

As the couple got older and began thinking about semi-retirement, they made the move to Ellendale, where they live now. They are still involved in English springer spaniel breeding and competitions and have owned many generations of that breed themselves.

“It's like a little addiction,” Libby said.

John and Libby currently have two friendly springer spaniels, Finn and Arya, who are pregnant with puppies. 

“We never would have crossed paths if it wasn’t for our dogs. They had a special part to play in our story,” Libby said.