PUPPY LOVE PAIR RAISED FAMILY, LABS IN 60 YEARS AS SPOUSES.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS 

Staff Writer

SAUGUS - They've shared four homes, held hands as they toured nearly all of Europe, kept a successful business going and raised two children and 3,800 Labrador retriever puppies.

On Wednesday, George Bruegger, 90, and his wife, Josephine, 84, will celebrate 60 years of marriage, and they're finally semi-retiring.

Josephine, or Jo as she likes to be called, said it still surprises her to hear how long they've been married.

"I can't believe we made it this far sometimes," she said with a smile.

She was an energetic 24-year-old secretary when she met George, then a successful aerospace-engineering executive.

Their dashing good looks as young adults are revealed in Jo's photograph collection, and each was popular with the opposite sex before the two met each other, but their connection was instant.

"I knew I'd marry her," George said. "She's just a great lady."

"He was fun," she added.

Their love is evident in the gentle looks he gives her or the way she repeats sentences for him in case he didn't hear the first time. And there's that special connection that really bonds this couple.

"There is something special about helping a Labrador deliver her puppies, making sure they're crying and breathing, and putting the puppies up against their momma's nipples," Jo said.

Raising puppies is more than a job for the Brueggers. It's a passion. They breed and sell the dogs and frequently hear back from new owners who invariably send pictures.

No corner of the kennel offices of Bruegger Labs has been left unmarked by these photographs. Running out of room on his walls, George has filled 18 photo albums with pictures of puppies with their new owners.

"Everyone went home with the best dog," George said.

George's dogs -- yellow, chocolate and fox-red Labrador retrievers -- have made celebrity status, too. Many of the puppies have been used in commercials and films.

"Every time we see a commercial with Labradors, we think it must be one of ours," Jo said.

Celebrity owners of Bruegger dogs include Kevin Costner, "Cheers" star George Wendt and even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I asked Maria (Shriver) for a picture, but she said she couldn't give me one for security reasons," George said.

The Brueggers still help deliver the puppies, but these days their daughter raises them at her ranch in Modesto.

"Raising puppies is a lot of work, and when you're old you get tired," George said.

But he still seems to be keeping age at bay. He tends to his 11 Labradors by himself, feeding and showering them and giving them their vaccines.

There's no chance he'll hire a kid in the neighborhood to help out.

"Youngsters don't know a dog's tail from its head."

Jo finds that her daily dose of Starbucks espresso helps keep her on her toes.

The two celebrated their 60 years together during the weekend with a small gathering of family and friends -- a list they say has become shorter over the years. "We have outlived many friends," Jo said.

But as long as they have each other, this loving couple expects to be OK.

"We are doing just fine," Jo said.

connie.llanos(at)dailynews.com

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With their wedding picture hanging behind them in the living room of their Saugus home Thursday, George and Josephine Bruegger are celebrating 60 years of marriage. They've raised two children and 3,800 Labrador puppies.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer