Peter Rodney Kellerman

Dogs, Drums, Motorcycles
Robi and Peter R. Kellerman planned to have children, but first they had dogs.

Mrs. Kellerman was more like Maverick, the excitable black Labrador retriever. Mr. Kellerman, his wife said, "was totally Bosco," the mellow chocolate Lab with the adorable face.

A slight problem: some of Mr. Kellerman's six nephews were scared of Bosco and of Taylor, the German shepherd. The nephews range in age from 5 to 13, and Mr. Kellerman played with them so enthusiastically that their friends' moms wanted to book him for birthday parties. "He was just pure fun," said Pam Fox, a sister. "Whose uncle plays PlayStation all day?"

Uncle Pete, 35, was also a partner at Cantor Fitzgerald.

A drummer and motorcyclist, he gave one set of nephews, the Dicksteins, his old helmets and once gave each of the Fox nephews a set of real drumsticks — not toy ones — then initiated a jam session on the coffee table.

Mr. and Mrs. Kellerman grew up three blocks apart on the Upper East Side but did not start dating until they met at a basketball game at Madison Square Garden in 1998.

The Fox boys now sleep with the drumsticks under their pillows. One is afraid to cry, because the tears might never stop. But they have since warmed up to the dogs, Mrs. Kellerman said. "He'd be so proud."