Monty in the Snow

Well, this is Monty's fist trek in the deep snow.  He's not real thrilled with the wind but loved romping in the snow.  It was funny watching him when the wind kicked up, he'd put his butt to the wind and his head down.  And no, I don't have any of those pics, because I was protecting the camera.  But here are some new pics of him in the fresh snow.

Sassy Dog

Monty was so good this Christmas.  He didn't try to get at any of the food and left presents and wrappings alone.  He wasn't real thrilled with his new coat and made his feelings known!

Do other dogs stick out their tongues?

Dec. 23rd! an important date

According to Monty's records, December 23, 2009 was the day that NBRAN brought him to the vet.  To me this signifies his "rescue date".  He was declared 9 months old.  We adopted him at the end of March, he was just a year.  I'm so thankful to NBRAN for saving my dog and for his foster Mom, Ann who cared for him and tested him with cats etc, so that I would know that he fit into our household.  Another thank you to all the people who transported Monty up to me!!!

Merry Christmas - everyone!

Winter Dog - Christmas

Well Monty looks like a bit of a borg when he goes outside  He has a new stubborn collar and we're retraining him to the fence as well as a neon orange collar used by hunters.  Its remote control and we're training him to come to the tone.  Its new and seems to be working.  In fact, we think he's been trained to it because it seem so familiar to him.

We had our first snowfall.  Monty loved it and tried to eat all the snow in the ground.  He's not shivering yet but we've noticed that he's ready to come in quicker in the colder weather.  I do want him to be out for a while and run off his energy.

So I bought him a nice rugged hunting dog coat at LLBean to keep him warm. Shhhh.  It's a Christmas present. :)

All Tied Up

Poor sweet Monty is no longer allowed out of the house unless he's on a tether.  He bolted for a third time, while Jay was out with him.  Then he crossed the fence while on the lead... so.... no more freedom for now.  Its miserable for us because we have to be out with him, regardless of the weather. Its miserable for him because he can't really run.   Solution?  We're looking at different collars for him and possibly a gps device.  If we can't retrain him, we'll bite the bullet  and build a run.

On the other hand, he's still a lot of fun and getting more small spots!

Breakout

I am so happy to tell you that Monty has filled out. In fact, we're cutting back on his food since he's gained so much weight.  He runs, plays and is totally healthy.  That's the great news.  He has also decided that life is more interesting on the other side of the fence!.  Twice in the past month, he broke through the electric fence.  Both times at night!.. The first time it was a full moon and Jay and I split up and searched the neighborhood.  After walking around I headed back, to see if Monty had returned.. Jay had done the same thing!  Luckily because this wonderful family...with a car packed with people saw him on Hooker Farm, looking lost.  They stopped another car..before he got his.. put him in their car and found our house.  They would accept nothing and barely left their names.  Wonderful people.  The second time I wasn't home and Jay went searching.  I got home as soon as possible.  Jay had spotted him by the pond.  He'd come up to Jay, just out of reach and tear off again. (we really have to work on that!) I arrived.  Still not Monty. Finally he ran up to Jay and Jay caught him.  We brought him home... full of muddy dirt, burrs and twigs.  Needless to say, we gave him lots of hugs and got dirty too.  Then gave him a bath!  He now goes on only on the long lead at night.   

Monty's Back

After agonizing weeks of have a very lethargic dog, and fearing the worst, we have our dog back.  He took a nice long walk with me. He's running around the yard and is finally eating again!  He lost a lot of weight and looks way too skinny but he ate a full serving of canned food and a serving of kibble for dinner, and topped it off with a yoguhound!!  His coat is coming back in, his ears are perky.  And I thank God that his eyes are looking normal again.  We're still using the medication but he doesn't need the artificial tears anymore. 

Monty's Health

I haven't posted in awhile because I've been monitoring Monty so much and didn't have the heart to write.   We have not been able to get Monty's energy up or get him to eat.  The vet thinks he ate an animal that was poisoned.  He is suffering from dry eyes.  The meds are beginning to work and he's starting to produce tears but we still are putting in artificial tears.  He's not eating much.and is down to 28 pounds.  We brought him to the beach.... that actually seemed to help but he's slide back once we were home.  We're now worried about blockage because of all the ripe little things that are dropping off trees.  But that would be recent because the original xrays did not show blockage.  Its frustrating and tough to have this not even two year old pup, lie down and sleep almost all day.  We're doing what we can and hope whatever it is passes through his system.

Prayers for Monty

Monty's eye started getting better, then worse, then the other eye and he got more and more lethargic.  What 1.5 year old Brittany sees a rabbit and does NOTHING!! He's at the vets and spending the night.  They are observing him and hydrating him.  They think its chemical poisoning.  Ok, so weeds will now be welcome in my yard and I'll just deal with the poison ivy.  They have seen a spike in dogs with this problem, so I'm wondering if there wasn't some dusting going on that has effected a lot of dogs.  So now we pray.  I'll know more tomorrow.  I can't help but think that this poor dog has gone through so much.  (oh, and x-rays show bone in his system.  Swear its not from us. God only knows what that dog eats when he's in the yard!)

The Risk of Fun in the Yard

As you know, Monty loves being outside. He digs.  He eats little green apples.  He finds bunnies.  He brings in birds.  He runs. He plays. He eats grass.  He's given me poison ivy (thanks so much!).  He trails the fox, who thankfully stays on the other side of the invisible fence, up and down the side yard.  He goes through bushes and brambles to find exciting things to do. Well all of this is great - in spite of having to fill in holes.  Except for the past few days, Monty's right eye was weepy and he wasn't opening it fully.  So this morning I brought him to the vet.  Luckily no ulcers or scratches.  (He got the same yellow stain, I get when I go to the eye Dr.!)  But there is definitely an irritant.   So eye washes and ointment.  If its not "drastically better" by Monday, Monty will be back at the vets.  By end of day today, his first day.  He was holding his eye open better.  I'll know by tomorrow night if he goes back to the vet.  Here's hoping we don't have to go back.

Spots... More Spots

When we rescued Monty he was sooo white.  Yes, he had the traditional Brittany face, but very few dots of color on him.  In fact his back was almost all white.  Not anymore.  Very small dots of orange are showing up on his legs and backside.  Yes, I washed him... but the spots stayed in. He's the same old boy and doing great.  It's just interesting to see new spots come out at 15 months. 

Dog Toys

How long is a dog toy supposed to last?  Well, the indestructible dragon lasted 3 1/2 months.  The Octopus still thrives.  The rope and cloth frisbee - made to last - lasted... a day!  The rope toy is banished to the outside because Monty whips it around  and then tosses it.  A close call with the China cabinet and the rope became an outdoor toy.  He's chewed through a number of balls.  His dent-a-bone and Kong are still good.

So today, we went to the store and replaced his dragon.  Got a 99cent frisbe, some more tennis balls that sqeak ( he loves squeaky toys)  and a longer rope toy so Amy can play tug of war.   

We got home and had a great game of frisbee.  The 99 cent job has a couple of more days left.  Amy played tug of war with Monty.  He hangs on to one end and runs with her (weird way of playing tug of war - but hey, they had fun).    When we went inside, Monty got his new dragon and is a very happy pup!

Monty has been pretty well behaved overall but I have found, he doesn't like going to bed early.  The other day I had an early appointment and went to bed early and brought Monty with me.  His normal routine is to come up with me and when I turn off the lights he curls up on his bed.  He's there until I wake in the morning.  Very uneventful.  So I go to bed early, turn of the lights and Monty starts jumping on me.  Nudging me with his nose.  Jumping on the bed (where he doesn't belong and he knows it).  It was a circus.  I was laughing but soon gave up on trying to quiet him and get him to settle down.  I caved.  I got up, let him out and asked Jay to let him back in.  I went to bed.  Monty didn't.

Monty in the Grass

Lighting and Invisible Fences Don't Mix

A couple of days ago our automatic sprinkler system went nutsy.  We tracked it down and one of the leads was bad.  Jay surmised we may have had a lightening struck.  This morning, Jay noticed Monty down in the bushes - past the invisible fence line.  I was just about out the door for work, but I dropped everything, grabbed a lead and ran into the back yard.. Calling Monty came running, from the font yard (yeah it doesn't take him long to move around!) He was happy and bumped into me, ready to play and of course, impossible to catch.  He ran to the back and sure enough crossed the line.  Jay voiced the opinion he took the shock.  I thought not - no yelp, no reaction.  We ran behind him and he was in a thicket of bushes, ivy, weeds, etc.  No place we could follow.  I walked around - scouting from what is now my neighbor's back yard.  Jay called from our yard.  Monty would run out - almost far enough for Jay to reach him - then run back.  Oh what fun!  Finally, he left the thicket where I was waiting, as he turned to go back in I grabbed hold of his coat.  Ok, not the most elegant catch, but I got him.   Put him on his lead and brought him home.  Yup, no signal from the collar and no shock.  Investigation showed the main unit was down.  The lightening that got the sprinkler system, got the fence.  We're lucky we didn't lose Monty.  Thankfully he knows his borders and it took a while to test it. So tonight, we have another wonderful thunderstorm.  Monty's in for the night and Jay unplugged the brand new unit - just hours old so it wouldn't get fried tonight. 

Monty Smiling

Monty Smiles and other tidbits

You may call me crazy but I swear Monty smiles at me when I come home.  I call, he runs sees me and his face lights up.  Honest!. He has also been seen getting into my vegetable garden.  He just jumps over the 3.5 foot fence.  (thank goodness we have an invisible fence, he can't jump it and he cant dig under it).  Jay was concerned he couldn't get out because of lack of running room.  Nope,  No problem.  He just jumped straight over it when called.  Happy little guy  - he thinks its a great trick.

The first night we had Monty, he started to go downstairs. We wanted to keep this as a "haven" for the cats.  A firm no and jerk on his collar and he hasn't gone down stairs.  Monty would wait on the top for either Jay and I to come back up rather than follow us down.  Well, we jinxed it.  Jay wondered out loud how long it would last.  Yesterday, he decided to follow the cats down and got into their litter.  

Jay put the baby gate up to retrain him not to go downstairs.  So now, when he tries to go downstairs and can't, he carefully goes behind the door and shuts it!!!

Monty Back at the Beach

Of course if we're at my Mom's we go to the beach.  During the season dogs are only allowed on the beach before 10am and after 6pm.  So we took Monty down at the appropriate times.  This time, since I went into the water, so did Monty.  He swam and swam - he loved it.  By the end of the weekend I had a tired, sandy and very happy Puppy

Monty Playing with Aaron at the Party

Family Party - meeting the big boys

Every fourth, our family gathers at our cousins house for a full day and evening of fun, food and laughter.  My cousin John owns two very large, older dogs.  I knew I could leave Monty for a few hours at my Mom's but not the whole day and night, so we left for the party later than normal. John invited Monty to come over and we went and picked him up.  Monty met Zeta and  Zena just outside their yard.   The three of them were playing and having fun but it was a bit much with all the people too.  They finally calmed down.  So now Monty has a few more friends!

To the Airport

Boston's Logan Airport is between where we live and my mother's house, where we were going for the 4th.  On the 3rd of July we dropped our daughter off for her long awaited and well earned trip to Japan.  Figuring they have to let dogs in since they fly too, we decided to bring Monty with us.  He was a gem! We by passed the moving walkways for solid ground and as we approached the terminal it hit me - escalators.  Sorry, I'm not that brave, we took Monty on the elevator.  He handled it beautifully.  On one ride there was a tot in a stroller.  Monty's tail was wagging and he used his best manners.  A wonderful encounter.  Monty caught the attention of a lot of people; receiving a lot of pets.  A whole new experience and Monty again proved that I can trust him in most any situation.

Sour Apples Equals a Visit to the Emergency Vet

We have five apple trees in the back yard which drop unripe apples.  Monty found these delightful play things.  He'd toss them in the air, roll them around. As long as he didn't eat them, I wasn't concerned. Then he decided to eat them.  Right before the fourth of July weekend, he started vomiting and couldn't stop.  He became listless and wasn't moving.  So, in the middle of the night, we rushed him to the Emergency Vet.  Thankfully we have a good one close by.  Diagnosis - after ruling out blockages and other causes - a severe upset tummy!.  He spent the night and they re-hydrated him.  The next morning we picked him up and our ever energetic dog was back.  We kept him on a lead the first day home, which was Friday before the 4th.  Since we were going to visit my mother, I knew I'd have an apple free weekend to watch him recover.  It was scary but Monty's fine.

Monty Meets Aaron

Aaron came home from college in June and met Monty for the first time.  Aaron would have preferred a dog the size of a Mastiff but it didn't take long before they became best friends and were playing.  Even though Monty's a medium size dog, Aaron at times treated him like a small dog.  He picked him up and carried him around!

Catching up - Visits to the Kennel

Life has been so hectic, I haven't gotten back to Monty's blog but he's been through a lot since May.   He went to a  kennel for the first time over Memorial Day weekend.  He had absolutely no trouble with this new experience and he was promptly labeled a "sweet pea" by the staff.  We took a four day vacation in June and he went to the kennel again.  He was perfectly happy there.  When we picked him up he was sleeping under the dryer after his bath!!!  While on vacation my camera got soaked and Amy's stopped working properly.  We picked Monty up and drove directly to the camera store.  He was a hit with everyone in the store.  In fact the guy who was helping us owns a Brit!!!

Pharaoh and the Crate

Well I always joke that our cat Pharaoh thinks he's a dog.  He woofs food like a dog, and in fact likes dog food.  He and Aurora were best friends and now he plays with Monty. But yesterday was the best.  Pharaoh went into Monty's crate to lie down and sleep.  Monty really didn't know what to do.  He looked at him.  walked around the crate and finally went in.  After a short bit he started to nudge Pharaoh to make him leave.  Pharaoh is not a small ca ans wasn't being cooperative.  Monty was finally able to convince the cat to leave his crate.  Although it didn't look like they were actually in agreement on who had dibs on the crate.

Home Alone

Jay's been working in Rhode Island for the past two weeks which meant Monty was home alone during the days.  I've been leaving for work as late as possible and Amy has come home as soon as possible to let him out.  We've been confining him to the Kitchen - less things he can get into and easy pick up if needed.  Well there has been absolutely no accidents and everything has been intact upon return.   One evening, Amy and I wanted to run a quick errand and I forgot to corral Monty.  It was a short run and I figured it may be a good test.  Boy, was it.  I came home and the majority of the house was just fine.  I was very proud of my boy until I went into my bedroom.  He'd torn his bed apart.  There was stuffing everywhere!!! Luckily, he'd gotten the zipper to pop and had pulled the stuffing out.  After picking everything up, I wasn't in the mood to be clever and fix anything.  Monty was a little puzzled when he found his bed missing ...  He curled up in the crate and was fine.  The next day I re-stuffed the bed and fixed the zipper.  Its a little lumpier but Monty doesn't seem to mind.

What color dog do I have?

A week ago we had a very, very wet day.  I let Monty out to run in the morning.  It was pouring. After Amy left for school, I decided to bring in the dog, before getting ready for work. (normally, I let him have as much running as possible and bring him in before i leave.)  Well, to my door came grey and black dog.  He was covered in mud, so he got a shower before I did.  Feeling very happy to again, have a white dog, I went to work.  It was the last night of obedience and I'm usually home just in time to change, grab our stuff and go.  when I got home, Monty was outside and a grey/black dog came when I called.  He was a mess.  So, he had a quick shower number 2, which got me wet so I had to change again before leaving for class.  I will report that he did very well in class.  He's learned heel, sit, stay, down.  Stays are pretty short but we're working on lengthening them.  Heel works most of the time but he's still distracted by the other animals in the world.

Although technically I have a white and orange dog, there are days and times I have a grey and black dog! :)

Bunnies and Coming In

I a very pleased to tell you that the bunnies survived.  We found a sanctuary for them and they will be raised until they can be released back to nature!

I've been down with a cold so Monty has had a real walk in a long time.  We went out this morning and it took awhile but he remembered everything (finally). 

Two major breakthroughs.  Monty came to the back door and asked to come in (a first) and he came in when called (another first).  

Overall, a good day for dog, people and bunnies too!

Bunnies

Today, all of Monty's hunting instincts and breeding came to the fore.  He was outside with Jay. (Jay was filling in the holes he had previously dug).  Monty comes trotting up to Jay and drops something.  It was a tiny baby bunny, maybe 2 weeks old.  Monty rushed off,  Jay moved to another hole.  Monty brought the second baby bunny to him.   Off he went.  When Jay saw him with a third bunny in his mouth, he told him to drop it and leave it.  Monty did, right next to the second bunny.   We now have three very tiny, tiny bunnies that I'm trying to keep warm and hydrated until we can figure out what to do with them. 

I have put a baby blanket and water in with them and am trying to keep them warm and hydrated.  Animal shelters won't/can't take them because they are wild.  We'll call the wildlife people tomorrow and hopefully someone can take care of them.

Good News.... Bad News?

Well, he's done it.  Monty has learned the invisible fenced and earned the right to be loose in the back yard.  Technically, this means I don't have to stand in the pouring rain while he does his duty and he can get more exercise.  Good news. Right?

Well, almost.  For Monty, this means he can run and run, dig and dig and dig and dig and NEVER come in.  He would be all all day and night if we let him!  Of course, he's re-landscaping the backyard and my garden beds.  When he came in this evening, I did NOT have a white dog.  His feathering was pitch black.  He looked more grey than anything else.  A nice shower and he's back to normal.

You would think he'd be tuckered - nope.  Kept running and playing with his toys, oh yes, and asking to go back out.  

Its gonna be fun!

Digging, Training and Barking

Monty is almost trained to the invisible fence.  We've put him on a long lead (so that if he bolts we can grab the lead) and let him loose.  He loves running around the back yard.  He also loves to get under every single bush (we have tons) to dig, dig, dig.  He found baby (I think) chipmunks. He didn't hurt them but I had to pull him away. He was fascinated by the little ones.  We are beginning to have craters in the back yard.  He came in yesterday - it had been raining - an entirely different color.  A nice shower made him white and orange again!

He did very well at puppy class tonight.  He's so good in front of the teacher but on our walks!!!!  Actually, heeling is beginning to be excellent.  He knows sit but won't do it during the walk.  However, his sit/stay in the house is coming along fine.  We're continuing to work on come - especially outside when he's distracted.  All in all he's doing great.

Monty's foster Mom told us he barked to go outside.  For over a month, we never heard him bark to go out.  In fact he's only barked a couple of times - both times, we were outside.  But this week, he's barked twice.  To go out!  I believe its a sign he feels he's home and recalling all of his previous training.  Right now, he's lying on the floor beside me as content and sweet as can be.   We are very lucky to have this boy.

Oh - a note.  Monty came from Nashville, TN.  I emailed his foster mom, she's fine only a little water in the basement, but a neighbor was much less fortunate and its a mess down there.  Let's keep them all in our prayers.

Monty on the Beach - Two Days of Fun and New Buds

Monty Goes to the Beach

This weekend was a new adventure for our boy.  We drove down to my mother's house which is on the South Shore of Massachusetts, near the beach.  As a boy from Tennessee, I doubted that he'd been to the beach.  What a great time.  His nose went into overdrive the minute he was out of the car.  The smell of the air was so different!  While in the house he ran from one window to another watching the birds and other animals.   And the beach was fabulous.  Saturday evening we went down and put him on a fifty foot lead, which was wrapped around my waist so I could take photos.  He ran up and back with Amy,  dodged the surf just the way children do, meet some other dogs, dug up rocks and spent over an hour just enjoying the sand and the surf.  This morning we went back and it was high tide; leaving very little room to roam. Monty meet 2 labs, Georgia and Tim.  Georgia was digging various tunnels and wasn't interested in playing but was very patient as Tim and Monty ran everywhere, helped her dig, ran into her and played.  Then Brady, a goldendoodle joined the crowd.  They had so much fun!  What a joy seeing them all play together.

When we got home today, you could see Monty take it all in and feel "good" about it.  He wanted to walk his yard, say hi to the cats and go for his walk.  Which we did.  It was a great outing for him and I look forward to the next.  I took a slew of pics and will be processing them and posting them soon.

Bird Watching

Monty and Bee

Monty Contemplates a Bee

Three Weeks and It Feels Like Home

Monty has been part of our family for three weeks now.  I read somewhere that at 3 weeks, dogs are settled and view their new environment as home.  I believe so.  The dog and cats just hang together.  He runs to all of us and enjoys going out and playing.  With the flowers in bloom and spring here, we've noticed that Monty loves to chase and snap at bumble bees.  Stings do NOT stop him.   You can tell when he hasn't been walked, then he tears around the house with his toys.  Its so silly to watch when he puts a toy in his food dish.  Is that for protection?  He's also "buried" his dent-a-bone in my shoes.  Its been a great three weeks.

Walking, yes indeed he's walking

I am very happy to say that Monty is getting the hang of walking nicely on leash.  Lots less criss crossing.  It will be fun to see how he does tomorrow.  Of course tonight it was rainy  and dark so there were a lot less distractions.  He continues to delight us.  Running around with his toys - piling them up together then dispersing them.  Sitting on my toes or just following me around.  He's better and better with the cats. Except he loves their food! 

Learning New Things

Coming home this evening, Monty was out with Jay, learning the invisible fence.  We're making progress - slow but sure.  When I called out to them, Monty came running (he was on the long lead).  What a great welcome home.  

Tonight was our second night of classes.  We worked on walking.  Monty did great with both Jay and I .  Of course he's pretty good walking around in a circle  -now to see if he'll do it walking down the road!  We'll keep working on it. He's really good around the other dogs and sits well when asked.

Fun tid-bit.  Monty knows the traditional command to sit but he also will sit when you snap your fingers.  Amy wanted to be able to get him to sit, without having to sit up on the couch! So she snaps her fingers and he got it!

Two weeks

It two weeks tonight that we first met Monty and brought him home.  We're still working on the invisible fence.  Our fear is that if he's at a full run, he'll go right through.   If he's calm and aware (as he is on the leash) he's ok.  So I'm working on "come".  Once he comes outside regardless of distractions, I think I can let him outside and see how he does with the fence.  That's going to take awhile, but its worth the time to be safe.

Tonight, Monty did something he's never done before (well in the last two weeks anyway) he counter surfed and brought down some ham.  He was caught in the act so was unable to eat any of the ham that he brought down! Otherwise he's doing great.  We've a lot of training ahead of us,but its going well.

With every day that passes, Monty becomes more integrated with the entire family.  He's getting along fine with the cats.  Sundae really knows how to put him in his place when he needs it.  He loves being outside while Jay's working on the yard, enjoys Amy and follows her around.

Today we did a good 7 mile walk and he meet more doggie pals.  I'm talking with more neighbors on our walks! Lots of fund.  The walk didn't tire him out in the least!  He came home and was running around with his toys and playing.  We're still working on coming ALL the time when he's outside.  He's very good about it inside but the birds, chipmunks and the great outdoors catches his attention and he doesn't always come when called -  yet.  He got a bit better today and we'll continue working.

We went to the Pet Stores looking for a hands free leash, doggie backpack, portable water bowl.  Couldn't find the leash and the back packs were all pink, so we didn't get those but got a nice portable water bowl for the long walks.  Amy found a squeaky dinosaur and squeaky tennis balls.  He loves them!  Its fun watching him play with his toys. We picked up more treats that read like food so I know they're good for him.  He's supposed to gain weight but with his activity level... so treats are fine.  I think Monty enjoyed the stores and certainly enjoyed meeting all the other dogs at the store.  He's so social and good with kids, people, dogs etc.  It's a joy to be able to take him places.

For me, the best part of the day was when he laid down over my feet while we were watching TV earlier.  I'll give lots of positive reinforcement for this - especially if he does it during the winter!!

Monty and Amy

First Day of School

A good day all around.  Amy took Monty out for his second walk so he'd be ready for "school" tonight.  The first class was sorta boring but we got to meet 6 other dogs - a great thing for Monty.  We got an outline of what will be happening on our upcoming classes. So for a talk, talk class, Monty got treats for sitting, lots of pets, meet dogs, got to ride in the car.  All around a good evening.

Walks, slippers, digging and bones - a great way of life

Today started with a brisk walk, getting Amy to school and my going to work.  The first day of work since Monty joined our home.  All was well.  Then, left to his own devices Monty chewed up the cat's bed and one of my slippers.  He spent a glorious afternoon in the yard with Jay and helped re-landscape parts of the yard and flower beds with digging.  Boy he likes to dig.  A late evening walk then dinner.  Monty then spent his evening "unearthing" his bone, chewing on it and reburying it.  I'm glad I hadn't had a chance to move it.

Vet says I'm healthy!

Another beautiful day.  Monty had  his baaseline appointment with the vet.  As suspected, he's the model of health(thanks to the good care of his foster Mom Anna and NBRAN).  He's now a favoriate of everyone at the vet and he doesn't mind going there.  He loves watching the birds!. 

Monty has begun putting his toys away - in his food bowl!  Ah wel....

He also puts himself to bed as we get ready for bed.  No fuss or bother, he just goes in and lies down. 

Tomorrow, is my first full day back at work, we'll start the day with and early morning walk .  Its going to be tough leaving him for a whole day!

Ham Bone and Sundae

Easter Sunday was a beautiful day - literally.  We all went walking and playinng with Monty in the sunshine.  I gave Monty a bone for Easter Sundae.  He was thrilled.  Then he wanted to bury it.  He kept circling the house looking for a spot to bury it.  Around and around, with the bone in his mouth, not stop, just seeking.  He dropped it behind the sofa and tried to dig - didn't work.  Went behind the love seat, dropped it.  I soothed him and it was "covered" a bit by the drapes so thought he was done.  Nope.  He went back, got it and circled the house.  Amy by this time had gone into my studio and the closet was open. On the ground was some old scrape material.  When I came in , the dog had pulled out a good section of the material, placed his bone in it.  I watched as he carefully wrapped his bone and then pushed the material back in.  It was amazing - and very funny.  So now I have a ham bone in the studio!

That evening our timid cat Sundae decided she'd exiled herself long enough.  Monty was very curious and interested but kept his distance.  We had all three animals (2 cats, one dog) peacefully in the living room for the first time.  It was a wonderful breakthrough - all on Sundae's timing.

Monty in the yard

The End of Week One

It's hard to believe our first week is over already.  It flew buy.  Monty is learning not weave in front of me while we walk.  He's getting very good at going to the door when he needs to go to the bathroom.  (what a relief). He is loved by all and a member of the family.  I can't imagine not having him by my side.  There are so many people to thank.  NBRAN - for rescuing these wonderful dogs, Anna his foster Mom who took good care of him for three months before we adopted him, Anne - my  NBRAN coordinator is who is always there to answer questions - even now, all of the volunteer drivers who brought Monty from Tennessee to New Hampshire.  During my search Jeff, another foster parent, was kind enough to let us visit his pack, Above and Beyond Rescue - an amazing group of people- guided me through the world of English Setters, and there were numerous other foster parents that talked to me about their dogs, let us visit etc.  All of which led to us adopting this amazing, sweet, smart, funny dog that has captured all of our hearts.

Long Walks and Other Joys

So far its been an interesting and fun day.  Monty and I did at least 7 miles this morning to start our day.  Monty is getting better and better about staying to the side and not getting in between my feet.  We meet  two unleashed dogs.  He did great with both - which I expected.  Does make me wonder why people lets dogs out.  The traffic wasn't heavy, but it was steady on this little side street.  One dog could not have been any bigger than my shoe.  How he doesn't get hit by a car is beyond me. (okay- that was my rant for the day)

Monty recognized home and was happy to return but he wasn't worn out in the least. He had his first bath - at least with us.  He wasn't too sure about getting into the tub at first but was aces with the water, shampooing, and rinsing.  As we get ready for Easter , the house has had more activity.  He follows the vacuum cleaner around but does not fear it nor does it make him anxious (yeah on both counts). He was left outside (with a long line) which he enjoyed.  Lisa brought him in when she realized he wanted to create a tunnel - probably to China. Yes, he dug AFTER his bath.  Could it be any other way? 

Just when you think....

Monty is a great dog.  He rides well in the car, sits for his dinner, goes into his crate and we thought he was learning the invisible fence.  He shies back into the yard and the sound of the first chirp and tries to stay away from the flags, we were soooo proud.  So tonight we put him on a super long lead and let him run and play.  He never tried to break.  So then, we took off the lead.  He was great until he got to the front yard, saw the street and bolted.  I didn't know I could run that fast.  He followed our daily walk which thankfully goes down to the cul de sac first and not the street.   He took a right turn up our neighbors drive - the one with the very steep uphill drive.  Thankfully he saw birds, stopped and pointed as I got next to him.  He doesn't know it but he's failed that test.  Back to step one with the training, with more work at the front of the house. 

On a much brighter note, one of Monty's favorite toys is a squeaky plastic thing in the shape of cheese.  This afternoon he was tossing it, stepping on it etc.  Pharaoh, our cat, went by.  He picked up the "cheese" walked it into the kitchen and "gave" it to Pharaoh!  Literally put it right next to the cat who was at his food dish.  Very funny, very cool.  

Sunshine makes for a great day

Thursday was our first full day of sunshine.  Monty got in two good walks and some training in the backyard.  Invisible fence training went well.  He enjoyed playing catch with all three of us as we called come.  He is so good at coming when called in the house.... outside where there are birds?  Well that's another matter.  It was also his first day when he was home alone with rotating people.   He was with Jay in the morning, then just me in the afternoon, then all of us and then just Amy at night.  He did great for everyone and there doesn't seem to be any anxiety about any one of us leaving!!! yeah.  On our afternoon walk, he met a lot of the neighborhood dogs.  The lack of rain brought them all out.  Most were behind their own invisible fences so it was a long distance hello, but he met Cassie, a wonderful Golden Retriever, who had just come back from playing in a stream.  They got along great and Monty got to meet a new person.  He then met our neighbors and their cat.   He's so good.  I really will be able to take this dog anywhere with me!

Office Dog

What a great day.  It drizzled but didn't pour (already an improvement) and we got in a 3 mile walk in the morning and another after dinner!! The highlight of Monty's day was visiting the office while Lisa went to a meeting.  He was a hit all the way around.  He got lots of treats, pets, walks and made lots of new friends.  All his new friends let Lisa attend her meeting and be productive.  He rides so nicely in the car.  I see lots of car rides in his future.

We started training on the invisible fence.   He's still trying to meet Sundae but she won't have it. 

Tonight, he put himself in his crate!  First time he's done that! A sign that he's feeling comfortable and making the place his.

Here I am !

Day Two

Monty is adjusting to his new home.  He whines less,  and coming when called.  The gentle leader makes walking easier but he'll take any amount of correction if he sees a rabbit or bird.  Coming home this morning, Monty happily prancing along in the pouring rain, me more of a drowned rate, we saw a beautiful mallard in our yard.  I saw him first and waited.  Walking properly at my side was over.  The leash was stretchced as far as it would go.  Monty went into a pretty point then tugged and was standing on his hind legs trying to get the duck.  It was fun, funny and beautiful all at the same time.  After breakfast, we worked on sit.  He got is very quickly.  Then we played fetch... he brings the ball right back to you, sits and starts chewing it, but he doesn't complain about you taking it for another round.  I've taken him off the long rope that I used yesterrday to  tethered him to me.  He stays pretty close and I can trust him around Pharoah.  Can't get Sundae to say hi yet.  I'll be taking out the big cam soon so good pics will be coming.

First Night

Monty is home.  We had a nice walk before going to bed.  It didn't take him too long to settle down and  we all slept well during the night.  Meeting of the cats to follow

Singing in the Rain... just singing in the rain

There is an adage, beware what you wish for.  Well, I wanted a dog that liked water.  Monty loves it. Relishes walking in the rain.  We came back from our walk soaking wet!.  I'm worn out - he's not.  We have a couple more walks in our future today, so I better get used to being wet.  He's met Pharoah and all in all it was very civil and went well.  No running or chasing.  Sundae won't have a thing to do with him so we haven't gone there yet.  He's been introduced to his new toys and loves his squeaky octopus.  The 99cent frishbee is a goner.  He started chewing and eating it! We introduced him to the gentle leader and he picked it up right away, which made our wet walk easier. 

Fun moment of the day - we have very realistic carved wooden duck decorations.  When he saw them he was so alert, went into point.   He was ready to go hunting!  Very fun.

Monty's Travels

Monty is on his way from Tennessee. He spent Saturday doing 8 legs of the journey, meeting up with three other Brittany's and spent the night in Ohio. Today, we are his last leg. Leg number 11. To get him here that means there were 17 volunteer drivers and one wonderful volunteer who let four dogs spend the night at her house. We will actually pick up two dogs and do a leg to get another dog to her destination of Sandwich, NH. I'm so excited to meet my new dog. So I'm spending time doing chores (we have all his stuff all set) and the blog. Time is going by slow!

Monty's Blog

In early January we lost our beloved Aurora. A mix breed dog, she brought so much into our lives. We decided to get another dog and this time looked to rescue organizations. After a lot of research, conversations etc. we decided on a dog. A one year old male orange belton Brittany. He was a stray that was brought to a shelter in Tennessee and National Brittany Rescue (www.nbran.org) saved his life. He's well socialized, good with cats (important - we have 2), not aggressive and about 33 pounds. A friend suggested I keep a blog on his journey - his new life. Here it is.