#SHARETHEFETCH Is a semi-regular profile series where we interview dogs and their humans about the many different ways we, ahem, N-GAGE (see what we did there?).
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Meet Monty who is a Lemon and White pointer who spends his days adventuring in Toronto, Canada. Monty enjoys trying new activities everywhere from land to sea. Go ahead, keep scrolling to get to know him and his owner's Catie & Todd a little better.
N-Gage: What does the everyday routine look like for you and Monty?
Catie: Weekend: We always try to find a new adventure as a family (The three of us!) - and in the summer look for an adventure near the water where we can!
Weekday : Morning walk to Taylor Creek Park (with dog dad), morning nap, fetch in the backyard at lunch, afternoon nap and then our evening walk (Monty and I). Monty loves that we work from home. He sometimes takes his naps in his favourite cave bed and sometimes he lays on the bench near the window that he barely fits on, rests his head on the sill and gazes outside.
NG: What is your favourite thing to do with Monty? What do you think Monty's favourite thing to do with you is?
C: I think for both of us it's exploring a new place together. Monty gets so excited when he is somewhere he has never been before, he doesn't know where we are going, and anything is possible. His other favourite may be when he does classroom training or field trials though. He is so focused and just loves to show off his skills!
NG: How does Monty help you stay active?
C: He makes sure my husband and I get out for a minimum of an hour each day. I think without taking him for a walk during COVID, we wouldn't have made it through. Monty brightens every day and his walks are a highlight for both of us (mentally and physically!).
NG: What is Monty's favourite N-Gage toy?
C: This is a tough one! He has three, the Propeller, the Bungee Handler and the Bumper. We only used the Bumper on the weekend for the first time and it was a big hit for water retrieving! I think overall, it's the Bungee Handler because he adores balls and tug of war and this combines them both! We've played with all of them in water and on land and they are a big hit!
NG: Where did Monty's name come from?
C: My husband (Todd) wanted to name Monty after something or someone British and wanted it to be a somewhat obscure reference. I vetoed many options, and we settled on naming him after Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, whose nickname was Monty.
NG: What made you want to start an Instagram account for Monty?
C: I love photography and I do love to take pictures just for myself, but it seems silly to take them and not have anything to do with them. I decided I would try this as an outlet to share some of my faves. Also - Monty is a great model. I think it ties back to his love of learning and great focus - but it has really improved his stay with distractions. In fact he may be even better at doing stay when I have my camera with me than when I don't!
Lastly - my sister convinced me to try it out!
What I didn't realize is how amazing it is to meet other people with similar interests and learn about fun products for dogs! Monty even met his friend Bronx on Instagram and we meet up weekly for walks!
NG: I see you take some amazing pictures of Monty. Are you a photographer? How did you learn to take such beautiful pictures?
C: I am only a photographer as a hobby. I have helped out at a few weddings a long time ago. But I mostly take photos for family and friends - and of course of Monty!
NG: Any must know Monty stories?
C: Monty's cave bed - Monty has me well trained when he naps in his cave bed. He likes to get right under it and - though I believe he knows how to do it - won't go under on his own. While I am working he will come and put his head on my lap and look up at me with puppy dog eyes, until I go lift his bed so he can cuddle in for a cozy nap.
Baby Monty - Monty occasionally gets spooked by a weird object in an unexpected place, like a tire in a forest - Monty's first Halloween we were walking along and he all the sudden leaped back, I turned to look and it was a scarecrow about 1 foot tall on someone's lawn! He wouldn't go near it!
Monty and a skunk get surprised - Monty's pointing instinct (i.e. stopping and pointing instead of chasing) has saved us from a few skunk encounters. There was one time when we were walking at night (and Monty was much younger) and there was something, that to be honest I thought was a garbage bag or sweater or something under a tree. Monty went to investigate, he got pretty close, then it moved and they both jumped like 2 feet back. Luckily, Monty had hopped out of the way by the time the skunk starting spraying!
The delay - We recently moved to a new neighborhood and there are bunny rabbits everywhere (Monty adores finding bunny rabbits). His pointing instinct comes into play and he stops and points at them. At 70 pounds he is hard to move - and when he sees one he stops in his tracks. So sometimes when I am five minutes from home it takes me 20 minutes to get back! He remembers where he sees them and will check out those spots on our next walk!
Golfing - Monty started helping my husband and I by finding us golf balls! There is a golf course up the creek from our house and periodically golf balls will get carried into the park. Monty will stand on the bank of the creek and survey the water. He will spot one and go down and splash around until he locates it. Then he will paw at it to try to raise it to the surface. This technique only works 50% of the time. It either results in a murky muddy area or he gets it up, then he digs his head in and brings his prize out. My husband will look at it and if it is a good one he brings it home!
Monty is very clean, and he avoids mud puddles. He will push people out of the way to stay clean. The one significant exception to this is when he found a highly prized. deflated, old and broken football in the park. Not only did he run into a muddy area to locate and retrieve this unfortunate item, but then he laid down in the mud to enjoy it. He was so happy I could not help but throw his prize for him a few times!
