Monty!

 

The kids have been asking about a dog for as long as I can remember and it has become much more frenzied in the last year.  Carol and I always thought at some point we may have a dog, but we hadn’t really planned on doing it this quickly.  My dad was getting a boston terrier (he had one as a child and then I had two in high school/college in Utah) which he had been without for quite a few years.  He was pretty excited about it and would send us pictures from the breeder of Harvey (the new dog).  Carol and I noticed another dog in the background with Harvey so I emailed the breeder to ask.  This was Harvey’s brother and yes, he was available.  We exchanged a couple of emails and after finding out a little bit more, we decided to take the plunge.

This all happened about a month ago.  Thank you to all those who helped us keep this a secret from the kids for so long.  My dad actually picked up both dogs and brought Monty up here two days ago.  We are very grateful for that as getting a dog to Alaska is no easy task.

Monty arrived late Thursday night and we got him settled down in his new bed (crate…love the crate training).  Friday morning was basically like Christmas.  We woke the kids up early and told them to go surprise Maama and Popop in the basement.  Down there already, Maama and Popop were strategically placed and waiting.  When the kids first went down, they thought Monty was Harvey.  They were very excited to see any dog but even more so when we told them that this was their dog and would be here for a (hopefully) long time.

The next day was spent petting and walking and feeding and cleaning up after Monty.  They’re still in doggy heaven (both kids and to some degree Carol and I).   Monty really is a great dog.  He is calm and loving, yet playful and energetic.  We couldn’t be happier.  The full name is Belmont (Monty for short).  My dad has what I think is a fun tradition of naming his boston terriers after Boston suburbs.  My two dogs growing up were Winchester and Roxbury.  Harvey is named after Harvard.  Belmont is actually the Boston suburb I grew up in until I was about 4 years old, so  it seemed like a good fit.

More photos I’m sure will follow.  We are excited and nervous, but mostly excited.  Welcome Monty!!!

More photos here.