Pet Photo Contest

MONTY THOMPSON

Monty came into our lives in August 1999; we had decided it was time to find a companion for our dog Samuel Spaniel who was seven years old at the time.  Sam was a darling little friend, the gentlest of souls so the new addition had to be just right, we wanted a dog who was smaller than him so he was the top dog as he deserved to be.  We had thought for a while that a Lhasa Apso would be a good choice as the ones that we had met were just the right size and temperament.  One evening we were reading the local paper and saw a seven month old Lhasa was for sale so my husband rang and arranged for me to go and meet him; I took my sister and children with me together with Sam as it was most important for him to accept this little chum who was to become his brother.

Monty lived at the time with an eccentric lady called Maureen who had a number of dogs.  It turned out that he was being bullied by the others and that was the reason for him being for sale.  Maureen lived in a little bungalow and her front room was filled with furniture with mirrors all over the walls, in this room there was also a huge garden fountain, which actually worked, I am not sure if the dogs swam in it but it was certainly big enough.   Once we introduced ourselves she let him out of the room where he was kept with all her other dogs and he raced around and round the room, up and down the furniture like he had fire on his tail. It was almost impossible to see what he like as he just looked a bundle of fur; his coat was long, just like Dougal on the Magic Roundabout with his fringe tied with a bow and diamante collar, he seemed far too precious for a family pet.  My first thoughts were, no, he wasn’t for us, but Maureen just stood and yapped, talking about nothing in particular. We couldn’t get a word in edgeways, so were unable, and felt it too rude to make our excuses and leave, so we just stood and listened.  Eventually after a few minutes he stopped running and threw himself at my daughter who was sitting on the sofa, sat on her lap and would not leave her side.  It was then that I thought that he had a certain something so I left my car keys as surety and we took him out for a walk with Samuel. He was brilliant on the lead, seemed so happy to be with us and that was it, it was decided he was coming home.  I have to add that rather than him being a little dog, he grew and grew and in the end in fact thought of himself as the top dog, no matter how much we or Sam disagreed. 

From that time on Monty became one of our family, we changed the collar, cut his hair short and he became a proper family dog.  We lived at the time on Dartmoor and had many lovely days wandering the moor, Monty hardly ever went on the lead as he always stayed close, it was like he had chosen us too.

He has many funny ways, we can tell immediately when looking at him what sort of mood he is in as when he is happy his face lights up.  His bottom jaw has an overbite which causes his bottom teeth to stick out over his top ones and it really does look as if he is smiling.  He has a tail which is fluffy and curls onto his back….. when he is sad or depressed his tail goes down, it’s like a barometer of his mood.  When his `brother’ Samuel Spaniel died two years ago his tail was down for days.  It was sad for us losing Sam, but sadder still knowing that Monty missed him so much.  Whenever we watch a DVD of when Sam was alive, Monty looks for him as he can hear his bark.

He will eat anything and everything, this includes my mother’s cigarettes, which he stole out of her bag, she was not best pleased, especially when my sister said we should rename him Benson or Hedges.  Another time my sister popped in on the way home from shopping to have a chat only to find that he had gone in her shopping bag and eaten her mushrooms when she went to cook a nice mushroom omelette for her tea later that day.  The only thing I have ever known him refuse is celery… He has his own sense of time, especially for mealtimes, knowing when its breakfast, Bonio time (lunch) and tea.  

Monty loves his home comforts, he thinks that the sofa and bed are his and he is kind enough to let us use them….  At night he sleeps outside the bedrooms as his snore is so loud, the bedroom doors have to be closed otherwise he will keep everyone awake.  He is allowed onto the bed in the morning and immediately makes himself comfortable, spreading himself out on his back.

In his previous life I think he must have been a foreman or something similar as he likes to inspect everything.  Whatever new is going on, if there is a workman in the house he has to check them out and see that they are doing their job properly.  He even welcomes the Tesco delivery driver, he likes to check all the shopping looking for his weekly box of Bonio’s, though as soon as he has located them he lets me carry on and pack it away….. the worst part.

What I love about him, other than his happy smile, gorgeous good looks, wonderful character and ceaseless devotion…. is that he is always pleased to see me, no matter how long I have been away, whether its to work for the morning, away for a weekend or just to the post box and back.  In fact I am not sure who is most devoted, as I am as pleased to see him as he is me!

Thank you A. Thompson for submitting "Monty"

If you would like your pet published on this site please email us a 1000 word article with 2-4 images.