Kicking Things Off

I figured what better way to start things with the blog than by reminiscing on the weekend we first got Monty.

In November or December 2020, we had a family friend reach out and ask us if we were interested in adopting a corgi. They had been taking care of Monty for several months. We, being the corgi lovers we are, had been obsessing over him on Instagram and Snapchat.

They were still in college and things were opening back up. There were sorority functions to go to, traveling to do, and schoolwork to focus on. No one else in their family could take him in.

My partner previously took care of a dog and was really looking into adopting another one. I mean, he was actively checking out the local animal shelter, BARCS here in Baltimore. Conveniently, corgis are my favorite breed. Our friend was absolutely heartbroken at the thought of having to re-home Monty, but knew we were a good fit.

So we made a plan to drive down and get him. We live in Baltimore. They're in Florida. So we planned to meet somewhere in the middle.

With COVID being in full force, it was actually questionable if I was even going to be able to go. I was in the Army at the time, and my unit was really hesitant to allow anyone to travel outside of state borders. We had to plan out all sorts of mitigations and detail the exact place we were going to stay. Fortunately, it was enough for Commander to sign off on allowing me to drive down there.

We met in Gladys-Whidden Park, Walterboro South Carolina. We took him around a lap of the park to stretch his legs and look at some ducks before we had to get back in the car. It was a pretty efficient handoff. Both parties had been driving all morning and had to get back on the road to make it back home that evening.

For as smooth as the drive down was it was a pretty rough drive back. Monty was definitely stressed out. Who wouldn't be, riding in a new car with two strangers? For the most part, he loafed around in his bed in the back of the car but often looked around anxiously. He threw up several times. We stopped often to comfort him, but there was only so much we could do.

We drove back in one shot, which took about eight or nine hours (I don't recommend it, especially since we left the park around noon). There was a storm coming in the following day and we didn't want to risk being trapped in the hotel we originally booked. And just like that, Monty was now a Baltimore corgi.

The next day, the snowstorm rolled in at full force. We got a few inches of snow that would have been miserable to drive though. We were thankful we powered through and did the drive in one straight shot. It helps when you have two people to switch off driving. I don't think either of us could have done it alone.

Being a Florida dog, this was also his first experience with snow. We took him over to a baseball field across from my apartment so he could run around. As I'm sure you can imagine, his short legs meant he had to leap over the three or four inches of snow to make it anywhere. I think somewhere we have a video of him digging his head in the fluffy snow like an ostrich.

Monty had socialized with a lot of people down in Florida. We think that's why he took to us so quickly. He really just loves people. We were extremely fortunate that his previous owner had taken really great care of him; it was evident that she had trained him really well. Not having to housebreak him really took off a lot of the stress.

That week was really just about working shorter days and getting to spend time with him to make him feel comfortable. At the time, my partner and I were living in separate apartments but had planned to move in together. So we ferried him between both locations to make him equally at home in both environments. We think that strategy worked well and is maybe one reason he loves car rides so much.

As my partner is from Florida, we frequently travel down there to enjoy some warmer weather and good times with friends and family. This makes it really easy to connect and stay good friends with his previous owner. Each Christmas, their family throws a holiday party where Monty is always welcome. He clearly still remembers her and the house he had previously spent so much time in. It's like he still owns the place.

He's definitely still a Florida dog at heart because he loves the beach so much. The last time we brought him down there he was racing (maybe herding?) other dogs on the beach and digging in the sand. He doesn't really care for the water though. We'll work on that!

So why do the readers of this blog need to know Monty's backstory (with us anyway)? They don't. I've written a little bit about why I started this blog over on the About section of my website. To summarize, life is short and I intend to minimize regret. I want to spend the maximum amount of time with family and friends.

As any pet owner can agree, dogs are more than just pets – they're part of the family. Sometimes we tend to take things day by day and fall into an unconscious monotony of routine actions that make it seem like we're on autopilot. I've definitely fallen victim to that, and frankly, I'm kind of tired of it.

I think that writing about my experiences will make the time that I spend with Monty all the more intentional. So maybe this is just a blog about a dog, of which there are hundreds or others on the Internet that you might choose to read. But in a way, this a blog about being more intentional with time. It's about saying, Monty and my time with him are precious resources that I am choosing to be more conscious of.

If you're interested in some of these stories or just learning more about what living life with a Corgi is, consider subscribing to my newsletter. You'll get a new story delivered straight to your inbox every Friday morning at 0600. I've committed to writing at least once a week.

If reading isn't always your thing, you can find Monty on Instagram for some daily pup updates. Additionally, you can listen to the narration of this post on Spotify. Check it out!

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