Birding & a Border Terrier [updated]
April 23, 2010 | by Border Joy! 
Found this wonderful blog with magnificent photos and information by Scott Whittle. He's a professional photographer, and makes his living shooting weddings and parties (www.scottwhittle.com). He has a Border Terrier named "Monkey" .. just love the name! He also has a blog called "The Year of the Bird" with links and photos of every kind of bird ... it's wonderful.
Scott's Post to BorderJoy!
I got my border Monkey in 2000 when he was six weeks old. His breeder is Carlie Krolick, who is now in Vermont. Although I spent a lot of time (years!) thinking about and researching getting a dog, I don't think I was prepared for actually having one. Bringing him home to Brooklyn, NY, I had no idea if I'd done the right thing, or what to do next. Within a couple of months, though, Monkey had become an integral part of my life, and he and I have been living together ever since. I'm a professional photographer, and I've done several trips cross-country with Monkey. He would sleep in the back of the station wagon between destinations, and when we got there he was sure to mark everything before moving on. I think he may have the largest marked territory of any Border Terrier in the country. His territory includes deserts, mountains, west coast beaches, east coast beaches, much of Texas, and the Grand Canyon.
I'm also an avid birder and bird photographer. In 2008 Monkey and I set out to do a New York State Big Year, which is a competition where you try to see as many bird species as possible in one year. We drove 42,000 miles in New York that year, and saw 350 different bird species...Monkey saw just about all of them, although I think he was keeping an even longer list of squirrels... Monkey has seen more birds than many birders have, and he continues to add to his list now in our new home in Cape May, NJ.
Monkey accompanies me most places I go, and he is often seen running on the beach or after a cat in the bushes. He has never seen a fox, and I'm not sure what he would do with one if he did, but he does have extremely strong opinions on squirrels and outside cats. That said, he's a very laid back dog, and he made a lot of friends this fall at the Cape May Bird Observatory Hawk Watch, where he became an unofficial mascot and greeted many hundreds of visitors who had come to see raptors in migration. Through the past ten years I've been in different relationships, locations, and businesses, but Monkey has been a wonderful constant companion, and I'm glad to say he is still going strong! - Scott
Reader Comments (5)
Wonderful! I am looking forward to more!
Great photos! Monkey does not look as thrilled as owner at being atop Mt. Washington..... :-)
Great post. Great pictures. Look forward to more.
What a wonderful dog.....and great pictures!
Your Photos are Great and Monkey is terrific. Heddy can not imagine that he can sit quiet while those birds are around. Her favorite thing is chasing Ducks. She is too young to have found a squirrel yet. SO we shall see I am sure.. If you guys come across the ferry let us know there are some pretty good sites to explore down here is Dela-Where? We are just across the bay in Lewes