December 23, 2004
Why Pont?
So, you're probably asking "why Pont?" Silly name for a dog, right? Here is the history behind the thought process that went into the name.
One of our favorite places in the world is a sheep farm bed and breakfast in central Wales. It is called Cyfie (pronouned Ke-Vee-Ah) and we stayed there almost yearly from 1995-1999. While other people are seeing the shows in London, we high-tail it out of the big city and ride the rails to Shrewsbury or Cardiff to rent a car and then motor into Wales to stay at the farm. Not unusual for us to have spent the whole vacation there. Then Graham was born and we haven't been back since...but that's another story. Here's a picture of the farm.
During each stay, we would walk a few miles on a narrow road through lush pasture lands dotted with gamboling lambs; down into a valley cut by a rushing stream and waterfalls; past shaggy grazing horses and into the tiny village of Pont Robert.
Most trips we were accompanied by Bracken, the farm’s working Welsh Border Collie. To this day, Bracken remains the smartest dog we have ever met. Here is Bracken and myself in a photo from March, 1995.
For a long time we even considered getting a puppy there and flying it home. But then, we studied Border Collies and found them to be true working dogs. Adept at herding sheep, they will herd anything....from squirrels to kids. And if there is nothing to herd, they can be quite destructive. And that's where we left the plans for our very own Welsh Border Collie lie and turned our fancy to whippets. But that's another story having its roots in Edinburgh, Scotland.
As we were saying, we would walk from Cyfie Farm into Pont Robert. Our destination was the village pub, the Royal Oak, an area landmark for centuries. We’d have a pint to drink, myself usually a pull of Guinness and Jackie the local cider. Bracken was welcome in the pub as long as we stayed by the fire, a necessary thing after trekking through a soft Welsh rain. When we think of our wonderful times in Wales, they are topped by the memories of our visits to this cozy pub.
In Welsh, “pont” means bridge. Pont the Pup will remind us of our happy times in Wales and he will be a “bridge” from Olivia to Glynis and to the next generation of our family dogs.
We gave Pont’s name a lot of thought. Now that you know the story behind it, we hope it makes you smile as much as we will smile every time we call him.
Pont's First Night:
We brought Pont home on Wednesday. Cold trip as we headed north to Saginaw which is near Duluth. Temperature at the start was -3 F and had fallen to -11 F by the time we arrived to pick Pont up.
We had a great time meeting Pont's mommy and all his siblings and cousins. Kay Nierengarten spent time with us to go over everything with Pont and get started on the AKC paperwork.
On the way home we had Pont in a little kennel. About 30-minutes after leaving Saginaw I looked in the rear-view mirror to see Pont on Jackie's lap. Spoiled rotten after 30-minutes.
Upon arrival at his new home Pont spent a lot of time getting aquainted with every room, every corner, every smell. He fell asleep several times for short naps but was a real dynamo. He ate all his supper like a good boy and had half of a baby carrot.
When it was time for bed we placed Pont in his kennel. About five minutes later he was asleep. Oh, he fell asleep alright. But not in the kennel. Between Jackie and I on our bed. Don't ask! This did lead to issues later when Graham also tried to climb into bed with us but we all adjusted fine.
All in all Pont is adjusting very well. No "accidents" to report at this time. He's even gotten Glynis to wrestle with him. Pont especially loves to follow Graham from room to room and generally nibble on everyone's ears.
He is also a brave little puppy. Nothing is too high to jump on or off from. He also has picked out Graham's largest stuffed animal to drag around. A large shark which is triple the size of young Pont.
Tomorrow is Xmas Eve and Pont will be introduced to more relatives both human and K9. I'm sure he will be hugged and touched more than even Pont thought possible.