by robyn fogle | photos courtesy of rhiannon tobin

It’s the Friday you’ve been waiting for! Time for another chapter in the fabulously fun feature we’re calling “Tails of Billings” where, once a month, we spotlight a furry friend (aka “tail”) and share their tale. If you missed it, you can check out last month’s series kick-off here. 

My Aussie, Whipper, was the first spotlight and he had so much fun being interviewed that he told me he wanted to take over the series and be the one to talk to his fellow tails here in Billings. By way of compromise, I suggested we do it together since his typing skills are subpar to say the least.

He got crazy excited when we received an email from Vince and Kersey’s mom. He took one look at Kersey and said he was smitten and that we needed to interview them right away.

So this month we’d like to introduce you to Vince, a 6.5 year-old border collie/aussie mix and his younger sister Kersey, a 3.5 year-old border collie. These two cuties share a home with their parents Justin and Rhiannon Tobin and baby sister, Kelby. They are active in the dog sport community through Billings K9 Coaching and Yellowstone Dog Sports and are adventurous, smart, fun-loving, and high-energy pups.

Meet Vince:

Hi! I'm Vince! I am not afraid to use my voice and let my family know if something is amiss...or out of place

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in your home.

Vince: Well, sometimes my parents say I’m an “ausshole” which I think is like a donut hole and everyone likes those. I admit I can be crazy, sometimes anxious and reactive, but I always mean well.

One of my roles at home is making sure that everything is in its place. For example, it’s my job to raise the alert if something is not where it’s supposed to be. Like a pair of pants hanging on a door. We all know they don’t belong there, but for some reason my parents will just walk right by. Clearly they must not notice! But not to worry, I post up by the out-of-place object and sound the alarm till they get everything back in order like it’s supposed to be. Our house would be chaos without me!

I’m also in charge of ensuring we eat our meals on time. I think sometimes my mom gets busy and doesn’t notice what time it is, so then I just go find her and let her know that it’s meal time. Best time of the whole day!! Do you like dessert? 

Meet Kersey

Hi! I'm Kersey! Protecting my baby sister is my #1 most important job.

Kersey: Yeah, sorry about Vince, he’s not that smart. He likes to act first and think later. I’m much more level-headed. I like to consider myself serious and thoughtful.

My biggest job at home is protecting my new baby sister. She’s too little to look out for herself yet, but that’s ok because I’m an expert at keeping that mean old vacuum cleaner away. I’m also really good at making her laugh - I can do summersaults, chase my tail, whatever makes her happy.

I’m a pro when it comes to agility. I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve actually won quite a few ribbons. Mom says I’m good at it because I’m smart and it requires a lot of mental work in addition to being agile. 

What is your favorite place to go in Billings and why? 

Vince: Dee-O-Gee day camp! If you’ve never experienced it for yourself, you have to go! It’s the best place in Billings. I’ve heard the staff tell my mom that they entertain us, but I’m pretty sure it’s more like me and my friends entertain the staff.

One of my favorite places to be - Dee-O-Gee

Anyway, I also love going there because Dee-O-Gee has my favorite treat - crunchy pig ears! Sometimes I can talk my mom into getting me one on our way out. 

Kersey: My favorite place isn’t exactly “in” Billings, but it’s not too far away. It’s called Kersey Lake and it’s my namesake. But I also love it because it has amazing fishing and fishing is probably one of my favorite things to do...like ever!

Kersey at Kersey Lake. It's not only impeccably named, but it's my favorite place to be and one of THE best places for fishing!

Vince doesn’t have the patience for fishing, he just runs around eating grass and chewing twigs, but me, I’m kind of a fishing expert. More like a guide really, but I don’t charge for my services. I can find the best fishing spots to lead my parents to and then I wait patiently right beside them for hours while they fish. My favorite part is watching the line hit the water! Oh and seeing them catch a fish of course! Then I know I did good.

I don't like to brag, but I am kind of the very best fishing guide. My family is so lucky. 

What is the most embarrassing thing your parents have ever done? 

Vince: Oh don’t get me started! Mom does it every year and I hate it. She thinks she’s this great groomer and every summer she corners me and says “let’s trim your pants” like it’s cute or something! Ugh! It’s horrific. I don’t even want to talk about it.

But at least she doesn’t try to trim my luscious ear hair - that’s my pride and joy!

See what I mean? Luscious ear fur. It's gorgeous, right? 

Kersey: Ooooh I have a good one! Have your parents ever picked you up like you’re a dog? Isn’t that just the worst?! A dog??? As if! Hello! I am most certainly not a dog and I don’t appreciate being treated like one. 

But thankfully my mom knows my favorite treat is cheese and she doesn’t try to feed me those yucky dog biscuits like they’re something special. I mean, would she want one of those? I don’t think so! 

Our family

You guys seem really fun and active, is there anything specific you’d say you’re most proud of?

Vince: Yes! I’ve hiked the Beaten Path twice. It’s a 28.6 mile trail, but for me it’s about 4 times that since I run back and forth so much! I’m pretty proud of that. Oh and dock diving! Not only is it super fun, but I’m also really good at it! I’m graceful and fearless and...

Kersey: Okaaay Vince, enough about you. Honestly, I think I’m most proud of the fact that we keep our family so active. It’s important for us all to be active, and without me and Vince our parents just wouldn’t get out as much.

We all live together in a small apartment with no backyard so it’s important for us to get them out. But we’re great at home too, we definitely go hard when we’re outside, but we also have an off switch. Mostly I’m just proud of my family. They’re the best!

You can follow the adventures of this fun-loving duo on their Instagram @montandogz or look them up on Facebook at facebook.com/montandogz

And if this post had you thinking of your own pup and their crazy quirks, or if you know of a tail that needs featured, then Whipper and I want to hear from you. You can email us at Robyn@simplylocalmagazine.com 

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