b'Monty is my job. I made a promise to him five or six pects is as a result of the pandemic. People are hungry foryears ago to pick him up every morning at 7 oclock sharp, something that brings them happiness andjoy, she said.Andrea said. With my dog Bella, the three of us journey Monty usually deter-throughWinterParkinwhathasbecomeourmorning minesthephotoop.Sniffaris. HelleitherjuststopThey visit well-known places or sometimes end up in walking to sniff some-parts unknown. We go wherever my car points us, said thing,ortotakeaAndrea, who grew up in Winter Park, Florida. She is famil- break,saidAndrea.iar with the many beautiful nooks, crannies and out-of-the- ThatswhenIsnapway historical spots this quaint, colorful dog-friendly town the photos.has to offer. It looks quite different in the very early hours It all began six yearsof sunrise, with hardly anyone else around to interrupt their ago, after having workedmorning solitude. her way out of anothercorporatejob,asherformermother-in-lawremarkedtoheronedayonthephone.Andrea needed to findsomethingelsetodothat paid. WhydontyouKnowles Memorial Chapel become a dog-walker?her former MIL suggested.It was a thought, and nothing more. Until the morningshe pulled up next to a Porsche Cayenne in the parking lotof the local dog park. I was taking Bella to the dog park,like I did every day, and looked over at the car to see a mansitting in the drivers seat. Next to him, in the passengersseat, was a dog, explained Andrea.It turns out the man was there for the sole purpose ofWinter Park Community Center, Hannibal Square. finding a daily dog walker for Monty, his Springer Spaniel.And that was the beginning of a new career for Andrea,We just wander, said Andrea. It is a pace that isnt who also looks after Monty when his family travels. normal for most people, Although Monty, as previously mentioned, is not a greatwhoalwaysseemto fan of most people, there are several he always looks for-have somewhere else to ward to sniffing, like Tara the park ranger. Monty can spotgo,nomatterwhere her truck a mile away, laughed Andrea. And, the valet attheyalreadyare.Her TheAlfondInnwhohasfreshwaterwaitingwheneverphotoshavebecomea Monty and Bella visit. dailystapleforthose When Andrea takes Monty home after the daily sunrisefollowingtheSniffari walk, there is a lovely breakfast waiting for everyone, includ-adventuresonsocial ing Andrea, who especially enjoys the freshly baked pastries.media.Sheregularly Butfirst,Montyjumpsonthecouchtobehandfedhisreceivesmessagesfrom breakfast by Andrea from a Williams-Sonoma bowl.friends who tell her how Otherthanherlifewithdogsandtheirschedules,thephotoslifttheir Andreahasthrownouteveryotherdailystructurethatspiritsandmaketheir sucked the life out of her days. For crying out loud! Iveday.TheSniffarisand hadadailyplannersinceIwasinthe8thgrade!shethesubsequentcom- laughed. No more! I am now a firm believer of takingmentshaveincreased notice of your surroundings, and appreciating them; appre-over the last year and a ciating the moment. Just like the dogs do. Her Sniffaris,half, which Andrea sus- Park Avenue Rose Garden she says, are just a snapshot of the big picture.U50 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'