New England Girl Confronts the Wild, Wild West

June 30, 2009 -

Nearly two years ago, I packed up my bags, cleaned out my
beautiful 3rd floor West Roxbury, MA apartment and moved to
Phoenix. While I'm still in culture shock and am convinced I
simply won't ever adjust, there have been a lot of great things
that the Valley of the Sun has brought to my life.

As I moved to Phoenix, my boyfriend of six-years (at the time),
decided he needed an adventure of his own. Nick signed on to
teach English in South Korea for nine months. I thought I was
being adventurous moving across the country, he then one-upped me
and moved across the globe. Even by my standards - that's bold.

I quickly got into my groove and made some really great friends.
All of these women continue to be a significant part of my life
today and I'd likely to be lost with out them. My closest
friends all share one very important trait - they have a fluffy,
lovable companion (a.k.a. a Dog).

By Thanksgiving 2007, Little Miss Copley, a very busy Boston
Terrier, entered my life. Her real AKC name is "Finish to Copley
Square". She truly is the love of my life.

In an almost fairytale ending, Nick, Copley, and I have nested in
Northeast Phoenix. The three of us share a very strong sense of
adventure and curiosity. Copley is quite inquisitive which often
creates very interesting situations for me.

"Finish to Copley Square" RN

It is important to understand the derivation of Copley's name -
it explains a lot about her. As I've mentioned before, Copley is
a very busy Boston Terrier. She's sort of like your elderly
neighbor who sits on her front porch swing, sipping lemonade, has
an opinion about everything.

Copley is registered AKC as PAL201942. A PAL or Purebred
Alternative Listing can be used when you don't have AKC papers
but are certain that you have a purebred pooch. This is a great
tool when you rescue from a Breed Rescue Organization, don't have
AKC papers, but want to compete in the AKC. More information on
this can be found at http://www.akc.org/reg/ilpex.cfm. Copley
and her competition stats can be followed on the AKC site. It
seems like people who register with the AKC have a really long
name for their dog and then a call name (i.e. Copley).

As she's a Boston Terrier and I grew up in a small town called
Hopkinton, MA, I figured it was appropriate for her name to be
associated with New England. "Copley" seemed like a great fit -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copley_Square.

The Boston Marathon which is a very hilly, challenging 26 mile
race starts in my hometown of Hopkinton, MA and ends right
outside Boston Public Library at Copley Square. The name has a
great balance of history, athleticism, adventure, and spirit.

So, to make a really long story short... no matter where I am, who
I'm with or where I live, Copley is always my way home.