One crisp Wednesday morning, Patrick drove to Central Montana to spend the day touring a very large Montana ranch listing, encompassing approximately 4,000 acres. To get a great feel for the layout of the homestead and see every possible fence line, he took the Polaris RZR side by side so he could 4-wheel across the vast ranch and get a true evaluation of the property. Upon arriving at the main house, a sprawling log-style lodge, he met the ranch manager. The manager told Patrick to feel free to tour the place at will, check out every building and field, and at the end of the day, come find him with any questions. After unloading the RZR, Patrick went inside to tour the sprawling main log structure. It took some time to tour the 4 bedroom 4 bath luxury style home with exquisite furnishings and décor. He then went outside to see the views from one of several decks taking note of the large river front view and the sprawling lawns with an amazing custom waterfall. The Montana ranch itself was nestled down below a huge bluff and the river meandered through the small valley. It was going to be a long enjoyable day finding the corner pins and getting a good understanding of this listing. Patrick went back outside to hop in the RZR to begin the long ride up the eastern fence line. According to his GPS property system, it was going to be an extensive outing.
To his amazement, there was a surprise sitting in the passenger seat. Excited to invite himself along for the ride, Shooter just smiled up at him with his furry head bent to the side and long tongue wagging happily as if he were saying, “I’m ready, LETS GO!” The Montana ranch manager came around the corner and started laughing. He told Patrick that Shooter was a blue heeler breed dog that was born on the ranch and would probably stay there too, even with new owners. He would hang with whoever and wherever, as long as he could run free on the ranch. Patrick climbed in the RZR next to his new friend and said, “All right then, Shooter….. guess you are coming along for the ride”.
Patrick spent the next six hours exploring the Montana ranch with Shooter accompanying him the entire way. Shooter was a busy guy, his ears flopping in the wind, swimming in the river, and even catching fish! He turned out to be the best tour guide, even after having traversed over hundreds of Montana ranches through the years. To finish the day, Patrick called me before leaving the ranch to say he was headed home. When asked how the tour went, he answered by saying, “What a great day! I had the cutest little escort show me this ranch all day long!” After a short pause and a curt “ummm excuse me”? He laughed and said, “I will text you a photo, stay by the phone”.
What a tough day in the life of a Montana real estate agent! I thought about the fact that he spent a long beautiful day outside, on a beautiful Montana ranch, 4wheeling many miles with a dog as his quiet company. Like Patrick has said to me many, many times over the years, “It’s not really work when you are doing what you love!”
Laurie Pacheco, Marketing