Photo Courtesy of Noah Tanguay-Collins

BETHEL — Technically, Marti is famous. The apricot doodle who casts an aura of ease was runner up in America’s Favorite Pet. His dad and owner, Noah Tanguay-Collins, filled out a link someone sent him, and he received an email one day telling him Marti was a finalist. While the world dotes on Marti from afar, those in Bethel are eager to embrace him.

“Someone will come by on a mountain bike and say hi to Marti [specifically],” laughs Tanguay-Collins.

Marti, who got his name from the cocktail, ‘martini,’ was born on April’s Fools Day in 2020, in the heart of the pandemic. He is a hypoallergenic dog, which works out perfectly for Tanguay-Collins as he’s allergic to dogs.

Initially, when Tanguay-Collins first got Marti, he would take him everywhere in this boat-n-tot-La Bean cream-colored bag with red handles and stitching. On the outside of the bag in red were the words MARTI. Marti would pop his head out and look about; he went everywhere with Tanguay-Collins, from Freeport to all the stores. His favorite adventure was going on a boat ride where he was wearing a smile as he looked around with the wind blowing on his ears.

“He’s easy-going, well-mannered, very sweet; it’s his British linage,” Tanguay-Collins says smartly.

Marti’s Mum was a British doodle from Bristol, his Dad an American poodle, hence where the British linage reference plays from. Tanguay-Collins adopted him from the So Lucky Farms in Norridgewock. He was put on a wait-list in 2019. Marti was born on April Fools Day in 2020. In June 2020, Tanguay-Collins took Marti home.

Marti does a few laps around the office, sniffing around, as Tanguay-Collins laughs, saying Marti(ni) is making his rounds. Once Marti is settled back, laying comfortably, not making a peep, although he is a one-year-old pup, Tanguay-Collins looks at Marti and describes what he loves most about his dog.

“He puts himself to bed. If I’m off, he just tucks himself into bed on time [the same time each night]. Once I’m ready to go in the morning, then he’s up and ready!” He says endearingly.

Tanguay-Collins wants to train Marti in the Canine Good Citizen program within the next year, as he already displays many of the objectives, the most obvious accepting a friendly stranger. The objective is to encourage training of well-mannered dogs. He would like him to be a therapy dog eventually.

“He’s a real character,” says Tanguay-Collins says, as Marti settles himself comfortably into the ground, almost as if he could make any place in the world comfortable as long as Tanguay-Collins was sitting alongside him.