Gavin Ballantine completed all of Scotland's 282 Munros alongside his seven-year-old Spaniel, Monty, on Saturday. Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters Get the latest top news stories sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter We have more newsletters A Spaniel who had half of a lung removed as a pup has successfully completed all of Scotland's 282 Munros . Seven-year-old Monty conquered his final Munro on the Isle of Mull alongside his owner Gavin Ballantine, 40, on Saturday.
It took the pair four years to complete their journey as they amassed 1,455 miles of trekking across 640 hours. Their elevation gain was the equivalent of hiking Mount Everest 17 and a half times. Gavin, from Culross in Fife , told the Record: "It has been a tremendous effort from Monty and I'm really proud of him.
I believe he is only the 20th dog to complete all of Scotland's Munros. "I would never have started - let alone completed - my Munro round without him." The duo took up hiking in 2018 when Monty was a pup as Gavin admitted it was "impossible" to tire time out.
Gavin says his Spaniel could be walked for hours-on-end yet still be full of energy when they got home. He said: "It was impossible to tire him out - we tried everything. He just had too much energy.
We'd come in from a three-hour walk and he'd still be up to high doh. "One day, completely exasperated, I decided to take him up Ben Narnain and that seemed to do the trick. He shot up that mountain like a hairy express train and discovered his purpose in life.
"From there, we started ticking off Munros together. We became quite the team." Around halfway through Owen and Monty's Munro round, the pup was struck with a sudden illness.
Then aged two, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening case of Pyothorax - a condition that occurs when pus or inflammatory fluid accumulates in the chest cavity. Monty had to undergo surgery to remove half of his lung and lost half of his body weight during the process. Despite his terrifying health ordeal, he made a speedy recovery and was able to continue hiking with Owen.
Owen said: "I assumed our mountain climbing days together were over and my thoughts were basically confirmed by his surgeon. Incredibly, he bounced back very quickly and within two weeks he was full of energy and ready to go again. "After a full recovery and a little training to get his fitness levels back, we continued with our journey.
That was the first, and very last time, I ever underestimated my dog. "The Scottish Munros are beautiful and to experience them with Monty has been fantastic. I'm grateful he could do it with me.
" Their ascents saw Monty scramble up some of the country's most challenging peaks, including the Inn Pinn on the Isle of Skye, which is renowned to be the hardest of all of Scotland's Munros. It sits at 985.8 metres and is otherwise known as the notorious 'Inaccessible Pinnacle' as mountaineers require experience, equipment, and concentration to reach the peak.
Recalling their climb on the Inner Hebridean island, Owen said: "The Inn Pinn was tricky for us both. It's not to be underestimated. I put a mountaineering harness on him with some ropes.
I held onto him very tightly but he essentially just scrambled up it, paw after paw, like a human would." Having completed all of Scotland's highest peaks, Gavin and Monty now plan to conquer all 222 of Scotland's Corbetts together. Owen said: "Monty is getting a bit older now so our next steps will be to do the Corbetts.
It has been an incredible journey to complete with him and we've shared some special moments together. "Some of the best moments of my life so far have been spent with him, running through the mountains with nothing but fresh air and glorious views. A special highlight for us would be camping on the summit of the Munro in Torridon and watching the sunrise, that was pretty special.
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