After a Loss, New Canaan’s Konspore Family Welcomes a Puppy Home

New Canaan resident Matt Konspore said he and his family were devastated in December when they lost their 14-year-old Bichon Frise, Bosco.

“It was very emotional. It was like losing a child,” Konspore recalled Tuesday afternoon from his living room. “That dog was a key point in my life.”

Playful and affectionate, Bosco became a Konspore family member when the family include Matt, his wife Lisa and their first-born child, Trevor, was not yet two at the time.

Trevor, now 15, is a New Canaan High School sophomore, and his younger siblings—Jaden, 12, a seventh-grader at Saxe Middle School, and Ella, 7, a South School first-grader—round out the Konspore clan.

On Tuesday, dad surprised the family by bringing home a new puppy—see video above.

Oakley is a 7-week old Australian Labradoodle from Charlotte, N.C. The breed—known as an ‘Australian Cobberdog’ in Europe, its advocates say—is a non-shedding companion dog.

“I was surprised,” Ella said as she and the others chased Oakley around the carpeted room—its walls adorned by photos of Bosco with the kids, among others—and the puppy, minutes away from collapsing from a very busy day, chewed on everything he could (including Ella’s hair).

The South Schooler said she was happily surprised to meet the new family dog: “I saw Jaden staring at something and I was like, ‘What are you staring at?’ He looks just like a little peanut. He’s really nice.”

Bosco had been ill for some time last year and, despite what appeared to be a turn for the better during the summer, his health began to fail in November and he passed away on Dec. 3.

Trevor said he has missed Bosco and had been looking forward to having a dog in the house again.

Lisa said she and Matt determined around the time of Bosco’s passing that they would try to find another dog if the right one came along.

It was important for the family to find a breed that didn’t shed or affect people with allergies, the Konspores said.

Oakley will undergo training with a local woman, Matt said.

Jaden summed up the puppy’s arrival this way: Bosco had welcomed him and Ella to the world, and now all three kids would welcome Oakley to their family.

“I already know what my plan is with him,” Jaden said. “I just want him to get attached to me.”

Here are a few more photos from Oakley’s first day in his New Canaan home: