I have always loved working breed dogs, always had them. I suppose my favorite way to get a dog is to find a wonderful breeder of working dogs and get one from them. It has always worked for me. Frieda is a mixed breed – Rottweiler and Shepherd – two great working breeds and I am very happy to live with her and let her protect us.

For me, the best combination of dogs has been Labs and border collies. They seem to balance one another very well – the hyper-focused intensity of the border collie, the laid back and loving nature of the Lab. Karen Thompson is evidence of what a wonderful breeder can do, and so is Gretchen Pinkel, who sold me Lenore. On Labor Day I want to pause and salute the working dog. They have enriched my life, from Julius and Stanley who helped me launch my writing life to Orson who sparked my move to the farm to Rose and Lenore and now, Red. I can hardly recount how much they have done for me – they have given me my work, really – and how much joy and pleasure and love they have brought me. As Red recovers from his leg injury, I see that he and Lenore have turned to one another, everywhere I look they are together.

I think the working dog is always looking for work, and Lenore’s work is love. Tomorrow my second children’s book about Lenore will be published – “Lenore Finds A Friend,” and it is available everywhere, and also at the Battenkill Bookstore in Cambridge, N.Y. If you buy a copy of this book there, I will sign and personalize it and Connie Brooks will include a signed Bedlam Farm notecard. More than 150 copies of the book arrived Friday and I have already begun signing them. Lots of orders. You can order and pre-order “Dancing Dogs,” my short story collection and the revised paperback of “Going Home: Finding Peace When Pets Die”  from Battenkill Books also, and also receive a notecard and a personalized book. You can call 518 677 2515 or order online at www.battenkillbooks.com. Battenkill takes paypal.