We met Henry Snider at the end of my short story class at Hubbard Hall, his father is on the staff there. He and Fate spotted each other a cross the crowded room and had the same made gleam in their eye, Fate rushed towards him. Don’t let her jump on you, we warned. “I love when dogs jump on me,” he said. So he did, and so she did. The two had a blast rolling around the floor together.
Maria spotted a swollen lump on Chloe’s ride side, a swelling, bite or some kind of growth. She called the Granville Large Animal Vet and they said it was probably an insect bite, there is a visible entry point or bite – she might have gotten poked by a stick in the rear pasture. They suggested hosing it down with cold water for five minutes twice a day. If it doesn’t get smaller, they said, call in a day or so.
We think it is already smaller, but we’ll keep an eye on it. There is no oozing of any kind and it is not sensitive to the touch. Chloe is like a border collie, a stoic, nothing much seems to bother her, or she just doesn’t show it. These two have a very strong connection, Chloe only gives Maria some trouble about riding, nothing else.
Today was the last of my short story classes for the summer, we met in the Freight Depot at Hubbard Hall. Half the class is away on summer vacation, Hubbard Hall needs our classroom, so we are moving the class to Pompanuck Farms and their big Round House, we will resume in mid-August and go through Spring of next year, where we hope to publish a book and e-book of the stories written in class.
I always bring Red, this time I decided to bring Fate. She was good, although she did manage to jump on every single person – we are working on that, she started to chew up the stage and she got hold of a balled up sheet of paper (I gave it to her) and while Red sat quietly as he always does, Fate went to town on the paper. She is getting there, lots of love, lots of spirit. She is all puppy, a spitfire. She was also a big hit. She loves people dearly, all people.
This is a powerful class to work with, a joy and an honor to be teaching them. At Pompanuck, I am thinking of expanding my teaching, we could even video stream the lectures online if there was a market for it. I’ll keep you posted.
Fate is restless and full of energy and drive, she has rarely napped in the house outside of the crate. Calming training, fatigue (she is working hard now) and time are beginning to calm her down a bit (just a bit.) Today she curled up on a small dog bed next to Red and went to sleep. He is very tolerant of her, she jumps on him, gnaws on his mouth, grabs his tail.
The only thing that seems to tick him off is if she comes too close to his food, he gives off a roar that sends her screaming and running. Otherwise, he puts up with all of it and is happy to welcome Fate into his space.
