We had three cords of wood stacked up outside the woodshed and hundreds of people coming on Saturday for our Open House. Gordon McQuerry saved the day, he showed up at 9 a.m. and stayed till just after 1 p.m., he has been stacking wood all of his life and it showed.
Gordon plays the ukulele and he’s going to bring his Uke to the Open House Saturday along with some hand drums for the RISSE soccer team’s budding musicians to play. Thanks Gordon, it was inspiring to see you toss all that wood around.
Tomorrow, one of the last readings of the “Talking To Animals” book tour, I will be talking and reading at the Historic Memorial Hall in Wilmington, Vermont at 8 p.m. The following day, we are back here in Cambridge for the Spring Open House.
The “Talking To Animals” tour has been erratic but happy. I am hearing lots of good things from people reading it, I think it is making people think about how we can understand animals in a different way in order to help them stay with us. It is always fun to have that conversation with people.
This is my next to last reading, the last one will be in Manchester, Vermont in mid-July at the Northshire Bookstore.
My life with animals grows deeper and richer all of the time. Fate has settled in beautifully with our lives, as active and obsessive as she is. She is the perfect pal for Maria, they go everywhere together, as we hoped would happen. She was a challenge, as every dog is.
If you buy my book from the Battenkill Bookstore, my local bookstore, I will sign and personalize it for you, and Connie Brooks will send a free-tote bag along with the book. Publishing has changed enormously in the past few years and book tours are quieter and shorter. I think this one will keep on moving.
And I am so happy to be working so closely with a great independent bookstore. Connie and I were both expected to be extinct by now, but hardcover books and bookstores are making a comeback.
You can order the book from Battenkill here. They take Paypal and major credit cards. You can also call them at 518 677- 2515. They are very nice.
Hannah is one of the best dog mothers I have seen. Here, she keeps the two sisters under control while Leroy (with the blue collar) stays outside the fray and watches. Hannah is right with the dogs when the move quickly or squabble, or when someone approaches him. She licks me, then licks him, but she is paying attention. She teaches them to play nicely, reassures them when they are frightened, intervenes when there is fighting, cleans them when they are dirty, and feeds them generously when they are hungry.
I see her teaching them good dog etiquette, she never lets things get out of the control. This is a critical time in the development of a dog, their treatment and experience in the litter plays a profound role in their development and worldview. Hannah is doing a lot of important groundwork for me, I suspect I will be thanking her for years.
This is a reason I advocate knowing as much about a dog as possible.
Sometimes it is just not possible to know the breeding and litter history of a dog, that doesn’t mean it can’t work. But my approach is to work hard and gather as much information as possible. In this case, all the information I need is available to me, and I am taking advantage of it.
I have a sense of what Leroy will be like, especially regarding his temperament and attention span and demeanor.
I am quite certain there will be no aggression issues, that he can focus on people already. A dog that can pay attention to people can be trained well. These puppies are healthy, smart and affectionate. I credit Robin with much of that, and Hannah with most of it, she is the kind of dog I think of when I mention dogs that pass along the best qualities of dogs.
There are many ways to get a dog, there is not one way for anyone.
We are all different, live in different environments, have different dispositions and goals, physical capabilities, emotional needs, families and lifestyles. I always want to say to people (I don’t): give the dog a fighting chance. Think about whether he or she and your life really converge and make for a good life together. Don’t get a dog just to make a statement to others.
Getting a dog doesn’t have to be a crap shoot, really, not if I am thoughtful and do my homework and preparation. The best dogs, like the best things in life, often take hard work and careful thought. We have a long road to go, but so far so good.
I never get cocky with a dog. Fate, a beautiful herding dog from Wales, doesn’t want to challenge sheep. Is this her nature or my mistake? I don’t really know, but she is a wonderful dog and we love her just the way she is, but still, wonder…. I have trained border collies before to work sheep, this one should have been a cakewalk.
So you never know and I never think I have it all figured out. I am different from you, and you are different from me, what my dog does or doesn’t do doesn’t necessarily have a thing to do with me. And vice versa.
Dogs always surprise me, that is part of their challenge. When you see a mother like Hannah, the odds grow.
We went to see our new puppy Leroy today and his very conscientious breeder Robin Gibbons. She lives just a couple of miles away, and doesn’t go to work (she is a bartender at the American Legion) until early afternoon. She is very gracious about encouraging as many visits as possible. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten to now a puppy as well as Maria and I are getting to know Leroy.
He changes every time we see him.
Leroy is six weeks old, two weeks away from coming home with us. We already have two crates – they play a central role in my puppy training – and some food ready. He will be sleeping in his crate in the bedroom for four or five months before he comes out, and will probably want to get into bed with us, knowing the breed.
He will be in the crate often until he is housebroken, I read that small dogs often take longer to housebreak because their accidents are so small they don’t bother people. Hmmm….
Leroy is precisely what I look for in a puppy. He was the only puppy available from the litter of three, but he is precisely the one I would have chosen. I always look for what I call the “MIddle Dog.” Not the one who rushes out to greet me first, not the one who is the most active or boisterous or demanding, not the one who is the slowest or the most sluggish of the litter.
His older sister is extremely active and playful, she crawled up my pants leg and wanted to mix it up with my finger. She is the dominant puppy. All three puppies are active and lively, but Leroy took a bit of time before coming over to me and Maria. He sniffed and wagged his tail, crawled up to Maria. When I picked him up and put him near my shoulder, he looked at me, licked me, gnawed on my finger a bit, and then fell asleep.
This morning was his first time outside on grass, and the puppies enjoyed it. I can’t introduce him to other people until he has all of his shots, a week or two after he comes home. Then we’re off for therapy training and socialization, which I don’t think will be a problem with these dogs.
They appear to be affectionate, curious and playful. They have a great mother, and the father lives a few miles North, he is said to be sweet and and grounded, just like the mother, Hannah.
Of the three, Leroy seems to focus on people a bit longer, he was interested in me and the camera, he was quite at home in Maria’s lap, a wise choice for any puppy. He is definitely the middle dog, not too cranked up, not too hesitant, his sister is clearly going to be a handful, she has a lot of personality.
We have enjoyed getting to know Robin, she pays lots of attention to these dogs and makes sure they are clean, handled appropriately and warm. That is good to see, dogs that are well cared for in the litter are often great dogs, it is an important way to start their lives. Dogs that feel safe and secure and that can focus on people and not just be made crazy, often turn out to be the most trainable and responsive dogs.
The rest is up to me. Getting a dog is a huge responsibility for me, and I want to do it well.
I will ask a lot of Leroy, and every time I see him, I feel better about getting him. Maria feels the same way. So far, so good. I think I got the Middle Dog without even asking for it.
We are two days away from the Open House, and Maria’s studio is filling up with good stuff. We are mindful that the vast majority of people reading this live far away, usually too far away to come, so we try and share the art and the weekend with everyone. In response to many requests, Maria has agreed to reserve items or sell them to people who can’t be here.
So come and take a look. Her e-mail is [email protected]. The work is quite beautiful and affordable.
