My world has changed again, and is richer still. Red arrived this evening, and he is quite a dog. Within an hour, he had met the dogs, acclimated to them, walked with us on the path, and after some confusion and hesitation, worked with me and the sheep. Lenore was delighted to see him, and Frieda did a bit of woofing and sniffing and is quite at ease with him.

We love him already and are very grateful to Karen Thompson for letting him go. Red is that rare combination of dog – a worker, and a lovebug. He just loves people and is lying at my feet now panting. He has the biggest outrun I’ve ever seen on a border collie – he almost made it to Vermont, but is a sure and skilled hand at working sheep.

At first, he was hesitant about following my commands, but after two or three rounds – wow are my feet sore – in the pasture and several phone calls to Karen, we started clicking together. I’ll put up an album on Facebook. This dog is going to change my life, as others have. I cannot imagine the limits on what might be done working with him. He has the focus of working dog, the manner of a therapy dog and now we will begin the process of helping him be a companion dog and a pet. What a gift, what a blessing.

Dogs mirror our lives and mark the passages of time. Last year the same photo had Frieda, Lenore, Rose and Izzy. I remember them, and I will move on. Every dog I have ever owned has helped me grow, change and become a better human. Red has his work cut out for him.