Let me set the context. In the morning, when chores begin, we go out into the barn and open up the gate. Red goes out into the barn, locks onto the sheep and stays still, waiting for a command to walk up or move around to the left or right. This morning, Simon and Lulu were waiting for him. Simon leaned over and sniffed Red carefully, just as Rocky used to do, and then Lulu joined him.
Donkeys to not like dogs in general, border collies in particular. They guard the sheep and they tend to see herding dogs as coyotes of foxes, predators moving towards the sheep. Simon in particular does not like dogs. He attacked Rose, went after Lenore and has chased Red all over the pasture. Red is the first dog I have ever had who does not react to the donkeys, he never takes his eyes off of the sheep, doesn’t even look or glance at them or react in any way to their touching or sniffing him.
Over the past few months, I’ve stood back and watched Red handle it. Simon has gotten completely comfort with Red, and watching this scene unfold this morning, I thought again of the wonderful strangeness of the border collie (and the border collie owners). There is no animal I can think of who would happily sacrifice himself in order to do his work and keep an eye on the sheep. Animals evolve. This would not have been possible just a few months ago. And Red has handled the donkeys in the most patient and professional of ways.