One of the unusual and remarkable things about Red is that he has several distinctly different personas. In the pasture, he is the absolute monarch, his presence is strong and unchallenged. In his therapy work, he is a gentle, even shy, spirit, he taps into the souls of people.
I am touched by both of these personas, but I think the soul of Red is really most on display when he is commanding the sheep, who are always aware of him and respond to him instantly.
I took Gus and Red to the Mansion twice this week to step up his therapy dog training. The first visit was rocky, Gus ate something awful in the pasture and threw it up on the Mansion carpet. We got it cleaned up, and he threw up again, so we withdrew.
The next visit went much more smoothly. Gus attended the Card Bingo game in the Mansion dining room and got to know Debbie, a new resident. It takes him about five minutes to calm down, but when he does, he shows a lot of promise.
He loves people, is eager to see everyone, and loves to crawl in somebody’s lap – something even Red can’t do. I’m going to step up our work together, the Mansion residents love him, and he loves going. He and Red are a powerful team, and Debbie would love to see him again.
