I have to say up front that I love Tina, almost as much as if she were one of my dogs.

I was at the Miller Farm this morning, helping Moise plan for a “Farm Stand” sign that will go up on our property to alert people to their fruit and vegetable and donut and cookie and pie shed.

Tina spotted me from the back of the farm and came flying.

She came running over to me and jumped up into my arms, and we went into a room in the barn and just cuddled and communities for a while.

I told Moise I was going to take her picture and he said fine. That never troubled him.

Tina is the Miller’s dog, she races around the farm with three good legs and one shortened by an accident with a saw. She is a family dog, a working dog, some kind of border collie, or heeler mix.

She is the perfect farm dog. She is as good on three legs as any dog is on four.

She is fearless and quite loving at the same time. She takes no guff from the horses. and never lets the children out of her sight.

We have bonded. I’ve been feeding her for over a year now, I thought she needed something with more energy than she was getting from the food sold by the Dollar  Store.

She is much loved and well cared for in the Amish way, which is different from the way of the “English,” as they call us. They gratefully accepted the food I’ve been bringing and told me many times it has improved her coat and energy.

She looked great. I haven’t seen her for a month or more, but we had no trouble re-uniting. I thought for a while there was some chance Tina might end up on our farm, but that was a delusion, a fantasy perhaps.

I checked in with the family to make sure she had enough food, and I brought more just in case.

She has a great life roaming the farm, guarding the children, and exploring the woods. I’m sure she eats he own idea of food, and freely and happily lives the life of the dog.

She lives in the house and has shelter whenever she wants or needs it. She is a free spirit, she has the run of the farm.

Lots of people still message me to ask how she is. I am happy to tell you she is well cared for, loved, sheltered, and busy watching over a big farm, especially the children.

She is always where they are.

Somehow it worked out that I am her food provider, and I take it seriously. She gets the best stuff.

We have a great connection with one another, and it was a great pleasure to see her, hold her, scratch her behind the ears and talk with her.

She is a real dog living the life of a real dog, and how many dogs in America get to do that?

She’s good.