Farm Dogs

This morning I went outside early, trying to beat the sun out, so that I could take a succession of sunrise photos.  I did beat the sun, but I was fooled as the sky was overcast.  A perfect morning to finish my mulching, but not to take sunrise photos. 

I am happy to report that I have finished mulching and weeding, for the moment, all the perennial beds in the upper yard.  And, I have only three small islands to finish in the lower yard.  Now, I can relax my weeding chores for, at least, a day or two. 

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Farm dogs...we have two - Jake, affectionately known as the 'old man' at 12 years old and Buddy lovingly known as 'Bad Buddy'.  Buddy still seems like a puppy at 16 months old.

Jake is a collie - the Lassie type.  We went to look, I repeat, only look at his litter.  We were actually searching for a short-haired female puppy.  We left the breeder with a fluffy, long-haired male puppy in tow.  It was a great decision.  Jake developed from a lively, playful puppy for Becky into a loyal, constant companion for Glenn and me.  He is no guard dog, but he not a roamer either.  Our previous dog wandered, not only around our 182 acre farm, but also on a good deal of the northern part of Rockbridge County.  When Pepper died, Jake mourned.  Jake befriended the three cats.  At times I could not tell if Jake acted like a cat or if the cats acted like dogs.  Their friendship was mutual, they took care of each other.

Jake

After several years, we all decided another dog was in order - you know that 'pack animal' mentality.  The cats were helpful, but not as fulfilling as another dog.  So, Becky and I drove to see a litter of border collies.  I actually chose Buddy because he looked the least, from his brothers and sisters, like a skunk.  I hate skunks.  Also, he was one of the few long-haired pups which made him look so cuddly.  How could we go wrong?  Home we drove, puppy on my lap.

After a short period of adjustment,  Buddy became mates with Jake and the three cats - pleasant for the most part with a bit of rough-housing between the dogs and a tad of hostility with the cats.  But, what is a modest amount of brawling between 'siblings'?

Buddy

The adjustment between Buddy and me was not quite as easy.  Buddy is lovable, a shadow companion, likes attention; but he is also super active, and has a mind all his own.  Buddy is, what I call, a trouble-maker; thus, the rename to Bad Buddy.  The first thing Buddy did when arriving at our farm was to dig up a significant portion of my perennial plants.  Now, you see my problem - I love my garden.  I replanted the same hosta nine times.  He moved on.  One day I noticed his paws were all full of dirt, so I went to investigate and found that my two-year-old sour cherry tree was totally undermined, all roots exposed.  Every day Buddy dug up a different plant.  On reading some literature concerning border collie behavior, I learned (too late) that he was exhibiting normal border collie behavior.  I must live with it - oh no! 

Buddy and I have finally bonded.  He has stopped most of his plant excavation in exchange for a never-ending game of fetch.  Buddy brings me twigs to throw, as well as 8' long sticks, and once tried to play fetch with a log that I could barely throw due to its weight.  Buddy returned it to me in his teeth.  I ignored him until I found a suitable stick.

Fetching a stick - Buddy is so fast he has to really put on his brakes to stop (notice the dust)

I took Buddy to school at a nearby PetSmart store.  He was teacher's pet, in fact, the pet of every customer who walked through the door.  Buddy was very popular.  Buddy exhibited skill and intelligence immediately.  He became the 'go to' dog when the instructor needed to demonstrate.  Buddy always performed.  Back at home, Buddy ignored my commands.  He would only perform when Jake would wander by and follow my directions with ease.  Talk about jealousy. 

Ultimately, we love both Jake and Buddy and we are so lucky to have them both as part of our farm family!