Red and I went to Battenkill Books today as part of my Saturday job as Recommender-In-Chief. Red is the co-Recommender-In-Chief. Red grew up on a farm in Ireland, and until recently, was never in a house or around children. He was a working dog who lived in a barn or crate. He was a bit confused coming to the bookstore at first, he wasn’t sure what the work was, but like Izzy in hospice, he figured out it was the people. Today, there were many children in the bookstore, and I was anxious at first about how Red would handle that. Border collies are skittish around sudden movements and rarely liked being grabbed or hugged. I needn’t have worried, Red enters any space I am in and joins with me, he is a wonderful dog. Even Izzy was anxious around children, and would nip at them or try and herd them if they moved too quickly or grabbed him.
Red loves the bookstore, he its in as if he grew out of the stacks. I had a wonderful time watching him, taking photos of Connie, who came in on her day off to help with the crowds. Red draws a lot of people, he makes a lot of friends, and people react to him in the most powerful way. When we came in, Connie was on the phone taking pre-orders for “Second Change Dog: A Love Story” (Maria and I will sign and personalize any copies of that book ordered from Battenkill) and I got to talk to Sally from Coral Gables, Fla. and others who follow the blog and like to buy their books from Battenkill, a wonderful independent bookstore, my hometown bookstore.
It is quite an experience to watch Red evolve, enter our lives, adapt and learn. He is a profoundly grounded dog (mostly except when the floors are of linoleum and then he panics) and he has the ability to connect with people in the most beautiful way. Red and I are at Battenkill Books on most Saturdays from eleven a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can call the store at 518 677-2515 to see if we are there. People are delighted to see him there, and he is careful not to bother people who don’t approach him or talk to him. If they look at him and say “hey, Red,” he will come over. Otherwise, he stays with me or lies down on his carpet. I have a photo album of this sweet experience on my Facebook page, it is up now.