For the second time this year, a group of young men from the St. John’s Residence For Boys in Brooklyn, N.Y. came to Bedlam Farm to see the donkeys and watch Red work. The donkeys are pros now at receiving visitors – especially those with large bags of carrots. These kids have all had troubles and loved seeing the donkeys close up, but they were really wowed by Red. They have not seen too many friendly dogs in their lives and it was poignant to see them touching Red, hugging Lenore, cuddling up with Flo.

The boys came upstate for a weekend retreat at the Pompanuck Farm Institute. It was hard for them to comprehend a dog like Red, and more than anything else, they zeroed in on his focus.