I am fortunate to love dogs and love the country, my dogs have long paths in the deep woods where they can show me what their lives were meant to be. Many dogs have beautiful lives without paths in the woods, but it has always been a mission of mine to give my dogs the lives of dogs, insofar as it is possible. On the path, Frieda must be kept on a leash, as she is a hunter, she is always looking for pretty. Frieda sometimes reminds me of Lon Chaney in “The Werewolf,” she is a good -hearted creature who can’t help herself when she sees prey – she has to find it and kill it.

Red and Lenore sometimes come with me along, and they are always together, these two, Red acting out the border collie role, Lenore the Lab. Lenore runs up into the woods, Red races along the path, a herding move, and once in awhile, as above, they stop and talk to one another, and then Lenore comes tearing out of the woods and running around in great circles, Red keeping up with her, running sideways, ever the herding dog trying to control movement.

Lenore is always eating offal and leavings on the ground, Red never does, Lenore is always looking for mud and water to roll in, Red avoids the water. Both stay close to me,  neither has ever run off, both are a whistle or a shout away. They comb the forest with their noses, collecting the stories of the woods, the stories of nature, living even for a few minutes a day the lives dogs were meant to live. My dogs and paths have always been connected, each to the other, both to me.