Herding sheep with a border collie on a farm is one of the most rewarding things a human being can do with a dog. I am grateful to the wonderful breeders who bred Red, who can sit in the lap of librarians one day, herd the sheep in beautiful harmony with me the next. A woman recently came up to a friend of mine who was walking her border collie and said “what a shame a dog has to die because you got this dog from a breeder.”

What a shame there are people like that in our world. Rescuing a dog is a wonderful experience, so is getting one from a conscientious breeder. Dogs like Red do not fall out of the sky, they are the product of someone’s long and careful work. Balance in all things.