Border collie chess, I have spent a good part of my life trying to keep border collies inside of fences when they want to get out. This morning we left Fate inside the dog fence in the back yard while we went out to check on the animals. We were out with the donkeys when Fate startled us by appearing out at the pasture gate. We couldn’t imagine how she got out, so we put her back in and I hid behind the woodpile. She squeezed into the very small space between the aluminum fence and the fence post, I still can’t quite imagine how she did it, even though I saw her.

I stuck some logs into the space, and then, of course, she pushed them out and came out again. So we nailed them in, went to the hardware store and got some chicken wire, which will go up in that space tomorrow. Border collies are good at border collie chess, I hope she doesn’t get a hold of any screws.

Like all puppies, Fate is cute, but I keep telling people she is a monster, a she-devil. She is cute, though, but wily. I’ve had border collies dig under the fence, jump over the fence, squeeze between slats and spaces, pry open wooden strips. Karen Thompson says if you survive the first 18 months, you’ll be okay.