I encourage Fate to roam the meadows near our farm. She loves it, and runs freely there, chasing after chipmunks and mice and rabbits. She never goes too far, she never runs off, she is in it for the chase, not the kill. And she does not do it anywhere else, so it does not become obsessive, as can happen with border collies.

They say border collies are the dogs most closely linked genetically to wolves, and I see this clearly when Fate heads out into the meadow, and melts into it, invisible out there, popping up from time to time, then exploding out of the meadow and back onto the road near us. She always seems to know where we are. I feel the meadow is important to Fate, Red has never set foot on it, but Fate seems drawn sometimes to running free and exploring. I think it is good for her, and a beautiful thing to see.

We can’t really let dogs live their natural lives in our crowded and anxious and sometimes dangerous world, but it is a pleasure to let them live their natural lives whenever possible. I’ve come to love our meadow, and I love Fate exploring it so joyously.