I was going through some photos from the Spring and I came across this one and realized it was our first encounter with Fate, the first time we had ever seen her at Dr. Karen Thompson’s beautiful farm in Virginia. Karen is an excellent human and wonderful breeder, the most beautiful and amazing border collies run all over the place there. We had seen a photo of Fate, so I knew she was a rascal, a pirate dog, intense, curious and smarter than me. She saw us, came rushing over to the fence, hopped up and took a good look. “This is our dog,” I said to Maria, who nodded. Fate is six months older, but her pirate eye and look has deepened, if anything.

I wanted to share the first sighting with you. Red also came from Karen Thompson, she is a testament to the value of good breeders, Karen breeds for health, temperament and instinct. Without people like Karen, you would never be able to watch those great herding trials on TV, or get to know a dog like Fate or Red. I can’t thank you enough, Karen, you are a good and worthy soul and a great friend to people and animals.