When I first came to the country, I bought a cabin on a hilltop and wrote a book called Running To The Mountain. I had two very sweet and congenial Labs with me, their names were Julius and Stanley. They both spent the better part of a year with me, walking with me in the snow, in the woods, sitting with me quietly when I wrote, joining me in the spirit of calm and contemplation that marked that amazing spiritual experience.
I’ve had Labs on and off, there is no better dog to live with families.
Now I live with two border collies, Red and Fate,and since I often write about attachment theory – why is it that we get the dogs we get and love the dogs we love? I was wondering that this morning, as I stood shivering in 7 degree temperatures watching these two happily lie on the ice and dance around on it.
Why have I chosen border collies as the dogs that suit me and fit into my life so well. They are difficult dogs in many ways, not for everyone, not easy.
Yellow Labs are the perfect dogs for writers. They are quiet, meditative, they sit around for hours absolutely still, they are bred to sit with hunters all day long and be still. Border collies are the perfect dogs for me.
I loved all of the Labs I had, most recently Lenore, one of the great dogs I have known. Yet here I am with two border collies, they are the perfect fit for me, for Maria, for our life here on this farm. Okay, so why? I am always telling other people why they chose the dogs they chose, what about me?
I love the energy of border collies. They inspire me to be active and alert and engaged. They get my ass moving, every day. . I love their enthusiasm, for work, for life. It mirrors my own, I love the world around me, I love my life, I love my wife, I love to get up in the morning and get to my work, my writing, my photos. They can’t wait to get to their work either, this is a passion we understand and share.
My border collies understand work, as I understand theirs.
Red can be just as still in my study as a Lab, Fate is getting there, perhaps in her own time. She has been in Maria’s studio all day, now lying by my feet as I write this, as if she knows it relates to her in some way.
When she is restless, she goes to sit with Maria in her studio or tears around in the yard. She knows how to keep busy
Border collies are smart, we have a rich dialogue with one another, not in words but in feelings and energy and a passion for life. They lift me up, challenge me to be in the world, move around, go outside, take walks, herd the sheep.
Like everyone else, I bring my own emotional baggage to my relationship with my dogs. It is healing for me to take care of them, to give them the work they need, the exercise they must have, the interaction with life that is such a characteristic of the breed. If I couldn’t have it, I can give it.
I know that by giving them a nearly perfect life, I am of course giving them what I did not have. I want them to fulfill their destiny, as I wish to fulfill mine.
Their live are as close to perfect as I can make them without going too far. They work with sheep, walk in the woods, ride in cars, get good food, affection and attention. They are happy and fulfilled dogs, and they give me the opportunity to be happy and fulfilled alongside of them.
I think this is why this breed challenges me to be a better human. Training them demands that I be patient, living with them demands that I be cognizant of their very special needs, and their joy of living is infectious. They have a sense of humor, I can sense it, they make me laugh, they often seem to be laughing at me.
It reminds me every day of the gift of being alive, of my own curiosity and eagerness to be a part of the world, to see and know it. They move so fast, they love to run, play tag, tear through the woods at full run.
They are so alive, they help me to be alive also. I can do for them what was not done for me, I know that is a part of it, that is almost always a part of it. I think that’s why I started out up here with two Labs, and now have two border collies.