I sometimes think one of Fate’s parents was a hawk or some other wild animal – a ferret maybe. Out in the woods, there is a frozen pond, and yesterday I saw Fate rush out onto the ice and start slipping but loving it and she began skating, racing back and forth on the ice like she’d done it a thousand times.

Red would no more step out on frozen ice than he would try to fly, neither has any other dog I’ve ever had. Fate is curious and fearless, she will do almost anything I don’t expect her to do. This one never occurred to me.  I started to call her back – is this a habit I want to encourage, but the ice is thick and she was having a blast. Fate is a Joy Dog, she loves every minute of love and every  single thing she does.

When she saw the ice, a sane dog would have kept walking – there is nothing out there for her, but Fate lit up, had a mad gleam in her pirate eye ran our, sliding back and forth for awhile before joining us on the path. I already have it planned out in my mind. If the ice cracks I toss my glasses and wallet on the ground and jump in. In the meantime I have a skating dog. Maybe Fate can get a job in the circus, now that they are sending the elephants away.