At the Mansion assisted care facility, we met Brother Peter, a monk for 50 years. Peter had a dog, a beautiful German Shepherd, he sat with Red for awhile, then he led us to his room where he took out a photo album and showed us photographs of his dog.

On these visits, we meet people on the edge of life. They are, for the most part, reflective, gentle, grateful. Almost everyone had a dog or cat they especially loved – animals are so important – and seeing a dog brings them back to another time in their life, provokes smiles and tears.

It is not a simple thing to live on the edge of life, many feel isolated from the feelings and rhythms of the world. When they see a dog, it opens up a pathway to life and memory and meaning that is powerful and important. This is good work for us to do, and as Red scales back his work with sheep, he brings a special compassion and intuition to the people who visits. He matters.

Life is so curious, one door closes and another opens. For Red, this may be the most important work of his life.

I invited Brother Peter to come out to the farm in a couple of weeks and see Red work, he just lit up and happily accepted.