There are two faces to Red. One is the therapy dog, a sweet, gentle, empathetic and quite animal. The other is the working dog, an intense, strong and in some ways, unforgiving working animal. It is common to find dogs that are one or the other, not so common to find dogs that are both things.

When Red is working in therapy, he senses who wants to see him and who doesn’t. He makes eye contact, holds it and projects an empathy and affection that touches people deeply and opens them up. They remember him, talk to him, are happy to see him. He will sit with his head on a lap for 15 or 20 minutes, when the people are finished, he just gets up and walks away, he senses it.

He is exquisitely sensitive to physical issues, stepping around wires and tubes, walking gingerly around frail people. He has a radar for people who fear or don’t wish to touch a dog, he simply avoids them.

With the sheep, Red is a different animal. He is all business, no exceptions, no hesitation. He can be ruthless in responding to rebellious or challenging sheep, he brooks no distractions, is instantly responsive to me, and grasps he meaning of commands, even when they are not clearly spoken, sometimes when they are not even spoken at all.

Inside of the pasture, he will not be petted, bribed with food, or distracted by noises, he keeps focus in a laser-like way, on the sheep and where they are. Outside of the gate, he almost melts, eager to be touched, to walk, to come sit with me while I write.

I love both of these faces, they speak to me of the remarkable nature of this dog, and of how fortunate I am to have him.