Saturday, Craig Worboys came over with Knox, an important dog in our life.

He was Gus’s father, and has just (we hope) been bred successfully once more with Hannah, Gus’s mother. Craig is a dog lover through and through, and  Know – his official name is Sir Romeo Knox is a wonderful dog – loving, calm, obedient, and with great poise.

Maria and I cannot think of a better pair to produce our next dog, a puppy, all to be bred under the supervision of Robin Gibbons, who did such a wonderful job breeding Gus and two other Boston Terrier puppies, both of whom are doing well.

Gus, as you know, died of megaesophagus, a rare disease that blocks  food from the digestive tract, and we put him down about two months ago.

Robin was traumatized by Gus’s death, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to breed again. We are very glad she did, we would be very happy to get another puppy from her.

Craig has bred Knox twice, and while he doesn’t want to be a professional breeder – he doesn’t call himself a breeder – he is proud of Knox and I think he might consider breeding again. His e-mail is [email protected], for those who have asked  how to contact him. He knows his stuff.

Knox is an impressive dog, he handled Red and the excitable Fate, who snarled and barked at him then he walked around the yard, stayed far from the road, came when Craig called him softly, then lay down for a short nap after checking out every square inch of our yard.

It was very sad that Gus died, but ironically, as often happens with life and death, not only sad.

I get to choose a dog once again in precisely the way I want to choose a dog. I get to know the mother, the father, the breeder, the owner of the sire. I get to ask about temperament and health for several generations back and see their medical records

I get to talk training and health and learn everything there is to know about breed characteristics. Knox, for example, would make a wonderful therapy dog, he is calm and steady and loves being touched. He is affectionate. So would Hannah.

Craig and I share the same philosophy about training dogs – speak softly, stay calm and positive, be patient.

When he called Knox, Craig (who is also a horse trainer)  just said “Knox, come” quietly and Knox took a half second or so, as small dogs often do, and then came right over.There was a trust between them that is the hallmark of the good trainer and the well-trained dog. No shouting or drama.

Even thought he is not-neutered, Knox remains calm.

Fate challenged Knox, and so did Red, and he handled both of them with poise and confidence.  He was well-proportioned and in great shape.

You could see Gus’s confidence in him, and their faces were almost eerily similar. Gus, like many Boston Terriers, managed to look old and wise even though he was quite young.

Knox is five years old.

As many of you know, there are many good ways to get a dog. I never tell anyone  how to get a dog other than to say they should get the dog they want, from whatever source, not the dog other people say they should get.

Whenever somebody tells me how I must get a dog, I always think the same thing: arrogant jerk, I delight in telling them to mind their own business.

For me, the best way is to get the dog you want from people you trust, whether they be rescue people, shelter people, or ethical breeders who work to improve the health and temperament of their breeds. There are many good breeders, they are not hard to find, although they are often expensive.

Robin and Craig are conscientious and loving breeders. I want to know everything i can find out about my dogs before I bring them into my home and my life. For me, for them, for the sake of the people who meet them.

My dogs go everywhere with me, and are often the subjects of books and I look for dogs who can possibly do therapy work and also be trusted at readings and public appearances. Therapy work takes intensive training and thought, I see the potential in Knox, and thus, in our next dog if the process takes us that far.

To have a good therapy dog, he training begins in the litter.

Roughhousing and excitement can doom the prospects for a therapy dog, they must be calm and comfortable being touched, and not see humans as play toys to be jumped on and wrestled with. That might be fun at home, but not in a hospice setting or assisted care facility. Small dogs can make great therapy dogs because of their size and  lightness and ability to settle in small spaces.

As always, getting a dog is a practical, not a moral  decision for me. I have had plenty of rescue dogs and other animals, but it’s the dog, not the rescue that is the major factor for me. I do a lot of things with my dogs, including writing books about them, and I need to know absolutely what they are like and what they are capable of. For me, that is not a game of Russian Roulette or a matter of following hunches.

It is possible to know what dogs are like before they come into my home, and it is my responsibility, as a steward and dog over, and citizen of a community to do that. I want to do what’s best for the dog, not for my ego.

Know is a great dog, and so is Hannah, Gus’s mother. They are both sweet and calm and healthy and quite grounded. Can’t ask for much more than that, the rest is up to me. As always, life can happen, to me, to them. In America, we are polarized about everything, including good breeders. There are very good rescue groups, shelters and breeders around.  Hannah and Knox are dogs that should be bred, their lines should continue.

Gus’s life was interrupted, but he gave me the chance to love another dog, which I will be hopefully doing sometimes in mid-September.

Loved dogs are usually happy and healthy dogs, and Craig loved Gus dearly, but not too much, if you know what I mean. That combination seems to work. When we stop thinking of them as dogs, we lose the ability to guide them and train them, and dog and human suffer.

In a couple of weeks, we’ll know for sure if Hannah is pregnant, if she is, she will deliver the babies around mid-July. If that happens, and Robin wants us to have one of them, he or she will come home to Bedlam Farm in mid-September, just in time for the Open House in October (Columbus Day Weekend).

I’ll keep everyone posted. Wish us luck. That is always the X-factor, yes?