As Red did, Fate’s first stop in the Mansion is the aide’s office, also known as the medicine room. She runs up ahead of me as Red did, and I can hear the laughter and squeals of joy from the staff.
Maria and I were talking about Fate today and Maria asked me if Fate was happy to have work she could do. I said I thought she was, but mostly, I’m just learning how much she loves people and is so happy to meet them and see them.
She really has the biggest heart, something I did know but failed to appreciate. She is doing so well in her training, she’s quick: I point to someone and say “go see Peggie,” and she goes to them and nearly melts with excitement.
They respond in kind. She ignores Summer, the Mansion cat and I rarely have her on a leash. She and Hollyanne love to cuddle, the office is the only place I allow her to climb up a bit so she can get face to face. She is quite gentle about it.
If Red’s spirit is up there somewhere, I think she would be pleased. She spent almost every day of her life around Red, I think she learned a lot from him. I am grateful for her.
It’s a wonderful thing to have a dog that loves people. My Jack Russell was very well trained but had no use for people outside her circle of family and friends. So I always had to say “no” when people, especially children, wanted to greet her. Heidi, my Airedale, is the polar opposite. When we’re out on public, she loves it when I point to someone and say “go say hi”. She rubs up against them, sniffs them and will offer a paw. And she never jumps up, probably because of her relationship with my elderly mother. She learned early on that doggie greetings are done with “4 on the floor”. A dog that likes people right from the start is truly a blessing.