Zinnia is very much the got I wanted after Red died. Like him, she has a great big heart. Minnie is one of our barn cats, she’s had a tough life in part. She was a feral kitten and then lost her leg to a predator we have never identified.

She is shy is most often alone. Zinnie has been working on befriending her, and she is coming around. This morning, Maria took this photo of Minnie and Zinnia touching heads one of those very special moments that light up life on our farm.

Minnie lets very few people or animals ever touch her. Zinnia has won her trust. Minnie could use a friend, and Zinnia’s generosity of spirit is very powerful, it’s why she is such a great therapy dog.

When I get a dog – this is not an emotional or moral process for me but a very practical one – I ask these questions, this is a partial list:

What can I give a dog?

What can a dog give me?

What do I want from a dog.

What issues and needs do I bring to the relationship?

Can I afford a dog and its rising costs in food and health care?

Will I have the time to train a dog?

Can I advocate for the dog, and do what’s best for her or him and not for me?

Can I do the hard work of researching the dog, learning something about its environment, and litter life and parents?

Can I trust the dog to not harm people or other dogs? I don’t want a dog who does either of those things.

Can I focus on what I want from a dog, not what other people tell me I should want?

Can I give the dog a life he or she deserves?

Can I separate my own emotional needs and difficulties from the life of the dog?

I found a great and experienced breeder, asked her to help me find a dog with a great heart. She did.