When we got Fate as a gift from the wonderful breeder Karen Thompson, who gave me Red, we weren’t sure how she would fit into our lives. She came from a champion herding line in Wales, and Maria’s beloved Frieda had just died.
At first, we decided we wouldn’t try to train her on sheep, then I tried and failed, and that worked out because she is precisely the dog Maria wanted and needed – loving, smart, crazy, devoted.
She walks with Maria in the woods; she lies quietly in her studio, she goes out into the pasture to run circles around sheep. These two are very beautiful together; Maria got the dog she needed, Fate got the human she wanted to love.
JUST TOO PRECIOUS! Kimberly
I am certain that dogs do love. Not like we know love exactly. In Dr. Clive Wynn’s book “Dog Is Love” a study showed levels brain of activity (via MRI) occurring when a treat or praise was imminent. MUCH more for praise. I was quite shocked at jot how much more for praise. Dogs have preference and differing levels of desire. The PBS Nova program Dog Tales contains much of the books content without the long study documentation.
Jon, you have written dogs have or know hope and I’m sure this is true. I think they also know longing in a limited form. Anticipation may be another word for hope perhaps, but seems different to me somehow. Knowing we were near Kroger meant we were near home after a two week trip and Shiba became quite excited in the truck.
Dogs love companionship, but dont know loneliness as we think of it.
For anyone who loves a pet, who truly loves a pet, reading your book “Going Home-Finding Peace When Pets Die” is an act of love for their currently living pet and a comfort beyond measure at the time loss of that pet is painfully present and when the outlook seems darkest.
It should be required reading for every pet owner in rhe early years. This ia for the betterment of their pets as well as their people
I now keep a copy to loan. I hope to loan it out far in advance to pet lovers. It is worth its weight in gold at the time of need. It brings help and comfort when most needed.
Thanks for writing it, Jon.
Jon, That picture moved me in a way I can’t fully describe but I definitely can feel it. What Maria and Fate have has been evident in other pics but this one is different. I wish I could describe what it made me feel but that actually may not be necessary. Thank you for eliciting that feeling of “love” today. Patricia