I’ve had a wonderful string of amazing working border collies – Rose, Izzy, Red – but Fate stands out in many ways. She often looks as if she could be starring in the next big border collie Hollywood movie.

She is beautiful, runs like a cougar, is smarter than some college students, loves wide outruns around our very small herd but refuges to challenge the sheep herd them, or move them against their will.

Today, out above the grazing pasture, Fate took the classic border collie stance, and on command, did a wide and beautiful outrun around our very small flock.

The sheep completely ignore her, and she gives them no reason to pay attention. I’ve trained several border collies to herd sheep, but I couldn’t train Fate.

I’m sure it’s my fault, but I will never know how. But I always had the feeling there was some Ferdinand in her, she just didn’t want to do the bullying all good working border collies love to do.

Fate runs and poses so beautifully, I have a sneaking suspicion she knew exactly what we wanted her to. She spends much of the day inside Maria’s studio sleeping and chewing on marrow bones.

And she gets to run around the sheep – long tongue and all – several times a day.

I love border collies, and have had some great ones, she may be the smartest one of them all.