Bedlam Farm Blog Journal by Jon Katz

This photo – “Inspiration: Bud Steps In” –  is now for sale for $125 on Maria’s Etsy Shop. It is very meaningful to me, and I see also to others.

It is one of those lucky photographer shots that touches people in a powerful way.

I happened to have my camera out to shoot the storm, and I turned I saw Liam, the wether (neutered ram) turn towards Red, who was holding the sheep in the barn while we got hay.

The photograph speaks to the love and loyalty of dogs for humans and to each other, from Buck in Call of the Wild to Rose to Red, and to Bud, this remarkable and much battered little creature from Arkansas. Some dogs just have the biggest hearts and great character.

Some people have asked if they can add a short inscription on the print, I think it’s a good idea. Perhaps in the memory of  dog that is gone, or one that is present. (Details below, no more than four or five words, and it must be ordered on Etsy at the time of purchase in a note to Maria).

This photo represents an act of pure friendship and love.

As you know, Red is now blind in one eye, and suffered a serious spinal injury that paralyzed him for several days. So he is on very limited duty. He was focused on his job, keeping the sheep in when Liam, his nemesis, moved to butt him in the head as he has done before.

Since his illness, he and Bud are inseparable.

Bud is never far from Red, and watches him closely, and often sleeps right next to him, curled up in a ball. He is always watching over Red, ever since the first awful day a month ago when Red could only crawl.

But is not a herding dog, but he loves Red dearly. He has never approached a ship, let alone a ram, in that way before.

Red is not as agile or alert as he was, and he has cataracts,  I’m not sure he saw Liam coming. Bud was off investigating something – probably something disgusting to eat – near the sheep feeder, the storm was sending us snow, ice and sleet. I suppose it is risky to work him at all, but neither of us could bear to keep him away from sheep forever.

Liam had his head down and was moving towards Red, there was no time to call him off or stop Liam. I’ve also learned to never step between a ram and a border collie working.

Suddenly, Bud came zooming across the pasture – the snow was a foot high – and got right between Liam and Red. Liam is about 220 pounds heavier than Bud and ten times the size. Bud stepped right in front of Red and then got right into Liam’s face. There was great strength and determination in Bud’s look.

Liam saw it, lowered his head to charge, but Bud not only didn’t back off, he edged closer, nose to nose.

I thought I heard a growl through the wind.

Bud didn’t bite or bark Liam, he was quite composed, he just seemed to be saying with his body, “no way, you are not going after Red.” It was his demeanor that froze Liam, I think, there was no drama for Bud, but this was something he just wasn’t going to permit to happen.

This scene held for about 20 seconds, long enough for me to get this shot, and then Liam broke off eye contact, a sign of surrender for a sheep,  turned away from Red and Bud walked back into the barn.

Red never moved.  He is never distracted.

Bud, seemingly quite pleased with himself, but also quite businesslike, turned to Red, gave him a lick on the nose and then ran back and out of the pasture and towards the farmhouse. He was cold. It didn’t seem like a big deal to him.

So the little dog rescued the big dog, the Boston Terrier helped the border collie in trouble. It’s not supposed to happen that way, I’ve never seen it happen that way. There was no muss or fuss, the minute Liam surrendered, Bud walked away.

Some pictures mean more than they seem. I felt this incident very strongly.

Bud had a nightmare life the first year of his existence, left alone for months in a metal pen with no roof or shelter, and often no water or food. His two pen mates died of heat exposure and starvation in the Arkansas summer sun.

A rescue group, Friends Of Homeless Animals, came and bought him from his owner, a young man known to mistreat his dogs.  On top of many other things, Bud had heartworm.

A dog angel named Carol Johnson oversaw countless trips to the vet.

It took more than $1,000 and four months to get Bud healthy before he came to us, three months ago. His was a spirit well worth saving.

Bud was wary, grim and confused when he came to us, he had never lived a normal life with food and shelter and love, never had regular meals or veterinary care, never even lived in a house. He was almost like a wild animal.  He was completely untrained,  not housebroken and marked every piece of furniture in the house.

Consciously or not, Red showed Bud how to live in a house with people.

Day by day, Bud has come back to life, a beautiful thing to see. He has a great heart to overcome so much, to be such a good friend, to be that brave and loyal.

He is a happy dog now, but something else is evolving: he has a lot of character.

Red is less demonstrative than Bud, but he loves this little dog and is happy to be with him, completely tolerant of him. So this photo is a story of friendship, loyalty, courage and love to me, and I am a well-known cynic when it comes to emotionalizing dogs.

But I know what I saw. And pictures don’t lie, not even to me.

I got many requests from people who want this photo, so I will sell it at a slightly reduced price – $125, on Maria’s Etsy Shop. It will be 8.5 by 12.5 inches, printed in the highest quality archival paper, unframed but signed. The printing is done by The Image Loft in Manchester Center, one of the most highly regarded photo printers in the Northeast.

The photograph is entitled “Inspiration: Bud Steps In.”

They are meticulous, they make me look better than I am.

The prints are custom ordered, it will take about two weeks before they can be sent. People who wish to pay with a check and avoid online marketing can e-mail Maria: [email protected] and she will be happy to help you.

If you wish a short inscription, I’ll be happy to add one (it must be short, no more than four or five words. You must make note of the inscription when you order it on Etsy, send a note from there to Maria. If you prefer to pay by check, send her an e-mail ([email protected]) or written note.)

You can see and purchase the photograph here, and thank you. It is a joy for me to capture a moment like this.

I have to say this is an image I could not have imagined when we collected Bud off of that truck from Arkansas several months ago. This morning, I went out in the storm to bring some hay to the sheep and the donkeys, they were riding out the storm in the Pole Barn.

I brought Red, who is blind now in one eye and is barred from running, to keep the sheep in the Pole Barn. Liam, our wether (neutered ram), who has been challenging Red and butting him since he got sick and even before, came out and started to charge at Red, who was standing still and holding the sheep in the barn.

Red never takes his his eyes (eye) off the sheep, even when he should be wary and Liam could easily have clocked him.

Bud, who has been glued to Red’s side ever since he got sick, saw this before I did and rushed in between them and went nose to nose with Liam. Liam was stunned.

He lowered his head to butt Bud and drive him off, but Bud didn’t back up an inch or flinch. In fact, he moved one step closer to Liam and got in his face. Bud’s look was “I’m not moving. Back off!”   Liam couldn’t believe this little dog wasn’t moving and running away, then he backed up and went into the barn. I couldn’t quite believe it.

Red watched this, I think he was quite astonished. I know I was.

Who dares to say Bud is not a farm dog? I hope the dum-dum who e-mailed me vet to urge her to stop me from bringing him into the pasture is reading this.

This is a new thing for me to understand. But I’m fascinated and impressed.

Bud is not only a happy dog, he is a dog with a lot of heart. And he is a good and loyal pal to Red. He doesn’t need to be butted any more.

But came tearing out in the storm racing happily and madly through the snow then came out into the pasture with us. He can’t stay out long in this cold – about 15 minutes. When he shivers or is cold, he simply runs out under the gate and is waiting by the back door to come in. Then he dozes by the fire.

I love this image of Bud defending Red, and I love the spirit of this dog, emerging more every day. Got to go out and shovel. More later. There is about 14 inches of snow on the ground, and it’s just turned to icy rain. Not good.

I woke up around 4 a.m., which is usual for me, and went downstairs to see how the storm was going.

It is doing just fine, thanks.

There is more than a foot of snow on the ground already, but there was a steady stream of state snow plows rumbling by the house. It is still snowing, but there is some freezing rain also, which makes the odds of a power outage pretty strong.  But the plows usually appear when things are slowing down.

Maybe it will just stop soon, and the arctic winds and cold can come on it. Bring it.

I did some brief shoveling off of the back porch to clear the way for the dogs when they get up – honestly, I can’t imagine how Bud will go to his stuff, all of the snow is taller than he is. I brought Fate out with me, she is a dog who could live happily outside, snow or not.

It wasn’t that dumb. I was in a nightshirt, I didn’t do much shoveling. But it was plenty cold. And brief.

Maria is still asleep, I’ll leave her alone, hopefully the worst snow will be over before she gets up Fate came out with me, if she noticed the snow at all, there was no evidence of it. I think I’ll go back to sleep for awhile.

If the power stays on, you’ll hear from me at first light The pictures should be interesting. Winter storms can be beautiful up here, once you get on top of things. If the snow stops we’ll finishing painting the bedroom. If not, hugging the wood stoves until the cavalry comes.

I am think a lot about our federal workers dealing with this cold and snow along with not being paid for a month. I am ashamed that this is happening to them, they work for us, and they represent our country.  I think of them all day and much of the night. How can we do this to our friends and neighbors?

I am mindful also of the many people for whom heating oil is a major  expense, and who will not be able to get outside today or face the awful cold tomorrow.

I hold them in the light and hope for better days for them. I hope you are all warm and safe.

And there are new Saturday Night clips to watch. I’ll check on them now, while I can.

George Scala, the owner of the Mansion, was kind enough to send me an update yesterday on the work being done at the Mansion so the residents can return. I wanted to share it with you.

He reports they are making solid progress in the work they need to do to bring the residents back from the water damage and flooding a couple of weeks ago. It’s been almost three weeks, so hard on the residents, the staff, the families.

The mold “remediation” began on Thursday, and he is  hopeful that at least that the mold work needed on the main floor will be complete with that phase early next week. Once the mold work is completed, they have to wait at least 24 hours before the final testing can be done.

If the testing shows no sign of mold, then the final work can begin.

George says the company he has hired has large crews standing by waiting to move quickly to put down flooring, put up ceiling tiles, build the necessary sheetrock and tape, sand and paint. Work is continuing through the weekend and by Monday, the staff will have firmer estimates regarding the residents return.

Next week, I hope to step up our work to engage the Mansion residents in stimulating activities, crafts and reading.

Your support is needed and appreciated. If you wish to contribute to this work – it will be at least two weeks before most of the residents can return – you can contribute directly to the Mansion Fund. Via Paypal, it’s [email protected]. By check, Jon Katz, The Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. You can also contribute here, via the Support The Army Of Good button.

I appreciate your support. Next week, I hope to begin organizing and funding outings and tea parties, the residents saying in facilities need to get out.

As we do in big, day-long storms, we moved the hay feeder into the barn. Otherwise, it will fill with snow and freeze to the ground. We will put hay in the feeder tomorrow when we will wake up to between 10 and 20 inches of snow on the ground.

The donkeys are storm-savvy, they will stay in the Pole Barn until the weather clears. Extra hay in the morning for energy. Lulu and Fanny have seen a storm or two, they know the drill.