This old gal hopped up into the van this morning as I was leaving for GGFarm to deadhead my flowers, weed out the wild portulaca and generally admire what is becoming a garden in full bloom. I am a slightly jumpy sort as it is; any unexpected movement or sound startles me. With Casper nearby, I'll get some notice if a cougar or anything else is around, so I can relax. (And I did; it's one reason I like a dog with me.)

She was with me the other night when I went walking and spied two little dogs approaching. They were timid and I called them to me, but Casper's hair stood straight up and she went into her "Don't Even Think About It" mode, which is formidable; those dogs weren't getting anywhere close to me. Once I told her to let them be, she settled down, but she still "made sure."

The two friendly little dogs followed me half a mile, and then half a mile back and the rest of the way home. They were gone by morning but we stopped at our new neighbours' on the way home from an emergency "parts" run (Brokedown Machinery, the Saskatchewan film would be called) to see if they were missing a pair of dogs. The neighbours weren't home, but the dogs were.

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Ann, re your comment: you've got that right about being lucky things didn't turn out differently. Don't I know it.

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~ the girlygirls wait impatiently on the step, woo hoo, we're going for a walk, hurry up ~