A Letter from Shep

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I made the long travel from Indiana to my new home in New Jersey quite a few weeks ago, and finally have room to breath due to the snowy weather here! I have been so busy adjusting to my new life here in this small town. (Believe it or not, I'm the only Border Collie here in Pennsville!) Any ways, wow... I keep getting quite side tracked!

My home is a beautiful wooden house, with an open yard for me to run around and play with the other dogs. It's a comfortable household - with a mother and two daughters. I have befriended the youngest daughter Lacey who spends the most time with me (of course). She spends hours on end with me in the yard when she's home from school playing Frisbee and kicking a ball around. I also accompany her to the farm where she keeps her horses at (I'll get to that in a bit). The other animals in the house are Dee, a 7 year old Boxer, who is (obviously) the head of the household; there's Trakker, a 6 month old Redbone Coonhound, who is so annoying at times and seems to get away with everything ( ! ); there's also Sammy, a year old Shepherd mix who just loves to play; there's also the cat Bart who tends to ignore me; and there's the rabbit S'more who I just love to stare at ALL DAY long...

Now, I spend a lot of my time at the horse farm. I lounge around the stable while Lacey goes about her chores, mucking out stalls and cleaning tack. When she's horseback riding, I tag along with her around the farm, the jump course, and the trails! Lacey talks to me a lot from horseback, and I don't do anything less than be perfect for her. I lay down on command, stay when she wishes, move, jump, and do anything that Lacey requests of me. I don't stray - I mean, why would I? It's fun enough trying to keep up with her and the horse she is riding. When she releases the horses out to graze in the polo field when she's done riding, if I get bored in the barn, I'll go out in the field and watch the horses, laying down and keeping track that they don't stray too far.

My favorite horse on the farm is a friendly 5 year old Quarter Horse named Justin (his show name is Justin Time, isn't that cool?). I love staying by Justin's side, and Lacey catches us sharing a few intimate moments, a few which she's caught on camera! I haven't yet started my agility classes due to the harsh winter weather here now. However, I'll be starting in less than a month, and I've already had great fun at an indoor herding class!

Speaking of herding, since there isn't a whole lot of opportunity for me to herd while I'm home, Lacey takes me to her friends' farms where they have goats and sheep. I have a blast working these animals, but I have no problem coming away when she tells me it's time to go inside the house... So, if you haven't noticed yet, I go every where's with her, even to her friends' homes, and also.... 4-H!! I go to all of her 4-H meetings, and I lay by her side while the meetings are being held, but I especially love all of the dog treats and play time I get with the littler kids in the group. I receive so much attention from the children that I'm so occupied that I run to the car every Monday and bark when we're running late...

Any ways, it's getting rather late, and I hate to cut this short. So... I want to send all of my love and gratitude to those who made it possible for me to be at my forever home and who helped me become a permanent part of a family. I love my life, and I love my family. Thank you ever so much for blessing me with a life that I never would have known. I want to send a special warm embrace and kiss to Mama Sheila! Thank you for being so good to me! Until a later date. Paws, Shep