On December 24th, 1977 while driving past your lcoation along Rt. 220, my wife Bonnie and I decided to stop and look at your orphans. (We had lost our collie, BJ, just weeks before). While touring the facility, a Blue Merrill Australian Shepherd jumped up to the gate of his pen making eye contact with me. Needless to say, the bond was instantaneous. When I inquired of his background, I was informed he would not stay in a four foot fence and people were reluctant to consider him due to this habit. Because of this we were reluctant to consider adopting him as Bonnie thought he might run off. However as we turned to leave, the eye contact was still there and this time showing a bit of perhaps desperation.
As we drove south on Rt. 220 toward home, I couldn't get the eye contact out of my mind. I mentioned to Bonnie that I felt this bond and I should have adopted him. She again reminded me that he could not be contained even with a fence. The next day being Christmas, I mentioned the encounter to family and friends, sort of hoping the memory of the eye contact would go away. The following December 26th, I returned to work. Unknown to me, Bonnie returned to your facility and adopted "Lucky." This started a friendship and years of wonderful memories that shall remain with me for the remainder of my life here on Earth. Perhaps one fact is true: Lucky wouldn't stay in a fence, but then he didn't have to, he now had the whole 134 acre farm to run and work.
In January 1998, we had him neutered, and tattooed with a lifetime license; he always had a bell on his collar (after all he was a herd dog). In his new home he was always with Bonnie or I. He kept the errant animals (cows and sheep) in line, the fields were his. If a strange animal was in his fields they got checked out or had to go to the woods. Once out of the fields, he would come back expecting his well-deserved praise.
He loved to ride the tractors, sitting on the deck watching for critters that must be out of place. I once left for a neighboring farm to bail hay and didn't take him along. When I pulled into the field, he was sitting there waiting for me. He was a natural at herding and would work herd with a simple command or hand signals. I could sense disappointment if I left him behind when running errands or leaving with the truck, most of the time his wish was granted and he went along. Each evening he would meet at the turn in the lane just west of the house where he could watch down the lane to Rt. 54 when I entered the lane.
Lucky loved people, especially children and usually went along to the local Christian school each year when we would take animals for Show and Tell sessions. Each evening after he was fed, he would come into the rec room and we would top off our bonding for the day with a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. He usually slept on his mat beside the bed or if he got too warm, on the front porch watching for errant critters. As we walked to the barn, he would put his muzzle in my hand to let me know he was still there.
In early September, Lucky seemed to be slowing a bit, in late September, Bonnie took him to the vet because of our concerns over his apparently labored breathing. We returned for an ultrasound on October 10th. Confirming the worst -- cancer, lung and kidney -- that evening when I sat in the rec room he got up and lay on my lap and we shared that special bond we both knew was coming to an end. Over the next two weeks, we did this quite often.
On Saturday morning, after chores, Lucky went along to breakfast as he usually did on Saturdays; however, on this day he had to have help to get into the truck. Sunday morning, October 23rd, he was quite weak but insisted on going to the barn. We walked side-by-side (muzzle in hand), when we returned, we walked together, I holding his bell. I fed him his breakfast of a hamburger with his medicine, then he went to the door and laid on the front porch in the sunshine. As the sun set, he gently went to sleep. I laid him to rest beside the turn in the lane where he met me so often as I returned home.
Ralph and Bonnie Little
Delaware Spring Farm
Watsontown, Pa
Posted 12-21-05