Today I begged to contribute another day’s dispatch. Beg isn’t the right word because border collies don’t beg. We ask. So I asked to contribute another day’s dispatch. Alys, surprisingly, said yes; surprisingly because she (as always) had a lot to say.

There was something I should have mentioned yesterday but did not. I used to be the number one dog around here, but now I am number two. This is evidenced by the nighttime sleeping arrangements. I used to sleep for a while on Alys and Pete’s bed, then when Alys kicked me off, I slept at the foot of the bed. Well, Shadow and I both get on the bed at bed time. Pete reads for a while and then Alys joins him. After they get up and take their showers, Shadow is rolled off the bed, and sleeps next to Pete. Oh my dog – he sometimes even reaches out and touches her. Me, my bed is a few feet away, at the entrance to Alys’s study. This is not right, no, no, no. Shadow should sleep on the dog bed I’m occupying, and I should sleep next to Pete. However, this is not going to change because Pete and Shadow are happy about this arrangement.

Shadow joins Ryder on the steps

I can accept this for what it is because the days are more equitable than the nights. I get up after Alys and Pete have had their breakfast, eat my breakfast, play tug with Shadow for a bit, look for squirrelly whirly, hang out on the porch for a while, then in the afternoons I’m taken with Shadow and any number of the horses on a trail outing.

Now that Shadow’s incision has healed, we are again spending considerable time in the woods. Today Alys first took Raudi on a lengthy outing up the bench, and then took Tinni on our trails. We accompanied her on both treks. It was a lot of fun. It’s hard for Shadow to bound around because the brush is so thick, so she has to follow me. You see, I’m the one who knows where the side trails are.

Neither one of us is interested in flushing birds—there’s no future in this. I myself like to chase squirrels. Shadow doesn’t seem to be interested in stalking, chasing, or flushing any sort of game. A strange one, she is.

We did see a porcupine today, and I told her to keep her distance. I remember a few years back when Rainbow was alive. She stuck her nose where it didn’t belong and she got quills in her mouth and nose. Pete wasn’t home and Alys attempted to remove them. Alys isn’t very hands on, so Rainbow had to tough it out until she got her to the veterinarian’s place. This was prior to having Zach as our veterinarian. Rainbow learned a good lesson firsthand, and I learned a good lesson second hand.

I am glad that Alys allowed me to give voice to a few of my thoughts. I hope in the future that she allows me to do this again. I, the second-class dog around here, have a lot to say.

Next: 184. 7/4/21: Independence Day???