The Day I Got Sugar

Yesterday I visited the home of Mr. Jerry Prater. Jerry keeps horses and purebred black and tan English Shepherds. When we first arrived, his English Shepherd adults were mostly paying attention to Bekkey and me. They were all friendly, the friendliest being Remington. Remy is Jerry’s stud dog. There was lots of petting and tail wagging while the three of us humans spoke and got to know one another.

But Remy, Belle, Lucy and the gang didn’t like the horses getting too close to the fence around us. The farmhouse and yard were for humans and dogs only. So, when a horse came too close to the fence, the dogs would single-file through a space by the gate and push them back out to pasture. Jerry would giggle and hallow them to “get back here”. Which they promptly did. They were also intent on keeping any turkey vultures from landing out there in the pasture. On one such sally out into the field, I asked Jerry if I could go with them. He smiled and said, “go ahead”. I have to say, it was exhilarating to move across the open land with those 6 or 7 black and tan English Shepherds running alongside. It created a strong memory with me.  Those beautiful dogs running in formation with their shining, raven-black coats rippling in the day light.

All-in-all, Jerry’s adults were a friendly, active, and socially healthy group. I was able to put my hands on most of them. By my measure they were of perfect weight, and they were free of external parasites. No runny noses, no grubby eyes. Healthy and well taken care of. And as I have previously mentioned, all of them had the shiny black coats of Stodghill’s standard.  Notably, all of Jerry’s adults had a tan dot over each eye, tan around the mouth, under the tail, tan bar across the chest, and tan on all four feet running down to the ground.

Jerry’s stud dog Remi was the kind of boy I really like. If anything, he was almost a little too friendly. Physically, to my untrained eye his build and movement just seemed right.   He was on the taller side, long, and with an undeniably straight topline. I didn’t see much of any extra movement when we walked and ran around. I felt as though his movement seemed effortless. If only I could carry around an expert in my pocket.

There were some puppies there, too. They were penned in a spacious, clean area with enclosed housing for shelter. A heat lamp kept the pups’ house warm. The pups were actively moving around, clean, and free of external parasites. They were plump like a puppy should be. Belle stood and began nursing her thirsty litter while I watched.

A little girl pup was paying attention to me more than the others. She responded to my calls, the clicking of my tongue and when I tapped the ground. She followed me around curiously, at a safe distance. She was unafraid to make eye contact with me and held my gaze with an intelligence in her’s. I like a people-oriented dog, so I named her “Famous Shoes” and put her in my truck.

Bekkey says I can register the pup with any “goofy old name” I want, but she’s calling her “Sugar”. So, I guess that’ll be her call name.  The first night home, Sugar told me all three times when she needed to go out. A good start in my book.