Sound Familiar?

Sometimes I think I’d give a limb or an organ to see Lilly shine (even if no one else was looking) at something like the outrun (a herding thing where the dog fetches the sheep) that McConnell describes:

“Come Bye” I whispered, and Pippy was gone, ten yardsaway before I could even register her movement. We watched her streakdown the face of the hill, widen out as she got within a hundred yardsof the sheep, and circle behind them, far enough away to avoiddisturbing them until she found the perfect balance point to controlthe sheep. She stopped, collected the flock (”the lift”) and walkedthem in a perfect line back to me. It was a perfect outrun, a gloriousoutrun, an outrun you’d expect of a older, wiser dog. It was a perfectfetch, slow and quiet and perfectly timed. I didn’t do much ofanything, except stand in place, jaw open, heart swelling, blown awayby my young dog and her ability.

Maybe our solitary teeter moment qualifies. Though, I’d like to think we still have a few amazing moments left in our arsenal.

As Jennie (our behaviorist) is fond of saying, “Look how far she has come. What makes you think she cannot continue in her progress?”

It’s a valid question. But, for today — considering all the other worries and demands on my soul — I’m just happy to hear my lithe, sensitive girl grinding away on what’s left of her bison shank bone from xmas. On a Wednesday, another cold one, she is simply Lilly, the voracious carnivore, and I’m OK with that.