Tuesday 11 May 2010

Kenya's New Best Friend

One of my neighbours, Dan, has a six month old puppy ... a Border Collie Shepherd mix.  She is adorable ... friendly, active, a regular pogo stick bouncer ... and she absolutely LOVES Kenya.

Dan has been working on his sister's cottage next door and Sadie comes with him whenever he comes to work.  I always know when they have arrived because Sadie comes to the front door and knocks.  The first time it happened I thought it might be one of the workers I have been trying to hire.  But no ... there was Sadie, all bright eyed, bushy tailed and still dry.

Kenya is always delighted to see her and the two of them play for hours.  For a while Kenya would get fed up with the puppy antics and energy after an hour, but now she is just plain happy to see her buddy.

They are fun to watch.  Kenya will not share her stick and she says really ferocious things to Sadie when the puppy teases her for just a little nibble.  Sadie's reaction is that of any youngster who knows damned well she has nothing to fear; that her foster mom really loves her no matter what she says.  She kisses Kenya's nose and ears.  She bounds right over her prone body.  She teases some more.  And Kenya accepts it all with equanimity.

Sometimes they play in the lake ... Kenya swimming, Sadie wading.  Other times they chase one another up and down the hills and through the woods.

Kenya has taught Sadie not to jump up at the windows, and scolds her when she jumps up on me ... so she is strict ... but she is also awfully glad that a good buddy lives nearby.

So am I.  Especially these days when I don't have the energy to walk Kenya far.  A puppy provides way more exercise than any human, especially an old lady human, can possibly provide.

2 comments:

Shaun said...

I always say: there's living with a dog and then there's living with a Border Collie. Two different circumstances *g*. I love the picture you paint of Sadie and Kenya. How wonderful for them both.

Oma said...

Border Collies do have endless energy to go along with their intelligence, don't they?

Kenya is my second border collie mix and she is calmer than a pure bred would be ... the retriever influence ... but, like my first one, Boots, highly intelligent.

Sadie is like quicksilver ... partly because she is a high energy pup but also because of the border in her ... she learns very quickly but she is also mischievous ... both signs of intelligence.

Kenya's smarts show up in her ability to figure out situations for herself and in her highly verbal communication with humans.