Yesterday marks one year of Rudy being on the farm! Rudy is our farm pup, a red heeler/border collie cross who rules the roost. He's become Carl's sidekick and we're not really sure how we ever got along without him.
The funny thing is, we weren't even planning on getting a puppy. Like at all. Not even in the slightest. Carl actually has an older chocolate lab that he got just before we met about 12 years ago. His name is Ace and he is also the best dog and starting to show his age. Ace doesn't come to the farm though. He hangs out at Carl's house to protect the house and woods. He is much more laid back and that's more his thing.
Anyway, about a year ago, Carl gave our amish employee a ride home. He lives on the farm on the hill that you can see from our farm. Their red heeler had puppies and Carl saw them out in the yard anytime he would give Vernon a ride home. Apparently after several times of seeing them he couldn't resist anymore. He came home one day and told me we should get a puppy. I was hesitant because we already have so many animals to take care of, plus anyone
knows that dog food and vet bills aren't cheap. On a Saturday afternoon he took me up to the amish neighbors to see the puppies. Rudy (although he didn't have a name yet) was the last puppy after several were sold and he was the runt of the litter. He was the cutest darn thing and Carl knew he had suckered me into taking him home. The amish ending up giving him to us for nothing, so we showed up with a box full of pork chops to thank them the next day. And the rest is history.
Looking back now, it would feel weird to not have a farm dog. Although Rudy doesn't have any major jobs on the farm, he does have several jobs that he's created for himself and he takes them very seriously. Being a cattle dog, he is very eager to work and needs structure to guide his day. He monitors
the calves and make sure they all stay in their hutches. He guides our two ducks back to their enclosure at night. He paces the feed line at our steer barn. He chases any bird or squirrel that makes a move in his line of sight. I tell him all the time, "I'm really not sure how we ever survived without you."
Rudy adjusted to the pace of farm life pretty quickly and these days you can find him wherever Carl is. He goes on road trips to get things for the farm, he rides in the tractor and ranger, and he's right by our side to do any chore you could think of. Oh, and he gives the best face kisses even if they're not completely welcomed. There's so much truth to the phrase "man's best friend," and I'm confident the saying could be defined by taking one look at Carl and Rudy together.
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