Helm chase

Rowan has the ball and Gus (with mucky face) is shepherding him back to us on the Helm at lunchtime. This was a significant day in the odd friendship between these two collies. Until now Gus has been content to let Rowan chase the ball or frisbee while he rounded Rowan up. But, tentatively at first, today Gus picked up the ball and dropped it at Rowan's feet. Then he started bringing it back to Sue and me, and Rowan didn't seem to mind. Towards the end of the walk he was chasing the ball harder than Rowan, and had nearly stopped shepherding him.

Yes, I know, by any standards a trivial episode of huge insignificance, but this journal is about the small things that happen in our lives, little moments of magic and transformation. And this was a significant event in the life of this little animal who didn't know how to play when he first came to us 11 months ago after his early life as a working dog. And it made me very happy.