411 For the Dog

I've gotten family inquiries about Julia, and I had wanted to say more last evening, but, after returning home from work at 9:30, introducing Julia to the family and Tucker in the dark, getting her jollies out running around the fenced poultry yard and getting her situated for the night had me all Tuckered out.
I suppose it may be a surprise to some that I drove out and got a dog. I wouldn't blame the astonished, as I'm on their side. I've never "gotten" a dog. Randleigh, my beloved, rotten, best pal ever, chose me. Really. I was driving to my job milking cows in the predawn light, and I passed him in my car, he trotting the opposite direction, and he looked right at me. 7 miles later, I parked my car and went in to  the milk house. After the cows were gathered in their chutes and jockeying for their positions (they like to be in the same spot each time) I walked out to the car to get my breakfast ( a sleeve of crackers, a quarter for breakfast, a half for lunch and another quarter of the sleeve for afternoon snack. I was pretty impoverished). And, there was Randleigh. Sitting behind my car. Creepy. "SHOO!" I tried that. It worked on Little House on the Prairie for Mrs. Olsen. No dice. At lunch, out to the car for more crackers, and there he still was..Waiting. Work over? Waiting. Sigh. "Okay, let's go home. I'll have to call you Randleigh." Which was the name of dairy for which I worked for the princely sum of $3.25 per hour. That was 1988? 1989? He was legendarily smart, mean and stubborn. But boy, he had my back. That was fortuitous, as I lived in an area legendary for it's crime ( yes, the impoverishment again). He had many opportunities to use his inner wolf.
Several years later came Hannah. She was dumped at the North Carolina farmhouse where I had eventually moved with Randleigh. She was a likely puppy, all mutt. I was dating a man I thought I might actually want to marry, but knew doing so with only Randleigh to blame for everything would be dangerous. So, I "gave" him Hannah.. I kept her at my house, trained her etc. , but she was his dog. And she was. Always, she loved him best. Through the first 11 years of our marriage until she died from lymphoma. Where Randleigh was difficult and a trial, Hannah was sweet and amenable. She was my "Nanny" for the kids, helpful and vigilant, they always had a place to fall and someone to clean up their spills.  Still, she also had my back and long after Randleigh was gone, and I had a family and farm, she demonstrated her defensive worth by facing off three men bent on a morning of home invasion. My sweet, easy, trustworthy dog had evidently taken some lessons in her youth from Randleigh, as before my eyes she transformed into a beast never before seen. Formidable, and terrifying. It was a sight, and thank God she was here.
As Hannah had begun to age, I wanted to give her a puppy to keep her active and engaged. With a house full of still young children, I really wanted a Golden Retriever. I told everyone at work "I would like a Golden Puppy." Waiting, waiting. After about two years, I arrived at work one morning, and was told "Dr. Cate, your puppy arrived.". Sure enough, someone had tied a sickly Golden Retriever pup to  the light post overnight. A few days in isolation and some antibiotics, and Tucker was ours.
The blog faithful will be familiar with Tuck. He is a lovely dog. Funny, and easy. Mind you, it took a few years of perseverance and training... but he is really a dream of a dog. But, as he is now 7 years old, he is ready for a perky puppy to keep him active into his dotage. For 3? 4? years, I have been saying it is time for a new dog. This time, not one has followed me to work, been dumped off on the farm lane or been tied to the lamppost. And, it occurred to me that this time, just maybe, God was waiting for me to get one myself. So, on Friday morning, I drove to the pound, picked out Julia and drove her to work for several baths. Voila. New dog. Thanks, God. I helped myself!
Julia has been at the dog shelter for 2 months. She is around 11 months of age, and is of unknown parentage. Perfect. She is black, wire haired, and 45 lbs.  She has a white spot on her chest and learns very quickly. Already schooled in not jumping, not chasing critters and sitting when approaching people. She likes to feel the wind in her face while driving in the car. I need a new car. The windows in the back seat don't go down.
She was taken from her previous home due to neglect, and we'll see how and if that has affected her disposition. So far, she seems very sunny and sweet and friendly and curious.
Right now, she is hanging out on the screen porch with the children, and I'm feeling pretty lucky. She pitched right in with the barn chores this evening, following us around and heading out to the pasture to investigate the wonderful smells. Olso scared her a good bit. Can't blame her, really. His is big. And, he was curious and wished to say "Hello". She never got too close. But the other two horses seemed less intimidating. The sheep were interesting at first, but they were content to graze in the pasture, and the ram seemed to find her non-threatening, so she didn't have to decide what to do during a ram-charge. No interest any more in chasing the cats or the chickens/ducks/goose, although the dinosaur is still wary (if you missed that ref. see "Every Girls' Dream, a Velociraptor of my own" blog entry from January.).
As Trish would say; That is all.