Sojourner's Fair Ellen

Ellen is really everyone's favorite--including Elizabeth. She is wise and gentle, with just enough spark to make her fun but not difficult. She's so smart that her personality is really amusing. I honestly could not imagine a better dog for a farm family with kids! She's perfect in every way. She fits in beautifully with the other dogs to the point where it is impossible to tell who is dominant--she or Jenny. They are best buddies. Jenny returns to almost puppy behavior when they play.

Here's a great example of typical Ellen behavior. She was crossing the pasture once with a bone she had scavenged somewhere. Jacob spotted her from a distance and made a beeline for her. She saw him coming and immediately dropped the bone and rolled over on her back--right on top of the bone. Jacob came up and sniffed at her until he was satisfied, then he turned and walked away. Ellen waited till she was sure he was leaving, got up, grabbed the bone and ran in the opposite direction. Jacob was never the wiser. Steve stood watching the whole thing just shaking his head and chuckling. She's generally a very honest dog, but I guess all's fair when a bone's at stake.

March 5, 2000

Ellen was great with the baby goats, but didn't herd them at all either, till she saw us teaching Molly to take the babies to the feeder at feeding time. She watched for a week or two and decided that she ought to be getting all that praise that Molly was getting! Last night she shouldered her way in and took over the job, doing it exactly like we had taught Molly to do it. Poor Molly just has to stand and watch now! Jacob and Jenny seldom herd the goats either unless they have a reason to (such as seeing a goat where it doesn't belong). Since our stock is mostly confined in permanent paddocks, we just don't need herding that much.

Sandra