Rolling Dog Farm Blog

As I post this, Alayne is in Helena tonight hosting a table at an event called ‘Great Conversations.’  It’s an annual fund-raising dinner for the Helena Education Foundation.  They invite 45 people who are considered to be doing "interesting things" and ask them to host a table and lead a conversation about a topic of their choosing.  People then sign up for the table and topic that interests them, with dinner tickets going for $60. 

Along with the great conversations, Alayne’s in great company, too.  Among the other table hosts are the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court, another Montana Supreme Court Justice, the Lieutenant Governor, the author Tom McGuane, and more professors and Ph.D’s than I ever thought possible to get in one room.  (Okay, it’s a hotel ballroom.)  For more about the event and the various topics, go here. 

Alayne’s topic, of course, is central to what we do:  "Can Disabled Animals Enjoy Life?"  We find that many people expect disabled animals to be sad, pathetic creatures looking forlorn.  Then they come out to the ranch for a visit and see the blind and deaf dogs romping and playing, the blind horses contently grazing, and the other animals with various disabilities just having a good time.  Sometimes, before visitors leave after their first visit, they take us aside and confess that they had been concerned about coming out because they thought this would be a sad place.  Instead, they saw how joyful the animals are, how incredibly ‘normal’ they are, and how different it is from what they expected.

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With Alayne gone for the evening, our little blind dog Goldie — part of our original ‘Seattle six-pack’ of dogs — is in her usual funk.  She gets really upset when either one of us is gone.  Goldie sits outside, patiently waiting for the sound of the truck coming down the drive.  On cold nights like tonight, she would sit outside for hours, ignoring the frigid temperatures, if we let her.  Instead, we have to herd her back inside, and then keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t sneak outside again.  She feels her ‘pack’ isn’t complete when we’re not both here.