I mentioned in the previous post how many of the dogs in the front yard have taken to "denning" under the ramps. Blind Dusty, on the other hand, picked a totally different spot for his den — the base of the big fir at the other end of the front yard. He loves this spot and hangs out there all day long … literally. After we let him out in the morning and he drinks, attends to his business, and stops to smell the roses along the way, he heads to this spot under the tree. He will stay there the entire day until we call him back to the house late in the evening.
Rooting around in the dirt does a number on his white coat, of course, and some evenings when he comes back inside he looks like the canine equivalent of a coal miner. I haven't seen him do this yet, but given how covered he is in dirt some days, he must like to roll around upside down in his den too.
One thing I'd like to get on video one day is his evening routine, so people can see how a blind dog uses his "mental map" to navigate. We'll get everyone else inside, and then I'll go out on the ramp and call for Dusty. He always has to be the last one in, so he's waiting for me to do this — it's like his curtain call. His spot at the base of the tree is about 30 yards (27 m) away from the front door. He'll climb out of his den, walk out to the grass, lift a leg, then head right for the ramp. Dusty is usually within a foot of either side of the ramp by the time he gets there, if he doesn't make it straight in on the first try; if he's off-course, he knows it instantly and quickly readjusts to get on the ramp and head towards the door. I'll hold the door open for him and he bolts through, then follows me by voice command down the hallway, into the dog room, and right into his crate. Elapsed time is under a minute. I never touch him or do any guiding other than with voice.
Of course, it would be nice if he'd shower every evening before coming in, but then again I can't ask for everything.
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Blog readers keep asking how the animals are adjusting. I thought these blog posts would show how they're adjusting — in a word, just fine! They're all settled in, developing new routines, and finding their niches. I haven't posted anything on the cats because we have been building a cat room on the second floor of the barn and they've been in temporary quarters here. The room should be finished by next week, we hope. The horses are doing great and I will get a photo of them up in the next week or so.
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Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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