When the barn help arrived, they handled the stock too forcefully. Lucky was a rescue from a bad situation in California. She'd been praised for attacking the neighbor ranch's cattle when they crossed the fence line to where she lived. Her pay was so poor on this ranch that she was forced to snack on the livestock whenever possible. You can read her story here. Diggity was just a furry ball inside Lucky when I agreed to adopt her. Lo and behold, he was photographed curled up inside her, along with his four sisters, when Lucky was having her health check to travel cross-country to our farm. Her Travel plans had to wait several months as she attended to her newborn pups in the Susanville shelter. Then, the day came for Lucky and Diggity to say goodbye to the rest of their family and come to their new farm. The problem was that Lucky thought she knew her ranch work, and she wanted to teach Diggity all she knew. She told him about aggressive posture and how to get the jump on the large animals by being the first to bite. "No," I said. "You will get fired quickly for that and out of a job." She sure did not agree with my "better way," the kinder, gentler, coom by yah way. Diggity liked his mom's way. She was cool, and he wanted to be just like her. He'd practice copying her moves, whether they were how she chased a Frisbee or a mule. Bernie and I began to wonder if we'd ever be able to change Lucky or convince Diggity that harmony would work a lot better for all of us. There was a lot of sturm und drang, but look at this! We have gotten there! We ride with them. We can turn everyone out with them loose. They run all around the gang as we work with them. I did not fully believe at times these days that are now seeming so normal and in harmony could ever come. So, it is worth taking this moment to appreciate where we have come from and where we are now. Many people have made a difference in helping us with this evolution, among them Martha Kemmer, Madilyn Parsons, Rob Kortus and above all, James French, for inventing the Trust Technique. There is always a way when the heart is present. Dogs relaxed as Bernie finishes putting the horses in the field. We were not sure this day would ever come.
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