We found Maggie, our Border Collie, lost and abandoned in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Eastern Oregon while on a horseback camping trip in 1999. The local ranchers in the area were threatening to shoot her, and I opened my big mouth and said that "I'd take her in a minute". The next day one of those ranchers showed up with her on the end of a rope! To say that she was a wild thing is a huge understatement. We had to force her into our vehicle to bring her home. She was a very scared and unhappy creature, and by the time we got back to Portland the backseat was floating in dog drool.
And so, many years later, after a BIG vet bill, lots of walks on leashes, more camping trips, lots and lots of day hikes, road trips in our RV with our other very well-behaved Border Collie-mix, super-dog Effie May, having inherited the the full-time job of taking care of our horses, and chasing all kinds of unwanted varmints, I'd have to say she's turned into a pretty good old dog. She's still got that wild independent streak that she had when she found us, but then a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do!
So, many miles later, here's a little photo essay on Maggie today .... horse herder, ranch hand, truck dog, hiking buddy and just all-around good companion.
Maggie has a favorite spot
where she likes to keep an eye out
for anything that might be happening
while I do my morning chores.
Coarse it's real close to the manure pile.
All good ranch dogs love their manure piles!
From her favorite spot.....
She can check out our neighbor's goat or their geese.
She can be sure everything is as it should be
with her own horse and mule.
Or she can just lie there, and nap....because
an old dog's gotta do, what an old dog's gotta do!
