Luigi goes to the farm

Luigi and I had a wonderful first day last Saturday at Clagett Farm. Luigi is a black standard poodle who loves to run free and bark. Only a little more than two years old he is often still a puppy. But there are times when he suddenly appears very adult - and surprises us with some behavior we've only suspected.

After gathering our veggies we went down one of the farm roads on Clagett's land and spotted three or four cows / cattle, with a calf, in a field. When I pointed them out to Luigi, he showed considerable interest. I parked near a place where several barns or cattle sheds stood. We looked briefly into that field, but Luigi appeared to be getting too excited so, to keep from disturbing the bigger animals and the calf, we walked into another open field, away from them.

My wife usually walks Luigi. I brought him with me just to get him out in the open air. My wife has described what she calls his "herding" behavior. She says that when Luigi has been around groups of dogs, as he is often at the doggy park at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, on occasion he has tried to "herd" them, circling and barking. The other dogs, of course, not being sheep, pretty much ignore him.

At Clagett, we went into the next field and over the hill. There we spotted, in the distance in yet another field a herd of 20 or 30 or more cattle. At first I wanted to divert Luigi from seeing them, but as we walked through the grass he soon noticed the herd. He looked and looked. Then he bounded across the field in their direction in his amazing light footed gazelle gait. When they spotted him, to my amazement and amusement, they gathered themselves together and rumbled or lumbered over in our direction, toward the fence at the bottom where the hills came together. I was a little concerned about Luigi's ability to maintain some decorum - he likes to bark, a lot. But no, he seemed to know they didn't need his barking. I soon saw quite a number of calves as well as the grown cows. I also spotted a couple of goats. Finally, the herd had gathered under a big shade tree in the hollow of the hills by their watering trough. Luigi and I approached but kept some distance - then Luigi started barking. Several of the calves drew back, startled. The more mature adults nodded their heads at Luigi and looked almost happy - "Ah", they seemed to be thinking, "a herder. Don't be afraid, little ones, he's just a puppy, too. But he knows we're a herd, we know he's a herder, and we're all just doing what we're supposed to be doing." It was as though there was some deep psychic exchange going on, some mutual intuition of innate instinct that drew these animals together in a bond outside my own experience.

As I was a little less confident than the cattle seemed to be, I soon had Luigi follow me up the hill and back to the car. But, running back and forth on the green hills, having herded a real herd for the first time in his life, under the beautiful puffy clouds and ice blue sky, I knew we would have to come back many more times.

Now, when I say "farm", Luigi looks at me with that look that says, "When are we going back? Today? Today? Please!"