Laramie, Proud Retriever & Protector

Laramie (almost 4 years old) is a wonderful retriever as evidenced by this photograph taken in September at our farm in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He's a spirited dog who will work the fields as long as you ask him to. Incredibly loyal, he never leaves my side.

One crisp September morning at 9:00 am, I heard Laramie vocalizing softly outside the kitchen door requesting entrance. I couldn't imagine what was wrong with him until I looked into the glen below where two healthy coyotes were combing the rock ledge for a chipmunk breakfast. Laramie is alert, intelligent and has a keen sense of self-preservation! On another occasion, while I was gardening in the cool of the evening, he alerted me to large bear approaching the corn feeder set out for the gamebirds. I was very afraid of the dangerous consequences if Laramie's deep, stern, warning barks agitated the bear. Fortunately, the bear shifted into high gear for the woods. Porcupines were also a big problem at the farm this summer. I shot three huge porcupines off the back porch that left a prickly carpet of quills on the ground. All I had to say to Laramie was" AAAH-AAAH-DANGER" and he immediately backed off the dead critter.