Refuge Farms (www.refugefarms.org)

As I sit here to update you on a rather large, recent change in my life, I’m not sure how to start. Perhaps it’s best to start at the beginning and our first meeting.

It was a Friday night. We were both out socializing in Eau Claire. And another couple introduced us. We greeted each other and my heart left me at his first touch. Our initial meeting ended all too soon and as I watched him walk away, I remember thinking, “Is he the one?”

The weekend passed as they usually do – very busy and with so many plans of tasks to accomplish … but before I know it, it’s Sunday feeding time! All the while, however, his face stuck in my head. I found myself wondering what it would be like to have him with me…

Monday I kept busy with work. But on Tuesday, I just had to call. So, using my handy dandy computer, I located his telephone number and without pausing to think, I called.

Yes, he was there and yes I could see him. How about Friday? It was set. I would go to his house on Friday and we would see how it went and where it went from there. Friday arrived and the day was merciless in its schedule. I did find time to go to his house, however, and bring him home with me for the weekend.


A tad younger than me, this young man is 5 to 6 years old. He is a Chocolate Lab and is so attracted to human touch he literally lays on my feet or rests against my leg. His manners are decently intact and to say he is grateful is to understate the obvious.

This lovely dog was found roaming the streets with another dog. He was rescued and has completed a full medical exam. His only health issue is a heart murmur, but that is of no consequence to me. It’s his soul and his compassion that attract me.


He is calm. He is polite. He is patient. He is respectful. He is curious. And he is the new dog of Refuge Farms.

His name? Well, he came with the name of Bunker. But that name doesn’t cause his head to turn. We have tried an assortment of names and the one that seems to stick as well as cause a reaction in him is “Little Man”. Don’t know if that name will stick, either, but it’s where we are now.


So yes, there is a new man in my life. Someone new to love. Someone to accompany me as I walk to the barns. Someone who loves to ride in the truck with me as I run errands. And amazingly, someone who already barks at the horses when they cross the
fence line.


A dog with four legs. Still causes me to shake my head when I see a dog on the property with all four legs. And the horses are staring, too. I suppose they wonder what’s wrong with this dog that he has that extra leg hanging down?!

And so now you have a new reason to visit us! Come and feel the warmth from this young man as he adores you and your touch. And maybe you’ll find the name that sticks!

Enjoy the journey of each and every day,
Sandy and The Herd and The Man in Her Life