Browse ›
A grandpa in a cap reaches up to pick a red apple while a blue merle Border Collie sniffs fallen apples in the grass. 12 / 22

Grandpa Reached Up for the Perfect Apple. Skye Was Busy With Her Own Harvest.

AI imageborder collieapple orchardautumn

The orchard trees are heavy with fruit, and the grass beneath them is dotted with red and yellow windfalls. Earl, in his cap, khaki shirt, and ever-present vest, has stretched one arm up into the branches to twist free a glossy red apple, a satisfied grin under his white mustache. He has not noticed yet that his helper is working the ground crew. Skye has her nose buried among the fallen apples at his boots, sniffing each one with great care, her blue merle coat ruffled by the breeze. Rows of trees stretch away behind them toward a little house at the edge of the orchard, all bathed in clear autumn light.

Apples can be a crunchy, healthy snack for many dogs in small amounts, but there are a few important cautions. The seeds contain compounds that can release cyanide, and the core and stem are a choking risk, so only offer sliced flesh with the seeds and core removed. Fallen fruit in an orchard is a different story: windfalls can ferment as they rot, and eating a lot of them may upset a dog's stomach or worse, and orchards may also be sprayed with chemicals. It is best to keep a dog from snacking freely on the ground. If yours has eaten a large amount of fallen fruit, call your vet.

Earl will likely slice up a fresh one for Skye back at the house, seeds and core neatly removed. Until then, she seems happy just cataloging every single apple on the ground, one deep sniff at a time.

More from this collection

All 22 →
A grandpa with glasses on his head reads a book aloud on the couch as a merle Border Collie gazes up at his face.Grandpa Earl Read One Chapter Out Loud. His Audience Never Looked at the Book.A rain-dampened grandpa wraps a wet merle Border Collie in a thick knit blanket by the door, with boots and leashes nearby.The Rain Caught Them Halfway Home. Grandpa Took Care of Skye First.
A grandpa at the wheel of an old pickup grins at a merle Border Collie sitting upright in the passenger seat.Grandpa Earl Has Driven This Old Truck for Decades. His Co-Pilot Is Newer.A grandpa sits on wooden back steps brushing the head of a blue merle Border Collie with a wooden-handled brush.Grandpa Brings the Same Focus to Brushing Skye That He Gives His Fishing FliesA grandpa scrubs a blue car with a sponge while a merle Border Collie holds the garden hose and bites at the spray.Grandpa Was in Charge of the Sponge. Skye Put Herself in Charge of the Hose.A smiling grandpa knits with beige yarn while a blue merle Border Collie sits beside him, tangled in loose loops of yarn.Grandpa Earl Took Up Knitting in Retirement. Skye Got Involved Immediately.