Grandpa Sat on the Tailgate to Look at the Field. Copper Only Looked at Him.
The wind has tousled Harold's white hair into soft peaks, and the old pickup's tailgate is down at the edge of a wide brown field. He sits in his red buffalo-check flannel, smiling down tenderly, and Copper has pressed close against him, chin lifted and amber eyes fixed on his grandpa's face with pure devotion. A coil of rope and a pair of gloves rest on the tailgate, and in the distance are a stack of firewood, a weathered fence, a round hay bale, and a line of trees under a pale autumn sky.
That long, soft gaze Copper is giving is something many dog owners recognize. Friendly eye contact between dogs and their trusted people is widely seen as part of how they bond, and a relaxed, soft-eyed look is generally a sign of affection and trust. Border Collies are known for their intense focus, and with someone they love, that focus often turns into this kind of adoring attention. When riding in a truck, a dog should be secured in the cab with a harness or crate rather than loose in the bed, and lifting a dog down from a high tailgate protects its joints.
Out here, there is no need to talk. Harold and Copper have the open field, the cool breeze, and each other, and the look between them says everything a conversation could.
