Since I have been “living” at Taipan Station, one of the most joyous experiences has been the always enthusiastic greetings from all the dogs. It is, after all, a place named for a dog– the original Taipan I who I did not have the pleasure of knowing. Since I’ve been dogless in my own life the last year, the Taipan Pack has been giving me all of the dog attention I have needed while I wait for my own dog to arrive (and I have a plan for that this year). From the smallest, Cookie, to the oldest, Chloe, everyone has been doing their doggie darndest to make sure I had enough dog time.

This past year, Taipan (the 2nd), the chocolate lab, has done his therapeutic work for me, always greeting me with his Labrador grin and always always bringing a stick, or log, or stump, for retrieving, or picking up my grooming brushes to draw my attention away from the horses.

Falling in love with someone else’s dog is always tricky but has some excellent benefits–a pleasant little love triangle with all of the benefits and none of the problems. Of course, falling in love with a dog means opening oneself up to the pain of losing the dog, even if he belongs to someone else.

Yesterday, we all lost Taipan.

He’s buried now in the pasture so his spirit will remain with the place but it’s very hard to say goodbye to such a great dog.

Despite the damage, we are all thrilled. The tanks are completely filled and water, water everywhere, and *every* drop to drink!

This large tank was down 20 -30 feet before the rains.

Here’s “our” side of the fence line–note the debris against the fence, stacked probably 2 or 3 feet high.

And “their side”

This is the northern side of the pasture, on the other end of the creek, where more debris piled up against the trees.

And this is the San Marcos river as it flows through Luling at Zedler’s Mill