Oh Jordy! You have captured the hearts of us all, even though you (unsuccessfully) try to take on our beloved barn cat, Shakira.
A year ago on Super Bowl Sunday, we surprised our children with a drive to Wisconsin to bring home a new Border Collie puppy that we named Jordy. Having a puppy reminded me of having a newborn. Although, with Jordy, he chewed up everything he could get his teeth on; I lost count of how many boots. He dug up my flowerbeds and happily brought dead carcasses to my front doorstep.
Just when I was fed up, I would look out my back window and see Jordy a few steps ahead of my kids; playing and working with them for hours on end.
Now Jordy starts his day mixing feed, sometimes riding in the tractor for a power nap, before he helps bring up a group of cattle to the parlor. He meets our oldest son, Tyler, over by the calf house around 5:45 a.m. every day. Next, he finds his way to the heifer shed behind our house, to help my daughter, Cassie, feed a group of calves. Jordy runs laps around the shed while Cassie waters, feeds, and adds fresh bedding to the calves. Round and round Jordy goes, so many laps that he has made his own racetrack.
And, finally, we have someone who can keep up with our soon-to-be 8-year-old son, Jacob. Those two are pretty inseparable.
Low points for Jordy include getting sprayed by a skunk — three times. And just last week, while my husband was hauling manure, we saw Jordy take off across the wheat field! "It was like watching Forest Gump running. He kept going and going!" said Scott. Later, we learned our beloved pup touched the electric fence. We’re not sure if the shock scared him or gave him enough juice to run the farm perimeter a dozen times!
Oh Jordy — you wake with a purpose and end exhausted, giving it your all. You've warmed our hearts and made our smiles stretch! We can always count on you to lend a helping hand and greet us with a smile. Thanks for the motivation.
Karen Bohnert is a second generation dairy farmer, born and raised on her family dairy in Oregon and moved east after graduating from Oregon State University. Karen and her husband work in partnership with family, and they along with their three children live and work on the family's 500 Jersey cow dairy in East Moline, Ill. Karen's pride and love for dairy could fill a barn, and she actively promotes dairy anyway she can.