This is Ace. He’s Dad and Mandy’s dog.

He’s a Blue Heeler, one of the stereotypical farm dogs. He’s actually a “Blue Header,” though. My dad works on the road a lot and never really got to teach Ace to go for a cow’s heels. He tries to latch onto the tops of their heads. He’s been knocked for a loop a time or two, but it never phases him much. He also has been accidentally run over with the four-wheeler numerous times. Trying to bite the tires of a moving ATV is never a good idea. My brother-in-law, Jason, actually got in a four-wheeler wreck trying not to run over Ace. He landed in a patch of briars and sported a black eye for a week.

Not cool, Ace. Not cool.

Ace spends his days sleeping on the porch, chasing birds (that are flying up in the air, mind you. Some day, maybe one will croak mid-flight and fall right out of the sky) and squirrels, killing varmints, “helping” with the evening cattle feeding rituals, bringing tree limbs onto the porch (sticks would be too easy), and babysitting.

The babysitting is my favorite part. Ace may not be the smartest dog in the world, but he loves Peanut. I like to think of him as a muscle-head security detail. All he needs is some black sunglasses.

If Peanut is out and about, Ace is always a close distance behind her. She gets really mad at him if he gets in her face, so he tags along a few feet back.

SQUIRREL!

Sometimes, Peanut falls asleep on my way home from somewhere. Instead of getting her out of the car and waking her up, I sometimes leave her in the car and check on her every little bit. Most of the time, Ace lets me know when she’s awake, though. He goes down there to my car and just sits by the back door and stares at the house like “Helloooooo? Baby’s awake.” It’s so cute!

Needless to say, he’s endeared me to him.

P.S. That first pic of Ace was taken with that new lens I showed ya a while back. When I saw what a good picture it created of Ace, I was shocked that I was the one that  actually took it. Highly recommend.