Accidental addition

We fell into a new adventure today. Jim and I went out to feed the dogs and check the sheep. We'd just settled all the adult dogs in with separate piles or bowls of food and decided to take a few treats to the burros, which we're in the middle of the herd, in the meadow. When we started into the meadow, we saw a small animal just above the sheep, on the ditch bank. I thought it was a small dog, perhaps a herding dog that was following one of the ranch hands as he irrigated. The animal looked at us briefly before dropping out of sight.

While I visited with the burros, Jim and Hud walked across the meadow and to the ditch bank. Within about a minute I saw Jim turn back toward me with a small animal tucked into the crook of his arm. I asked, "What is that?" to which he replied, "Your new dog."

When I walked up to meet the tired little pup, he wagged his tail, seeming to know me at a first look. Yup, he was mine.

One of the female guardians had given birth to a litter of pups at the ranch, but during the day she sometimes comes out to my herd and joins in guardian duties. At some unknown point in time, this small pup had apparently walked in the dry irrigation ditch for more than a mile before finding my herd. He'd been lost from his mother and litter mates for days, and was skinny and weak at this point. Jim got the pup to drink some water before we got in the truck to turn for home, and then fed him a little dry dog food since we had some on hand in the truck.

Since Pete and I share guardian dogs at various times, and since we are close friends and business partners, I knew he would not be surprised that we decided to take the rescued pup home to get him on the mend instead of returning him to his litter mates. This just seemed meant to be. I know both the pup's parents, and have decided that since he's such a tiny, weak thing, we'll give him a name to live up to.
Meet Khan:

Khan may be small, but he really loves the sheep. We've moved him into the kennel with two bum lambs at the house.

For that, Hud is thankful. When Khan was in the house getting pampered this afternoon, Hud was not happy.

It will be a pleasure to watch this tough, independent-minded guardian grow to be a protective defender of the herd.