In my previous article, I discussed My Woodland Avatar. I mentioned that I had taken Ginger out for a walk. Our walk was put on hold while I talked to my woodland avatar. After I talked to the avatar, Ginger and I went for a walk to the dam of the lake where we live. We go to the field where we play Chuck-It, and Ginger loves retrieving the ball. However, Canadian Geese migrate south from Canada to the lake every late fall around Thanksgiving.

It amuses me that if she had a choice to play Chuck-It or chase the geese, she would opt to scare them off the field in front of the dam. I can tell that Ginger gets excited even before we get to the last home before the field of geese. Irish Setters are instinctively pointers. They would point to a hunter where the birds are. What fascinates me is that Ginger will do precisely that...motionless as if she were waiting for me to shoot one of the geese.

However, that trait is ingrained in all Setters. However, Ginger will point motionless for 20 seconds as if another urge replaces her pointer instinct. She looks at me as if asking permission to go after the geese. When I tell her to go, she hesitates as if she is weighing what her instincts tell her instead of my command to “Go!”

It amazes me that Ginger can run nearly 100 yards and return in 30 seconds, essentially running the length of a football field and back to me. The fastest recorded time for a runner to run 100 yards is 9.58 seconds. Ginger can run that distance chasing moving targets and return to me in 30 seconds.

When Ginger and I returned from chasing geese, I rewarded her with a chewy treat. After devouring it, Ginger and I sat down to spend time together. It was then that I realized that I had made a mistake. I said something to her like, “You impress me with your speed.”

Ginger’s reply stunned me. “I’m not trying to impress you; I’m trying to protect you.” She allowed a few moments for me to process her statement. Then she continued. “When we go to bed, we lie there and talk for several minutes. When you go to sleep, I go to the end of the bed. Why don’t I remain next to you? I go to the end of the bed closest to the bedroom door. I remain there all night in case an intruder enters the house. I am your canine avatar.”

“When someone stops by to visit you, I’m equally excited. However, when you and your visitor sit down to discuss issues, what do I do? I go and sit at your feet. That is also my calling to be your canine avatar.”

Ginger continued her litany of her avatar duties. “When you return from shopping or your sauna at Southlake, I sniff around you to ensure you are all right. It is my duty. That is a higher calling than what Trump babbles about his calling. “I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.” He doesn’t care about anyone except himself. Unfortunately, most Republicans in the Congress are afraid of him.”

I responded that I didn’t know what we could do with another four years of Donald the Dumb. Ginger replied, “Humans need your avatars, both the woodland and canine varieties.”