FAIR ELLEN

It’s time to tell some stories. When I was a wee lad, I was picked on a lot. Kids made fun of me, and given my ability to go into a shell and become tongue tied and dumb, I helped them right along. Don’t get me wrong. My childhood was really pretty good. Yes my Mother was massively overprotective but I never felt unloved. And my father was great. While I spent lots of time alone and probably did not develop the social graces I should have, I also developed a spectacular imagination. But outside of my home I was awkward and lonely. So I hid in books. There I was in control, I could identify with the characters, and it was safe.

Of all the safe places I visited, the most magical was a place called Sunnybank. Sunnybank was the home of Albert Payson Terhune, a New York Editor, who also raised prize winning collies. The “Place” was their home and Terhune and his wife were the “Master” and “Mistress”. Terhune turned the adventures of the great collies Bruce, Grey Dawn, Bobby and others into very popular books. The most famous was “Lad, a Dog.” But of all the stories, the one that captivated me the most, was the tale of Fair Ellen.

One of five puppies, prior to them opening their eyes, Terhune was impressed with how elegant and in charge the only female in the group was. The four others, despite being much larger differed to her. She quickly became his favorite and he named her, Fair Ellen. In the normal growth of puppies the four males opened their eyes and began the world of sight, but Fair Ellen’s eyes remained sealed. Finally, a vet was summoned, the eyes were surgically opened, but sight was not to be. Fair Ellen was blind. With a heavy heart, Terhune went to the house to inform his wife that they would need to “end the suffering” of his favorite new pup. Her response was surprising for a dog breeder of their level. “What suffering? She has never known what sight is, so she can not miss it. If life becomes a burden, we can always end it. But not now.” Not now became twelve years of joyful wanderings about the “Place” and the nearby woods.

What struck Terhune the most was Fair Ellen’s effect on others, both canine and human. The most difficult dogs became gentle and protective around Ellen. Once it was noticed that if Ellen bumped into something, she detoured around that spot for the rest of her life, every workman became attentive to the rule “Everything in its place.”

A visitor once remarked about the twisting, circuitous route Ellen took when crossing the yard from the lake to the house. It was explained that each detour was around an object she had once bumped into. Although the object was long removed, Ellen still detoured around the spot.

Visitors were a special treat for her. She greeted them with an enthusiastic welcome and reveled in any attention they gave her. As far as any human could tell, Ellen lived a life full of happiness and joy. After twelve years, she quietly fell asleep in her favorite spot.

And so, twenty years after her death, a young child in Johnson City was enthralled by her story. It seemed to speak of possibilities and hope and that there were places in the world that were completely safe, no matter what.