Fly's surprise!

The latest blog from Borough Farm, written by the boss.....The displays side of our business is becoming ever-more important and no sooner than the sheep are shorn, the summer season is upon us. With good-sized audiences to entertain there is a certain pressure in making sure that I have a good team of sheepdogs on which to rely, but each year that seems to be more of a challenge. Although I have nine dogs at present, the oldest Gail and Ernie are well and truly retired, with third eldest Fern also looking as if she’s ready to throw in the towel. With Mist, Jake and Eddie relied upon to do most of the displays and work around the farm, I’m working on a new generation of dogs to take some of the strain.I have a couple of trainees at the moment, Roy and Fly, who I had hoped would be up to performing at this year’s displays. Roy is two years old and as my wife says he’s always been a ‘problem child’. He came to me as an eight month old dog with ‘potential and a few issues’. He’d shown great promise early on but soon developed the habit of biting the back legs of sheep, a habit that clearly had to be stopped. Puppies often do this sort of thing and such problems are usually cured with a few well-timed reprimands. However, I hadn’t bargained on Roy’s devotion to the cause. All through last Autumn and Winter, through wind and rain I diligently worked with Roy. When the snow came there was enough moonlight reflected to allow us to work long into the evening and slowly the bad habits disappeared and he became under some sort of control. But then there were the other behavioural problems, like bolting off to find sheep whenever he’s let out of the run (refusing to return for half an hour), the barking in the kennel every time that my back is turned (accompanied by the “wasn’t me” look when he gets the blame) and his biggest faux-pas to date, the eating of the Land Rover back window (or at least the rubber that held it in). Oh yes, and he ate my crook!FlySo all things being considered, over the past few months I’ve realised that Roy wouldn’t be coming out to demonstrate the art of misbehaviour at the displays this year, but there was no need to panic. Just as Roy had been struggling to make the grade, little Fly had been making great progress and as the first display approached, I was sure she would be up to the task. The morning of the first display arrived and, with the usual feelings of last minute panic, I set about the morning jobs. I opened the kennels for the dogs to stretch their legs and... Fly failed to materialise. Poking my head inside the door I was greeted by the unexpected whimper of a single tiny black and white pup (the result of a brief dalliance with Jake when he’d been returned to the wrong kennel for ten minutes). I groaned loudly, the other members of my family who soon gathered tried to hide their excitement. Fly wagged her tail and seemed unsure as to whether she was to be a working or stay-at-home mother. Jake wagged his tail, whistled nonchalantly and gave me that "wasn’t me" look that he’d learnt from Roy.So that evening it was the old team of Jake, Mist and Eddie who took to the field for the display, with Fern lending a paw as and when she pleased. People often quote to me the old saying ‘never work with children or animals’ but I don’t agree at all. You just have to be able to accept that even with the best laid plans they will always conspire to defeat you!

David, Mist and the rest of his sheepdogs can been seen in action both at Borough Farm and at Dunster Castle throughout the summer.

www.boroughfarm.co.uk