Children's Page

This is the true story of how Collie Rescue started in Spencer Creek Valley from the view point of the first rescue dog.

"Young Readers, I am a Shepherd dog. They call me Laddie.
I might tell this story if I had Human words."

A Dog's Life
Laddie's Story

I was loved by an old farmer. He and I lived on a hillside near the sea. I looked after my few sheep and brought them to the barn at night. Then I and my old Man sat in front of the fire and he would tell me many things. I did not understand all the words but I saw the pictures in his voice and understood his mind.

He told me his parents came from far west across the sea. Long ago when he was a young human, there was a terrible fight called a war. He was put in a human kennel with many other humans for many years. His farm was taken away. That made him sad still. Finally the terrible years came to an end. He rented back his old farm. He married his sweetheart from school. They had several puppies (children they are called). He raised his vegetables and children well. They bought back the farm. The children grew and moved away. His old sweetheart died. One day he saw a little puppy, me, and brought me home to be be his companion. And I was! How we walked and talked and played!

We both got older together. One day my old Man got very ill. The grown children came in their cars. I was banished to the back yard. No walks, no talks, no playing. No love. For days, there was a lot of coming and going. My old man hobbled out to me. He softly rubbed my ears and whispered to me, " Good bye, my Lad. Take care of our sheep while I'm gone, eh? I'll be home as soon as I can. " Then he was gone. I never saw him again. They took my sheep away. They took our chairs and table away. They came and hammered a sign in the front yard. Lots of food was thrown at me. I ate. There was nothing else to do. But my heart was heavy. I missed my old Man. I dreamed of him at night.

One day, many strangers came. They had big rolls of paper with marks all over and strange instruments. I barked and barked. I did my best to stop them from swarming all over but it was no use. My old Man was not here to hear. " Yes, the road will go here and the gas station will...Hey! Get that dog to shut-up! " I heard them say to each other. A stranger with a dead flower smell came to me. "Let's go for a walk, boy, " he purr like a bad cat. He clipped a leash on my collar and I had to go.

The stranger put me in his car. We drove a long while. He spoke, " Well, old boy, I guess its the end for you... at least you'll help someone's experiment. Do something useful besides bark. Ha, ha! "

Finally we stopped at a very odd place. Big buildings that looked like barns but weren't. I heard many dogs in distress. I smelled things that were odd and terrible. Death and torture.

I heard the unseen dogs howl, "Help! Help! Let me out of here! " and "I'm so sad , I'm so sad, I'm so sad..." and cries of other animals also, cats, mice, rabbits.

I realized this was a very bad place. " I will not go there!" I said to myself. "I will not be herded like a sheep! "

Having made my decision, I pulled away from the dead flower smelling stranger. He pulled back. I pulled again with all my strength. He started to tug back with all his man might. I gave a heave and broke free. I ran for my life. I ran and ran and ran till I was sure he could never follow me. I ran over fields and green crops and new roads with no one on them. And roads where the trucks never stopped coming. I ran until I was too tired to go any farther.

I found a shady creek and hid out there drinking the cool water. When I rested and thought about finding food, I turned to leave but could not move. My leash caught on a branch and the more I tried to get free the more it tightened.

"Tee-hee, tee-hee", I heard giggling above me in the trees. Looking up, I saw two pairs of eyes, ringed in black and pale fur... two raccoons! My traditional enemies! But I was in trouble and no longer on the farm ... They giggled again.

" Hey, buster, all tied up? Looks like you've got a problem!" they giggled.

"Yes, yes, I do," I answered.

"Looks like you're hungry, old shepherd!"

"Yes, yes, I am. It's past my dinner time..."

The two young raccoons giggled again,"Well, well, well, it's past shep's dinner time! Ours, too! We like cat food! Would you like some cat food?"

"Yes, yes, tell me what to do..."

"See that farm house over there? On the porch there is a big bowl of cat food. Scoop lots up in your big mouth and bring it here and we'll share it with you."

"Yes, yes, I will but...I'm all tied up. Please, could you help untie me with your nimble paws?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" The raccoons laughed and climbed down and stood next to me. I controlled myself and did not bark but put my head down so they could unsnap the leash.

I kept our bargain and trotted off to find the cat food my new raccoon friends liked so well. The house hummed with human sounds but the porch was quiet so I wolfed down some food, eating quickly. Then I scooped up some for me and my friends. After I delivered the food, I went back for more.

"Mom! Mom! There's a big dog stealing Patch's food. That's the second time in the last few minutes!" I heard a child say.

"Let's see, dear." The mother came out. "Yes, I see him, an old collie, by the creek. He looks in bad shape. Let's go and see..."

I heard the humans but I had to keep my promise to the raccoons. I dumped the cat food on the mossy rocks. My new friends thanked me and chowed down. After a hasty meal they climbed their tree again.

"You know," they said, "maybe those humans at the farmhouse can help. They seem kind. Dogs need humans. You aren't wild like us!" And giggling, they left me alone.

I took the raccoons advice and headed back to the farmhouse. I saw the humans walking toward me. I wanted to run away. No, I said to my self. Meet them like a good sheep dog welcoming strangers. Careful and friendly.

"O! Poor Lassie!" the girl cried when she saw me close up. They took me home, feed me, petted me, brushed my tangled coat, washed my bloodied paws.

I stayed with them for many days. Patches was a nice cat who lived in the barn. The humans kept horses and I tried to help as best I could. But it seems the horses didn't like to be shepherded. I lived outside. I did all the things I could think of to help, barked at squirrels and hawks, opossums and strange dogs and cats. But I did not bark at the two friendly raccoons when they came to get cat food.

One day as I was in the yard with my new people, a car drove up. A mother and boy got out. I barked fiercely. The mothers talked. What were they saying? The boy played with me. The girl said nothing. The children were shy of each other, the poor pups. The mother human talked nicely to me, petted my head, looked at my paws and my teeth.

"Yes," she said ," he is older and has traveled far... It's hard to believe no one answered the ads, he is such a nice dog... well, we will do our best to give him a good home." Home? Somewhere else? You mean I am not wanted to shepherd horses? What is happening?

"Good bye, old, boy...be good...don't bark too much, " the farm house mother said. They put a leash on me and lead me to the car. I didn't want to go. They gently pushed me in. The car started up. The new humans had water ready for me and they opened the window. Soon the smells of the warm countryside came flowing over me, it was like swimming in a river of smells. We drove through the summer afternoon until the smells began to change. I now smelled trees, lots of them, and wild waters and many different kinds of animals. We arrived at a little house at the edge of a big forest.

"Here you go, boy! You'll be fine." She opened the door and I stiffly jumped down to a new world. I looked around and meet the stare of two wary ducks. They looked at me and ran away. I didn't run after them. The boy human said, "See? He is a natural shepherd dog."

They took me inside the house and feed me food and vitamins. They gave me a blanket on the rug and went to bed. Huge monsters came in the night browsing on flowers and grass. I barked and barked but the humans ignored me and my warnings! They finally got up and told me to "Be quiet!" The monsters were called deer, they said, and were not strangers.

The next day an animal doctor came to see me. She said I was old and well and gave me some shots. The human mother carefully brushed and washed me. The mother took me in a car to a strange place. The kind human washed and brushed me. I liked it!

My new humans took me for walks. At first, I was so sore I could not walk far. Soon I gained strength and explored the forest with all its glorious smells. I tried to be a help and bark away the deer at night. The humans did not like this. They talked a lot what to do if I could not stop barking.

After a while, I got used to the deer. I made friends with the five cats and two ducks and one rabbit. The boy and I became special friends. He is called Patches, just like my cat friend at the horse barn. It is almost like having my old Man back again except young instead of old. We walk and talk and play together. They call me Laddie and love me a lot. I guard them all - my humans and ducks and cats, my "sheep ". At last, I am home again.

Copyright 2000 by M.G. Hudson. All Rights Reserved.