Ginger-sheepdog-superhero

The boy Tim donned his sparkly underpants on the outside of his fluffy trousers again the other day.

We've had some exceptionally severe weather round here this past couple of months - and that's notably worse than average for somewhere 1000ft up northwesterly-facing in the lee of the Pennines!! Most walks feel like an elemental survival battle more than a pleasant stroll. Tuesday was no exception when I set off for a late afternoon expedition with the three 'big dogs'. We were stomping up the path that takes us up onto the fields and this passes the field of a neighbour who keeps alpacas. Suddenly Tim ran back toward me and anchored on, staring worriedly into the field. He seemed to be staring at a stone but then, sadly, I made out the dead body of a tiny baby alpaca - hunched in an awful death pose and now almost covered with a blanket of the sleet which was pelting down in a galeforce wind. I felt so sad as I stomped on past - poor little sod had been a late-born 'accident' and had perished. But Tim would not leave it - he went into his 'bow' position and was trying desperately to burrow his nose through the fence whilst making the oddest crying noise and he would not leave the tragic little mound. He was so concerned I thought I'd better investigate for him. With that normal yuk feeling at touching something clearly very dead, I toe-poked it just to make sure - nothing. But still Tim whimpered. I was just telling him he was a very good boy for finding it anyway when I thought I saw one of its beautiful long eyelashes flicker! I climbed into the field and prodded it further - OMG it was just alive! Maisie Mouse now joined in the concern - she wants to nurse anyone who's poorly! (Billy was was like - 'err, sod it, come onnnnn, where's my bally!?' lol) Deciding it wasn't going to work taking all three dogs into the field with adult alpacas milling around I ran them all home and then ran back with Billy's spare warm dogcoat and wrapped the little thing in it and carried it down to the buildings and worked on warming him up. Sadly, on the way down I found an adult alpaca also in a really bad way and I could not get her up. Within a few minutes of rough rubbing and warming, the baby lifted his head and soon started to try to get up and stumble around!! Within about 20 minutes he looked amazingly chipper! Their owner then arrived and dealt with the adult who turned out to be his mother - she'd been very poorly with a growth in her throat and they'd been trying to keep her hanging on long enough to feed the little'un, sadly she couldn't make it but her suffering was quickly ended. But the little man had just started taking solid food and with a bit of luck - and thanks to our Tim - hopefully will survive ...

So the ginger chap may be a little random in the agility ring but what a bloody cracking sheepdog!!!! :o) Very proud of him. x