Brith was found by a farmer wandering along a country lane. He took him home to see if he was any use but he wasn’t as he was terrified of sheep. So he went to the rescue centre where I adopted him. This was when Jess was still young and she quite fancied sheep so I thought one that was scared of them was a good companion for her.
He settled in very happily until the day Dyfi arrived. They were OK at first but as Dyfi was so wild and uncontrollable , he at first slept in a shed outside and when I wasnted my breakfast I used to put him back on his chain with his slice of toast so I could have mine in peace. One day Brith discovered that Dyfi didn’t always eat sll of his, so he raided his territory to stael his breakfast. The result, of course, was a dog fight. This happened a couple of times and I remonstrated with both of them. Then Brith began, apparently, to worry about possibly getting involved in yet another fight, which he knew he shouldn’t. This resulted in him taking to his bed and lying there most of the day growling ans shivering at the same time. These symptoms persisted until he was practically having a canine nervous breakdown.
I couldn’t get rid of Dyfi as he was a liability so it was a big problem. But luckily three very good friends of mine who had lost their last dog were all in their eighties and felt they couldn’t get a young puppy. But they knew and loved Brith so he went to live with them. He’s been there a couple of years now and seems convinced he’s died and gone to heaven. In his view one dog with three people is a much better arrangement than three dogs sharing one person.
Brith
THEY SAY I’M A WELSH SHEEPDOG
They say I come of an ancient breed,
Native to the land of Wales,
Bred for the herding of mountain sheep
And all that that entails.
But somehow they must have got it wrong;
Rolling in the manure heap
Is my idea of work on a farm,
And I certainly don’t rate sheep.
I’ve no inclination to chivvy the flock
Or to sleep in a kennel or stable.
I prefer entertaining my guests
At a well laid dining room table.
In spite of my size I do my best
to climb on available laps, and my sleep
On my bean bag beside the fire
Is quite untroubled by sheep.
by Brith [which means speckled in Welsh]
From The Sheepdoggerel Anthology — see books pages.
Shortly after Brith joined the household I had some friends to dinner. As I was returning to the dining room after lighting the sitting room fire for the children, my friend called, ‘Daffni, look at your dog.’
Brith was sitting on my chair with a wine glass in front of him, apparently under the impression that he should entertain the guests. He certainly did that, but never did it again.
Brith á table