I need Red, he’s very important in a storm like the one we are experiencing today, perhaps more than at any other time. This afternoon, I went out to grain the sheep and the donkeys. People with animals know that this can be complex and dangerous, animals stampede around grain, they get excited bump into one another, kick and bite, they can easily knock a human over in the process, I have been knocked down many times.

At moments like this, I especially appreciate a dog like Red – Rose was similiar in tough situations. He seems to size up the situation, here, he puts himself between me and the animals – the only command I gave was “hold the sheep” – and he locks onto the sheep and holds them. The donkeys usually respect Red as well now, something they didn’t use to do, so while I shoveled out the hay feeder and put some grain in, Red had my back, lying still as the snow covered his coat, he didn’t move a muscle, never took his eye off of the sheep. I must confess I don’t understand people who believe animals ought not to work with people, it is a spiritual experience for me, in anchors the farm in so many ways.