The Sheep Dog and the Sheep
Generations ago, a family of Sheep Dogs struck a deal with a herd of Sheep. The Dogs would guard the Sheep in the pasture every day as long as they were given shelter and food in the Sheep’s barn every night. The Shepherd agreed to the deal, since he would no longer have to guard the Sheep himself.
Generations later, a handsome Sheep Dog called Sal was guarding the herd alongside his brothers and sisters. From the time he was just a pup he had trained to guard these sheep, and as the oldest, he led his siblings in patrolling the pasture. Day after day, a pack of Wolves approached the pasture, looking for an easy feast. And day after day, the Sheep Dog family drove the Wolves back so that the Sheep could graze peacefully and safely.
Great Pyreneese guarding his Sheep. Source: Flickr
One day, however, the Wolves got clever. They cobbled together a plan to trick the Sheep into driving away their guardians. The Wolves told the Sheep that the Dogs were the ones that disturbed the peace of the pasture, not the Wolves. The incredibly gullible Sheep told the Sal and his siblings that they no longer needed their protection.
“But my friends,” Sal said, “the Wolves are trying to trick you! They want us to go away so they can eat you!”
Sal’s argument angered the Sheep. They were so angry that they said to Sal “You simply do not like the Wolves! You think that everyone is out to eat us! Because of your prejudice, we are ending our deal. You are no longer our guardians!”
Sal and his siblings tried to talk to the Sheep, but they drove the Dogs off. Sal knew that the Wolves would not wait to eat the Sheep, he raced back to the Shepherd. He told the Shepherd what the Sheep had done and the Shepherd raced toward the pasture. But Sal heard howling from the pasture and knew that it was already too late.
Author’s Note:
This story is based on Aesop’s original fable, The Wolves and the Sheep. In the original fable, a pack of wolves persuaded a herd of sheep to drive away the dogs that were protecting them. The wolves told the sheep that it was the dogs that were always causing the problem and the gullible sheep believed them. In the end, the wolves feasted on the sheep.
This reminded me of a show I once watched that showed how sheep dogs were raised with the sheep so that they would always defend them. There was always a close relationship between the two species because they had been together for generations. I decided that the dog’s side of this story had to be a little tragic, since they view the sheep as family. It still has the same moral, do not give up friends for foes, but it is portrayed from the point of view of the friends who were driven away.
Wow, Michaela, this is such an intense Aesop's fable; I am really glad you chose it, and having the focus on the dog Sal is really powerful, especially when he runs back to tell the shepherd what has happened, but then doesn't get back to the flock in time... so that we, like Sal and the shepherd, hear that terrible howling, and we know what has happened without even having to see it. So powerful! The loyalty of the dog comes through so clearly by having us experience things from his perspective, and then you also explained about that very clearly in the note too, so we can appreciate your choice of emphasis and how you see the relationship between the dogs and the sheep. Wonderful! There are all kinds of stories about wolves and dogs in Aesop, and in some stories, the wolf is a freedom-loving hero... but in other stories, like this, the wolves are a deadly danger, and that came through so clearly in your story. Well done!!!
ReplyDeleteThat was great story, Michaela. I also love the picture choice with the Great Pyreneese dog. I really feel for Sal because he truly cared about his Sheep friends. You can tell how much he cared by the way he called the Sheep his friends, even when they were accusing him of causing disturbances in the pasture. He even raced all the way back to the Shepherd to try to get help. Poor Sal! I really like the ending that you gave us. It was tied up very nicely because it was a short yet powerful sentence in that we knew they were devoured by the Wolves and I even felt that moment of despair.
ReplyDeleteThat was a fantastic story with a great lesson. I liked how you gave us Sal and how you showed his feelings for his friends. It was a great point of view to look at the story from. I also liked how you showed the characteristics of dogs (loyalty) in having Sal return to try to do something in order to save his friends. It had a sad ending but lesson the story gave was really powerful.
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you presented the story. Awesome job!!