Story: The Sheep Dogs and the Sheep

The Sheep Dogs 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. 

Great Pyreneese with Flock. Source: Wikipedia.

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. 

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, but he raced back to the Shepherd anyway.  He told the Shepherd what the Sheep had done and the Shepherd raced toward the pasture. 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.  

Bibliography: Aesop for Children, by (anonymous), illustrated by Milo Winter (1919)