Henson - A Farmer and His Dog

In A Farmer and His Dog, Adam Henson explores the unique relationship between a farmer and his most loyal friend. Sheepdogs come in a variety of shapes and sizes from border collies to Australian kelpies (rumoured to be a distant relative of the dingo). Not only are they essential to the running of a farm, but they are also fiercely intelligent and exceptionally devoted companions, having evolved over millennia to make the work of a shepherd possible.

But it is not just the farmer working the land who benefits from the extraordinary relationship between man and dog. Beginning by introducing us to the dogs who have been faithful companions to the Henson family over the years, Adam goes on to explore the impact made by the UKs hardest working breeds. From traditional herding dogs and gundogs such as the Labradors he grew up with and the Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas like Boo and Olive who live with him now to the assistance dogs, sniffer dogs and even search and rescue dogs, whose stories have reinforced Adams belief that we humans owe an enormous debt to our wet-nosed, four-legged friends.

Adam Henson presents Countryfile, often from his 650-hectare farm in the Cotswolds. Having studied Agriculture at college, Adam took over Bemborough Farm from his father, Joe. The farm now grows wheat, spring barley and oilseed rape, runs a flock of 400 commercial ewes and has the UKs leading collection of rare breeds, many of which are in demand for film sets and advertisements. Cotswold Farm Park (www.cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk) offers a total countryside experience for all the family, welcoming more than 100,000 visitors each year.

Adam presented Lambing Live with Kate Humble, writes for Countryfile magazine and has appeared on Radio 4s On Your Farm and Farming Today. He is the author of two previous books, Adams Farm: My Life on the Land and the Sunday Times bestseller, Like Farmer, Like Son.

To all the wonderful dogs who have been my loyal companions over the years

THERE ARE VERY few times in my life when there isnt a dog near to me. Sometimes Im watching an intelligent, hard-working border collie handle my sheep at the far side of a field. Sometimes Im sitting in the kitchen reading with a furry body pressed against my legs. Sometimes Im bumping across the fields with the back of my truck loaded with four dogs the collies Peg and Pearl and our Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas, Boo and Olive. Sometimes, when Im away from home filming for Countryfile, Im meeting other remarkable dogs whose relationship with their owners goes way beyond simple companionship.

Not that I ever underestimate the powerful beneficial effects of having a dog in the house simply as a pet. One in four households in Britain today is home to a dog and theres plenty of research to show that dog owners are fitter, healthier, and suffer less from depression than those who dont have them. Children growing up with pets learn so much, and also gain that simple, unconditional love that irons out so many worries and anxieties. There is nothing more reassuring for a youngster than cuddling up with a dog, who never asks questions about what kind of day you had, never judges you for not doing homework or not getting good grades, who is always in your corner when other friends are more fickle. Yes, just having a dog in the family is a wonderful thing, and our household always feels very empty when one of our much-loved dogs dies.

Although I understand the relationship between a family and its pet, I love the fact that dogs have evolved over millennia to be so much more than companions. Peg, the border collie sheepdog whose kennel is next to the back door of the farmhouse, is my partner when it comes to all the shepherding work I have to do. She makes my work possible in a way that no mechanical aids or extra humans could, and it is a role that dogs like her have filled more or less unchanged over centuries, even thousands of years. When I watch her working the flock I know there is a connection that goes right back to the evolution of dogs from their wolf ancestors: my work with Peg is something that a Bronze Age shepherd, rounding up his goats or sheep, would recognise. It was Pegs ancestors who made it possible for men to stop hunting to feed their families and start cultivating their own land and animals. They were there at the birth of civilisation as we recognise it today.

For me, the bond I have with Peg is priceless; she gives me a wonderful devotion and loyalty that is a real privilege, as well as making an enormous contribution to my farming life. Every morning when she bounds out of her kennel, eager to greet me and to get on with the work I have lined up for her, I know how very lucky I, and thousands of other shepherds and farmers, are to have these extraordinarily bright, enthusiastic dogs at our side. And we, who work the land and our flocks, are not the only beneficiaries of the extraordinary relationship between man and dog.

If Pegs ancestry goes back to the early days of dogs working happily alongside humans, there are many other dogs whose roles have evolved more recently to fit in with our changing times. There are gundogs, like the Labradors I grew up with, and the Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas like Boo and Olive who live with us now. There are assistance dogs, whose skills involve understanding modern life so much they can use cash machines, load and unload washing machines, and save the lives of their owners on a regular basis when they have serious health problems. There are guard dogs, search and rescue dogs, sniffer dogs the list goes on.

In this book I want to introduce you to my own dogs, but also to some of the many others I have met through Countryfile, and whose stories have reinforced my belief that we humans owe an enormous debt to our wet-nosed, tail-wagging, snuffling, four-legged friends.

THE FAIRY GODMOTHER who stood guard over my cot when I was a baby, protecting and loving me in a way that only a dog can, was a gentle black Labrador called Chemmers. Chemmers was my first real experience of dogs, but Im sad to report I have no clear memory of her. She died when I was three years old, but for those three years she felt her role in life was to look after me and my three older sisters, Libby, Lolo and Becca. Her main devotion was to Mum, who had been given her as a twentieth birthday present by a boyfriend she had before she knew Dad. In those young, single days Mum took Chemmers everywhere with her, including sailing down at Weymouth, which they both loved. Chemmers unusual name came from one of the buoys they had to sail round.

Luckily for me and my sisters, the boyfriend didnt last long. However, Chemmers did, and when Mum met Dad it was a matter of Love me, love my dog. This wasnt something Dad had a problem with, as he adored dogs from his own childhood days during the war, in particular, a Great Dane called John and a bull terrier called Barney. Sometimes Mum joked that he married her for the dog: thats a long way from the truth, but he was certainly very happy to share her with Chemmers. They met in Cheltenham, where Mum was working as a teacher, and after they married Chemmers moved with them to the first farm Dad managed. When he got the tenancy of Bemborough Farm, where I was born and live to this day, Chemmers was very much part of the family, and because Mum was very attentive to her small brood of children, Chemmers joined in with her, treating us as if we were her own puppies.