Phillip Keller - Lessons from a Sheep Dog: A True Story of Transforming Love

LESSONS
FROM A
SHEEP DOG

PHILLIP KELLER

Royalties from this book are donated to Operation Eyesight International.
www.operationeyesight.ca

1983, 2002 by W. Phillip Keller

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the authorized King James Version.

Verses marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright, 1952 (2nd edition, 1971) by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Keller, W. Phillip (Weldon Phillip)m 1920-

Lessons from a sheep dog

1. Border colliesBiography. 2. Keller, W. Phillip (Weldon Phillip), 1920- . 3. Christian life1960- . 4. Sheep ranchersBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandBiography. 5. Christian biographyBritish ColumbiaVancouver Island. 6. Sheep dogsBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandBiography. 7. DogsBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandBiography. 8. DogsBiography. I. Title.

SF429.B64k44 1983 280'.4 [B] 82-16124

ISBN 10: 0-8499-0335-1 ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-0335-9 (hard cover)

ISBN 10: 0-8499-3130-4 ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-3130-7 (trade paper)

ISBN 10: 0-8499-1765-4 ISBN 13: 978-0-8499-1765-3 (impact edition)

Printed in the United States of America

07 08 09 10 WRZ 18 17 16 15

Contents

SHEEP DOG LESSONS

The Story
Lassa Beloved
Border Collie

T HIS IS A SIMPLE STORY about a special dog who shared life with me on my first sheep ranch. Though she bore the very ordinary nameLassshe was in fact a most extraordinary dog. My memories of her companionship, loyalty, and love linger across the years as colorful recollections.

Even more important and precious, however, were the powerful, spiritual principles God enabled me to learn through working with this beautiful Border collie. Some of us are slow to grasp the basic truths of divine design. We cannot always clearly comprehend Christs call to us in simple service. For that reason His gracious Spirit often uses the common experiences of life to shed the intense light of supernatural truth upon our path.

It is the basic principle of using parables drawn from our work-a-day world to help us clearly understand the noble, wondrous purposes of our loving Father. This Lass did for me as a young man. I was only in my late twenties when she came into my life. There were searching, burning questions in my spirit then that no sermons or studies had ever resolved in me.

Yet in His gracious, generous way God used this dog to help me see what He Himself is like in character and conduct. He taught me emphatically what His highest purposes and best intentions were for me as His friend and coworker. For He does make it very clear that as His people, He calls us to special service with Himself.

As a lad I had grown up with cattle. On our land in East Africa, my father had bred the finest of the breeds adapted to the tropics. His cattle were a special joy to him: the splendid bulls that sired our calves, the sturdy oxen that hauled our wagons and worked our fields, the handsome cows that produced our milk were a marvel to the Africans.

When I came to North America to complete my university training in animal husbandry, cattle still played an important role in my career. I worked on various ranches and longed for the day when I would purchase my own spread and establish my own herd.

By my midtwenties I had been made manager of one of the most beautiful ranches in the interior cattle country of British Columbia. There I was given a magnificent, courageous cattle dog named Paddy. He was excellent with our Herefords, and saved me hours of work in handling the stock.

It was shortly after this that I found a piece of neglected ranch property at the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Because it was so abused the place did not attract much interest, but I could see its potential. It was an estate sale, so cash had to be paid for the property.

The net result was I had insufficient funds left to purchase cattle, so I was obliged to start out with sheep. It quickly became obvious that dear old Paddy was completely baffled and bewildered by sheep. In disgust and dismay he began to resign himself to snoozing in the sun or sleeping by the fire.

I realized that I faced a serious dilemma with my first flock. I simply had to find a sheep dog to help me handle the ewes and lambs that grazed on my impoverished pastures. My highest hope was to come across a well-bred Border collie. For, of all the breeds, they are the finest sheep dogs.

In passing I might mention that during those initial months at Fairwindsfor that is what we called our spot by the seaI began to wonder seriously why I had allowed myself to be stuck with sheep. Compared to cattle they seemed stupid, timid, frail, vulnerable to diseases and parasites, and easy prey to predators.

Little did I then comprehend the wondrous ways of God or His hand at work behind the scenes of my affairs. Little did I realize the enormous, eternal lessons He would teach me on those wind-blown acres where I struggled to make a beautiful county estate out of derelict land.

One day there was a short advertisement in the city newspaper. It read:

WANTEDa good country home for
pure-bred border collie.
Chases cars and bicycles.

I hurried up to a neighboring ranchers house and phoned the owner in town, some twenty-seven miles away. Yes, the lady replied, I still have the dog. Please do come quickly. No one else wants her. Her voice sounded desperate.

In short order I drove down the winding country road and pulled up outside a little cottage in the suburbs. The lady was waiting for me at her gate. Almost before I could get out of the car, she began to talk excitedly.

Mr. Keller, I cant do a thing with this creature. The dog is plumb crazy. Shes loco. The woman threw up her arms in dismay. All she does is tears after the kids, chases boys on bicycles, jumps all the fences, and races after every car that comes by on the road.

Please let me see her, I requested, trying to calm the owners excitement. Maybe I can do something with her. I have had dogs all my life.

She led me around to the back of the house. As we entered the little yard, a leaping bundle of dog flung herself toward me. She snarled and snapped, then collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Instantly, to my shock and horror, I saw the dog was not only chained from her collar to a steel post, but also was hobbled by a second chain from her neck to her back leg. What a pitiful spectacle!

Crouched in the dirt, the dog glared at me. Her ears were laid back in anger. Deep, guttural, menacing growls rumbled in her throat.

How old is she? I asked, my question put to the owner to help cover the profound pity and love that welled up within me. And what is her name?