The past month has been a rough one for me.
We lost our young collie, Vicky, to an aggressive juvenile lymphoma before she was a year old.
It’s a sad loss with her whole life in front of her, ready to push on over the quieter winter months, complete her training and fully become an important member of my team – the team that enables me to rear and manage healthy sheep on the hill.
Losing any dog knocks me hard, but never before have I lost one so young.
Maybe I’m too soft with my dogs but the bond and trust you build with them is immense.
I’ve felt broken.
Vicky had been fit and well, and it was only over the last week that she showed signs of losing weight and slowly going off her food, despite being offered fried chicken, scrambled eggs and other tasty treats, in an effort to tempt her to eat.
Illness
It was hard to pin down and it took a couple of trips to our vets before getting
to the bottom of her illness.
Sadly, there was nothing that could be done and she was put to sleep.
We wrapped her in a blanket and buried her overlooking the beach alongside her favourite green ball – the ball that she excelled playing football with, right up
to the day she was put down.
The professional working relationship that livestock farmers have with their vets is key to how strong, successful and resilient we all are.
Our vets will often see us at our lowest, with bad news on a blood sample, as we try to avoid another iceberg disease, or with the loss of an animal.
Yes, it’s often a financial loss, but you would not be human if you didn’t take a kicking on an emotional level as well.
Our local vets are always there when we need them, out of hours or at the weekend, and in my experience they are supportive and kind, with a plan of what needs to happen next.
The past month has reminded me to ignore the emails that arrive in my inbox announcing they are “high priority, requiring immediate attention.
I’ll soon filter through the ones that are important to me.
Achievement
Time to forget the Teams meeting, where you sit starring at your computer screen for two hours; two hours of your life that you’ll never get back, seriously wondering what’s
been achieved at the end of it.
In the midst of the demands of the connected world we live in, with smart phones beeping and requiring our attention, it’s easy to forget about the simple and perhaps more important things in life.
I want to spend more time with my animals and fully give them all the attention they deserve.
Every morning when I open the kennel doors I’m greeted with happy wagging tails and
barks and squeaks of excitement.
It’s the same when I turn on the lights to give my Highland pony, Lulu, her breakfast and a gentle neigh greets me.
There just never seems to be that same joy or enthusiasm from my fellow participants when I turn up for an online Teams or Zoom meeting!
One of my friends suggested I put an out-of-office message on my emails and on my phone, saying I’d be back some time after lambing!
It sounds like a good plan to me.
Vicky had been bred by world champion sheepdog handler Michael Shearer from Lythmore.
When he heard I had lost Vicky he gave me Jess, a full litter sister to Vicky that he had kept for himself.
It’s hard to put into words how overwhelmed I am with his kindness.
I promised Michael I’d give Jess the best life I could.
Already she is shaping up to be a great wee dog.
Joyce Campbell farms at Armadale on the north coast of Sutherland.