Dogs

Dogs and farms seem to go together. Every farm around here has a Border Collie (sheepdog) even if they don't have any sheep! But these dogs are usually kept out of doors and seen as "working dogs" - these range from the absolute master at rounding up sheep (which often changes hands for thousands of pounds) down to your average "mutt" who adores his farmer master and likes nothing better than providing companionship by riding round on the tractor all day.
But almost without exception Border Collies are good farm guard dogs - always alert for visitors and not particularly welcoming until the visitor has been "passed" by the farmer. There are exceptions and I met one one day:-

Dog (photo courtesy Karen Rivron's Photostream)

One day in May,
walking in the Welsh hills,
a dog joined me.

He watched me approaching
his farm;
only his tail
acknowledged
my approach.

Then,
as I passed,
he rose
and followed.

I think
he appreciated
my slowness up
the hills.

He shared my sandwich;
drank warm tea from
a hollow in a rock;
declined the cake.

He was an ordinary dog.
A sort of Dog dog,
long black hair, brown eyes,
big feet.

I went back
the way I came,
mindful of his
getting home.

At his farm
he had a long drink
from his water-bowl.
Never said
goodbye.