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Charlie and Bobby have died.
I am sorry to write that Charlie, our top dog, will not be here
to say hello to you this summer. Just before Christmas he got
injured in an accident while chasing a van. That was Charlie's
problem all his life: chasing vans, especially John Haide, the
post-man. It was his sheepdog blood.
 Charlie
came from Listowel in Co. Kerry. I believe that he was well
known there, going to a local shop every morning to meet the
other dogs. But then he moved to Tipperary, and settled in here
quickly. Charlie took to me in a big way, and of all the dogs I
had or met over my lifetime, he was my favourite. Charlie is now
buried under a chestnut tree in the garden. We miss him every
day.
Our West highland terrier Bobby died too. Again he had an
accident with a car in the yard. It was Charlie that taught him
to chase cars, and they both encouraged each-other.
 Bobby came
from Kilmanahan when he was two months old. In less than no time
he was completely at home on our farm. When he was wading
through the fields we called him "four-wheel-drive".
He is buried under a cherry-tree.
 So, of the
three dogs we had, now we have only Katy left. Katy is the
Labrador, but she is getting old, especially if you remember
that one human year is like seven years for a dog. I think we
got her In 1992, and that would make her seventy-seven if she
were human.
We have a new dog too. Molly is her name, and she is a terrier.
We got her from the dog pound, and she is very timid. Life was
probably hard on her. But now she has a wonderful life, and I
promised that she wouldn't have to go back to the pound.
So that is how it is. Not very good news really, because you
can't replace a dog you love. But who knows, most things work
out, and we might find a nice young sheepdog and Labrador, but
we won't forget Charlie and Bobby.
Competition questions:
1. What is our
Labrador's name?
2. How old is she in
human years?
3. Where did Charlie
come from?
Send your entries, including your name and address (to reach us
by May 9th) to.
Spring competition,
The Apple Farm,
Moorstown,
Cahir,
Co. Tipperary
Entrants should be aged 12 years or younger.
1st prize..£20.00 voucher for Easons.
Runners-up (x2): €10.00 voucher for produce at our farm shop.
All correct entries will be entered into a draw for the three
prizes.
Winter competition winners: Congratulations
to the winners in our winter competition. You should have
received your prizes by now.
- Emer Ryan
- Laura O'Hanrahan
- Maire Ring
- Andrew Desmond
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