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Dog’s life

A woodcutter and a girl lost their dog in the forest. Later the dog returned, leading a frightened sheep back to the camp the woodcutter and the girl had built, saving the animal’s life.

The woodcutter’s daughter eventually became Australian of the Year for her campaign to prevent harm to lost farm animals. She got twenty tattoos, each of a different farm animal.

At first her campaign consisted of a handwritten sign nailed to a gum tree that said: “Please stop losing sheep.”

Someone took a photo of the sign. The photo appeared on social media. Within two days the girl was invited onto a breakfast television program where three presenters nodded gravely while she explained that sheep sometimes feel confused.

A week later the campaign had a logo, a website, and a committee. None of them owned sheep. They held meetings in cafes and discussed awareness.

Soon the movement expanded. Posters appeared saying “Every Sheep Matters.” Someone suggested a national day of reflection for misplaced livestock. The girl agreed it sounded important.

Her tattoos multiplied. Cow. Goat. Pig. Alpaca. Another sheep, in case the first sheep felt under-represented. When asked why she had so many tattoos she explained that each one symbolised a commitment to raising awareness.

The dog, meanwhile, continued doing the only useful thing in the entire story. Every few weeks it wandered off and came back with another animal that had got itself lost in the bush. Sometimes a sheep. Once a goat. Once a chicken that had clearly made several bad life decisions.

Then the woodcutter installed a camera. The footage showed the dog quietly opening a paddock gate late at night, watching the sheep wander off into the bush, and then waiting about twenty minutes before trotting out to heroically “find” the missing animal.

The pattern repeated several times. Release. Wait. Recapture. Return to camp. Accept praise. Eat better food.

When confronted with the evidence the girl stared at the screen for a long time.

The girl sighed. “Technically it’s still raising awareness.”

The dog, sitting beside the table, wagged its tail slowly and looked extremely pleased with the entire system.