The Dogs of Windcutter Down
One Shepherd's Struggle for Survival
David Kennard
- "There
- is
- no
- good
- flock
- without
- a
- good
- shepherd,
- and
- no
- good
- shepherd
- without
- good
- dogs."These
- age-old
- words
- of
- wisdom
- have
- always
- guided
- Devon
- sheep
- farmer
- David
- Kennard.
- But
- as
- he
- battles
- to
- save
- his
- farm
- from
- extinction,
- they
- take
- on
- a
- greater
- weight
- than
- ever.
The
- storm
- clouds
- are
- already
- gathering
- when
- Borough
- Farm
- suffers
- a
- series
- of
- disastrous
- setbacks
- that
- threaten
- the
- Kennard
- family's
- traditional
- way
- of
- life.
- Though
- the
- farm
- has
- survived
- foot
- and
- mouth
- disease,
- an
- invasion
- of
- stray
- sheep,
- and
- the
- threat
- of
- disease,
- a
- malfunctioning
- tractor
- and
- a
- sickly
- sheepdog
- all
- add
- to
- the
- farm's
- daily
- pressures.
- How
- much
- longer
- can
- they
- stay
- afloat
- financially?
- And
- will
- David
- be
- the
- last
- shepherd
- to
- tend
- his
- flock
- in
- this
- rugged
- corner
- of
- England?
- Is
- there
- a
- way
- to
- achieve
- the
- seemingly
- impossible---making
- a
- living
- through
- farming
- sheep
- in
- the
- twenty-first
- century?
A
- shepherd
- since
- the
- age
- of
- seventeen,
- David
- offers
- an
- honest
- and
- affectionate,
- often
- comic
- picture
- of
- life
- on
- his
- sheep
- farm.
- But
- throughout
- this
- gentle
- meditation
- on
- his
- family's
- rural
- way
- of
- life,
- David
- is
- in
- a
- fight
- for
- that
- life,
- and
- for
- the
- survival
- of
- his
- family
- and
- farm.
- He
- must
- rely---as
- always---on
- his
- faithful
- sheepdogs
- Greg,
- Swift,
- Gail,
- Fern,
- and
- Ernie.
- But
- even
- he
- is
- surprised
- when
- the
- dogs---and
- the
- new
- dog
- on
- the
- farm---exceed
- his
- expectations
- and
- prove
- to
- be
- Borough
- Farm's
- secret weapon.
