John Dixon with his canine cousins, Bennett and Beaumont On my recent trip to Memphis to visit family, I made the acquaintance of my Uncle's "Boys," Bennett and Beaumont. The "Boys" are playful hulking old English sheep dogs. Old English sheep dogs are an old and noble breed with a tenacious work ethic and an endless capacity for affection. In today's story, I will share with you what I learned while communing with the canine cousins.

Herding the humans

My aunt, whom we were visiting, has a small child so even though the "Boys" are house broken and have good house manners, having large dogs in the house is not a good plan at this time. Consequently, they spent about half of their time in comfortable quarters in the garage.

Despite the comfort of the accommodations, they were frustrated in their natural urge to herd. As a result, when they made their forays into the great outdoors, they spent copious amounts of time scanning the horizon for errant humans and doing their best to herd them back to the rest of the flock until all were safely ensconced on the small concrete patio at the back of the house.

They did this with amazing teamwork. One dog stayed near the group of humans already coaxed into the fold while the other romped and bounced and tired the remaining human (usually my uncle) to the point that he too returned to the safety of the patio.

Guarding the flock

Once all humans were corralled, Bennett took up a post, back to the wall, at the rear between the human at the back of the flock (usually me) and the doorway to the house, where he could maintain vigil. Beaumont, being the braver more experienced herder, took up a post lying at the front of the flock near that errant human (again usually my uncle) where he could scan the horizon for danger and, if necessary, keep my uncle from once again straying from the flock.

By the rocket's red glare

Having just witnessed the Fourth of July celebrations, the "Boys" were suspicious of everything that popped or banged. For his part, Bennett is as bad about fireworks as the Chi, my chihuahua, is about thunderstorms. Thank goodness he didn't sit on my uncle's shoulder and cower under his chin like the Chi does my dad. The result could be stifling.

Beaumont, being the lead herder, swallows his misgivings and immediately begins a trot across the front of the flock and a thorough scan of the sky each time there is a bang and a whistle. I guess he thinks he might be able to scare the noisy interloper away from his cherished flock.

The rear guard

Much like the Poo, my poodle, and the Chi, the "Boys" love to ride. While our dogs ride in the front of the car, comfortably ensconced in their favorite lap, the "Boys" are too much dog for that and they are, after all, sheep dogs and thus always on duty. Therefore, they guard the rear.

My aunt has a BMW station wagon with a large and comfortable cargo area. She lines it with a nice fluffy comforter and the "Boys" load themselves into the car, which is nice for my uncle because that's a lot of dog to have to lift if they didn't want to go. From here they watch the pursuing vehicles and keep their humans safe all the way home.

I enjoyed my visit with my family and with the "Boys." They were great fellows and lots of fun. I think they liked me too because just before I left, they gave me a sheep dog hug and lots of sloppy dog kisses. Man! I sure hope dog spit really is medicinal!