Village Shepherd

Roly the dachshund puppy was feeling rather bewildered. He had just been getting used to his new family when something called "Christmas" seemed to be arriving. It was very upsetting, for the children were over-excited which meant there were lots of quarrels and bickering.

Roly didn't know why they were so excited, but he had a feeling something special was about to happen. The last time he'd had this feeling was when the family had found him in the Dogs' Home and had brought him here, to this new home. Roly hoped the feeling didn't mean he was going to have to move on again. But he felt a little uneasy and rather frightened, so he hid under the table whenever he heard raised voices.

One day, the family brought a tree into the house. Roly couldn't believe his eyes. Everyone, even small puppies, knew that trees belonged outside! Why on earth should the family bring a tree indoors? It was even stranger when the family began to decorate the tree. The boys, who were taller than Alice, put a little angel on the top of the tree, and draped the tree with brightly coloured lights. Alice hung glass baubles and tiny ornaments on all the branches she could reach. Then the children adorned the tree with tinsel from top to bottom.

Even Roly could see how grand the tree looked. Later, brightly wrapped packages and parcels of all shapes and sizes appeared at the foot of the tree. Roly sniffed and snuffled and explored with his nose, but was immediately shouted at by the family. He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, but he realised the packages weren't for him so he retired under the table again.

Roly wasn't sure he liked Christmas very much. He wished everything would return to normal, when he could play with the children and trees lived outside the house where they belonged.

But when Christmas Day dawned, Roly discovered his food bowl was filled with all sorts of enticing things to eat. He began to think perhaps Christmas wasn't so bad after all. And when at lunchtime his bowl was refilled with something called "turkey", he gradually began to enjoy himself.

After lunch the family began to open all the parcels underneath the Christmas tree. Roly was afraid he might be shouted at again, so he hid beneath the table. But then he heard Alice calling him, so he ventured out onto the rug in front of the fire. Alice placed one of the parcels in front of him.

Roly looked up at her enquiringly, unsure what he was supposed to do.

"Come on, Roly," said Alice encouragingly. "This one is yours . It's my Christmas present to you, so you can open this one."

Roly put his head on one side. He wasn't entirely sure what she had said, but her voice sounded really kind so he began to tentatively snuffle at the parcel. When this didn't produce any shouts, he began to tear at the coloured paper with his teeth. Inside the parcel were some Doggy chews, some Doggy chocolate drops, a rubber toy which squeaked when he held it with his teeth, and a huge rubber bone. Roly was so excited that he began to play all over the room with his rubber toy, while the family laughed and cheered him on.

When he was tired out, Roly lay down on the rug in front of the fire and Alice came and lay beside him. Roly snuggled up to Alice, who put her arm around him. Roly felt completely, ecstatically happy. He couldn't remember ever having been so happy before. And suddenly he realised what Christmas was all about.

It was all about love, the love he felt in this family even if they occasionally shouted at him. And especially the love he felt from Alice and the love he felt for Alice. And as he fell asleep at the end of his first Christmas Day, Roly knew that for a puppy like him, the most important thing in the whole world was love.