Man’s Best Friend

Julio Perez, a shepherd, lived in the mountains with his flock. As a companion he had his faithful dog Fidel. This German Shepherd was kind to the sheep, obedient to his master and always on alert to possible danger.

If, by chance, a sheep should wander off from the group, Fidel would seek it out and bring in back to the fold. If a young lamb became too tired, Fidel would nudge his Master, who would then carry the lamb.

At sundown, the German Shepherd would lead the flock to the shelter and Julio would count the sheep before securing the gate and retiring for the night.

One evening, Signor Perez missed out on the count. He did not notice that a lamb had hid behind the gate.

Young and innocent, Baba had dreamt of green pastures in the moonlight, of frolicking on the mountain under a canopy of stars. Finally, his chance was here. Under the spell of the moon, he danced and ran up to the high meadows.

Suddenly, a huge black cloud hid the moon…. Everything was pitch black. Without moonlight to guide him, the lamb lost its way. He hit a rock, hurt his leg and fell in a ravine. “Baa, baa”, he cried. “Come and help me”.

But Julio was far away and did not hear. Fidel could not hear either. But Wolf heard! He was on the lookout for a nice supper. “Lamb would be good”, he thought. He ran in that direction.

Before sleeping, Fidel would make a last round of the flock to make sure all were there. That night, he noticed that one lamb was missing. He ran to his master’s house and pulled hard on the sleeve of his shirt until Julio realized that something was very wrong.

And so Julio followed Fidel. Up the mountain they went at a running pace. From afar they heard the faint sound of Baba. But they also heard the howling of Wolf. On they went as fast as they could.

Wolf was almost at the ravine when he heard Fidel bark and smelled human presence. Fearing dog and man, he decided to change the menu for his supper. He disappeared into the forest.

Baba was saved. He returned to his mother and the safety of the flock under the watchful eye of Fidel.

Baba never wandered alone again.

Julio and Fidel shared many long years of companionship in the green pastures of the high Sierras.
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