fern’s unforgettable day

This summer hasn’t exactly be memorable for the days of hot weather, but surprisingly there have been an awful lot of wasps around as Fern found out  at our last Dunster castle display of the summer.

Each year we hold six sheepdog and falconry displays at Dunster Castle in Somerset. It’s a beautiful setting on the sheltered ‘lawns’ below the castle and audience numbers have been growing each year.

When we arrived for the last display, I sent Fern to gather in the 10 sheep that we use  for the display, but on her way to gather the sheep Fern must have run through a wasp nest, for  when she returned with the sheep she was plastered in wasps. I started trying to brush the wasps from her coat with my crook, but they were burrowing in to her fur in order to sting her. Within a matter of a couple of minutes Fern was unconcious, and I loaded her into the front of the Land rover and raced her off to find a vet. Fortunately Chris,  from the National Trust knew of the nearest vet in Minehead, and he was able to take her straight there, while I carried on with the show using the other dogs.

The vets put her on a drip and gave her steroids and pain killers, and thankfully within a couple of hours she was on the mend.  Although she spent that night in the vets, the following day I picked her up, and she was well enough to perform at the Borough Farm display the following evening!

So a big thank you to the staff at White Lodge Veterinary Clinic for saving the day! (even if Fern does still look a bit grumpy!)