Rescue dog Sadie saw author Jane through bad times
A rescue dog on a small Shropshire farm takes centre stage in a personal memoir by author Jane Smith, with themes including bereavement, the loss of a farm, and the building of a different way of life.
Jane, who lives in Perton, Wolverhampton, says some may ask what this has to do with a dog.
"The answer, as any dog lover will tell you, is that a dog can see you through tough times," she says.
"This is a story about nine years of my life shared with Sadie, a loveable but totally demented rescue dog."
The book is titled "Sadie, The Little Farm Dog," and is available at Worfield Post Office and Rudge Heath Stores, and online through Amazon in paperback or Kindle versions.
Jane says that Sadie, a collie of indeterminate pedigree, came to live with her family at their farm not far from Worfield in 2004.
"Like many rescue dogs, Sadie carried a fair share of baggage but against all the odds she became an excellent sheepdog and her master’s best friend."
But only a year after she had arrived, her master – Jane's husband – died, tearing their worlds apart.
Sadie set off looking for him, following the route they took together, while Jane had to address many practical considerations, not least how to run the farm and make ends meet.
However Jane's efforts to keep the farm failed and it had to be sold.
She describes it as an intertwining story of man, and man's best friend, and how they can help us through tough times.
The book is illustrated by Jeff Flanc and Flora Farrell, who lives near Broseley.
Sadie died in 2012 aged nine, and Jane, whose maiden name is Kirkland, now lives with another rescue dog, a working cocker spaniel.
