It was a very cold morning in December and Peter pony was snug and warm as he lay asleep on the thick straw in his stable. Farmer Will walked across the farmyard and opened the stable door.

‘Good morning Peter pony,’ said Farmer Will. ‘My, my, are you still asleep? I have come to let you out into your field for a while.’

Peter pony got up from his straw and trotted to the doorway. ‘Good morning Farmer Will.’ He looked out at the white frost that covered the ground. ‘Brrr,’ he said. ‘I am not sure that I want to go into my field today. It is very cold.’..

It was Christmas Eve night and time for bed.

‘Come along, Bertie,’ said Jim. ‘It is time you were in your basket and fast asleep.’

‘But, Jim,’ Bertie protested, ‘Santa comes tonight and I want to stay up and see him.’

‘Oh no, you cannot do that, Bertie,’ said Jim. ‘Santa does not come to children or little puppy dogs unless they are fast asleep in their beds. And,’ Jim added, smiling down at Bertie, ‘he comes to children and puppy dogs who have tried to be good all year. Now, can I leave a message for Santa to say that my Bertie has tried to be good?’…

It was Bertie’s first Christmas and he was very excited. Santa was coming tonight with lots of presents for him. But, there was just one little snag. Susan said that Santa would only come to Bertie if he was VERY GOOD. So, Bertie was trying his very best to be good, but, oh, he was getting very tired of it.

For a whole week he had been very good. He had eaten his biscuits in his bowl, instead of sneaking them into the lounge, crunching them by the fire and leaving crumbs everywhere. He had not hidden any juicy bones in the house or garden. He had not even chewed Susan’s best shoes after she had left them right under his nose! And, to round everything off, he was still CLEAN…

Bertie and Daisy were fast asleep in Daisy’s warm shed. Christmas Day had been very busy, playing with new toys and eating a special Christmas dinner.

It was late in the afternoon and already getting dark outside. Susan, Jim and Farmer Will came walking across the field towards Daisy’s shed.

‘I wonder what those two mischiefs have been getting up to?’ said Susan. ‘They went off about an hour ago.’

‘If I know Bertie,’ said Jim, ‘he will be too tired for any mischief tonight. I bet he is having a little sleep curled up beside Daisy.’..

It was a bright, sunny day in July. Vole had spent a busy morning cleaning his home deep inside the banks of the stream that ran along the bottom of Bertie’s garden. After all his efforts everywhere sparkled and the fresh new grass on the floor smelled delicious. Vole was satisfied and now that he had finished, he realised he was tired and hungry. It was time for lunch.

There was a last slice of Mama Vole’s jam roly roly left. Roly poly topped with some nuts and cream! Vole’s whiskers twitched in anticipation of the coming feast as he trotted off to his larder. He was looking in his cupboards when he heard a loud knock at his door…

Bertie liked the summer. He loved to lie under the trees in the garden and feel the warm sun on his golden coat. Yes, being a puppy dog was very nice, especially today. It was a very hot summer day and Bertie had already had a strawberry-flavoured ice-cream, really cold and lip-smackingly tasty and it had cooled him down.

Bertie lay snoozing under the shade of an Ash tree. Susan came outside looking for him and saw him under the tree.

‘Oh, there you are, Bertie,’ she said. ‘I wondered where you had got to.’

Bertie opened one eye. ‘Mmm,’ he said dreamily…

It was very early in the morning and Bertie was half awake. He yawned and stretched his legs and then flopped back again into his comfortable basket in the kitchen. He decided to have another sleep before it was time to get up.

But try as he might, he could not sleep. There was a funny, tingling feeling in his tummy and he could not settle down again. He turned over in his basket and shut his eyes tightly, but sleep would not come…

It was a fine spring day and Bertie was out in his garden. The sun was shining and the spring flowers were just beginning to push their way up through the soil.

Bertie was enjoying himself. So many new flowers to look at and smell and amazingly, every one of them was different. The dazzling bright yellow daffodils had a soft, sweet smell and the red tulips waved in the breeze, wafting the scents of honey and fruits around the garden. Bertie felt hungry, even though he had just had his breakfast.…

It was a fine, sunny morning in August and Susan and Jim were packing the car up for a trip to stay with Farmer Will. Bertie was excited. He loved to visit Farmer Will and all his friends on the farm.

‘I am looking forward to seeing little George again,’ said Bertie. ‘I wonder if he is learning to be a good sheepdog now.’

‘I certainly hope so,’ said Jim. ‘I will let you know when we come home.’

‘What?’ Bertie was puzzled. What did Jim mean?…

Bertie was not feeling very happy. In fact, he felt very sorry for himself. After Jim had given him his breakfast, he put him into the car and after a short journey they arrived at a house Bertie had never visited before. When Jim took him inside, Bertie sniffed the air. It smelled very strange. Bertie had never smelled such funny smells before. He looked up at Jim, wondering why he had bought him here.

‘It is alright, Bertie,’ said Jim. ‘We are at the vet’s house. I know it smells a bit strange. It is just the antiseptic they use.’

‘Anti … anti … ?’…

It was Christmas Eve. Susan, Jim and Bertie had come to spend Christmas with Farmer Will. Bertie was very excited. He was going to see his special friend, Daisy, today.

‘Woof, woof,’ Bertie barked and pranced around Farmer Will.

‘You are here again, young Bertie?’ Farmer Will smiled down at the little puppy. ‘Yes, alright, be off with you and go and see Daisy. Then Susan and Jim can have a bit of peace and quiet for a while.’

It was a lovely summer’s morning. The sun shone in a deep blue sky and the birds twittered happily in the trees. Bertie was up early, too excited to sleep any longer. He had a new playmate for the day.

Last night, Jim and Susan had told him that they were going to look after a very small puppy. The puppy, who did not even have a name yet, belonged to Jim’s sister and she had to go to work, so there would be no-one at home to look after the little dog.

Susan said, ‘You can be his big brother Bertie and show him what a good little dog you can be.’

Jim agreed. ‘Yes Bertie, you can be good when you try and I am sure you will make a fine big brother.’

It was very early in the morning and young George was wide awake. Usually he lived on the farm, but he was spending the weekend with Susan and Jim whilst Farmer Will was away at a wedding.

George yawned and stretched in his basket. ‘Woof,’ he called out to Bertie.

Bertie was fast asleep in his basket, dreaming of chasing rabbits on the banks of the stream.

‘Woof, woof,’ George barked again.

It was a beautiful morning in early spring. The sun shone brightly in a blue sky and all the birds were singing. Ooh, Daisy loved the springtime. The sun was warm on her back and the new grass was delightful; crisp and green and oh, so tasty to eat. Daisy munched her breakfast contentedly and gazed around her field. What should she do on this lovely spring day?

Well, first she had an important job to do. She must eat lots of grass to make creamy milk for Farmer Will to sell at the market. Daisy raised her head and sniffed the air. It was fresh and fine today. She must get busy and find the best grass to eat to make good milk.

Bertie, a very young Golden Retriever dog, lived with Susan and Jim. He had his own special place in the kitchen in a warm and cosy bed.

Bertie loved to bounce up and down on Susan and Jim’s bed and he liked to roll on the rug in the lounge. He also enjoyed sunning himself in the porch but best of all, he loved his own soft bed next to the fire in the kitchen. Yes, Bertie thought he had the best place in the whole house.

Susan and Jim were going to have tea with Farmer Will. ‘Shall I put Bertie’s basket in the car?’ asked Susan.

‘Well, I have been thinking about that,’ said Jim. ‘Do you think we should take Bertie with us? The last time we took him to see Farmer Will, he got into trouble. Do you remember? He went out with Daisy and they got lost and we had to go looking for them. I think Bertie should have an afternoon at home by the fire.’

Bertie had been looking forward to seeing his friend, Daisy, again. When he heard Jim talking, his ears drooped and he whined with disappointment.

It was a lovely sunny spring morning and Bertie was feeling excited. Susan and Jim were taking him to visit their friend, Farmer Will. But most exciting of all, Farmer Will had a new sheepdog and he was even younger and smaller than Bertie!

‘Woof, woof,’ barked Bertie. ‘Does Farmer Will’s puppy have a name yet?’

‘Yes he does,’ said Susan, ‘he’s called George.’

‘George,’ said Bertie, ‘that is a fine name for a little puppy. Can I play with him when we get there?’

It was a golden autumn afternoon. Peter pony lazed in his field. With the sun on his back and the smell of the warm grass filling the air, Peter pony remembered his early life stuck in a cold, dark shed.

He was very grateful to Farmer Will for rescuing him and bringing him here to the farm, where he had many friends now, especially Bertie, the little Retriever puppy who visited with his owners Susan and Jim.

‘Come on, Bertie, jump into the car.’ Jim held the door open. Barking with excitement Bertie jumped up on to the back seat of the car. They were almost ready for their Christmas visit to Bertie’s best friend, Daisy, a Jersey cow who lived on Farmer Will’s farm.

Bertie curled up in his basket on the back seat of the car. Susan and Jim loaded up the boot with the Christmas food and presents they were taking to Farmer Will and Daisy.

PRESENTS! Bertie sat up in his basket and barked sharply. ‘Woof, woof.’ ‘Shush, Bertie, don’t make such a noise,’ said Jim.

‘Presents,’ barked Bertie. ‘Have you packed my present for Daisy?’

Farmer Will decided that he would like to have a Shetland pony on his farm. He had a field that stretched a long way up a steep slope and thought that would do very well for a small pony to run up and down.

A farmer a long way away at Windmill Farm had a Shetland pony for sale. So today, Farmer Will and Jim were going to see the pony and hoped to bring him home to the farm. They set off early in the car and towed a small horsebox behind them.

It was almost lunchtime and there was still a few miles to go to reach the farm, so they stopped and ate their sandwiches. Farmer Will had his favourite cheese and tomato and Jim had egg and cress.