Once upon a time, on a busy little farm at the edge of a green valley, there lived a dog named Buster. Buster was small and furry and had a very big attitude. He loved chasing mice, barking at the post van, and finding the cosiest spots on the farm for long, lazy naps.
One chilly afternoon, Buster went looking for somewhere warm to rest. He trotted into the big wooden barn and smelled something wonderful: fresh, sweet-smelling hay.
The hay was piled high inside a manger — the long wooden box where the farm animals ate their dinner. Buster climbed right into the middle of it, curled himself into a tight furry ball, and fell fast asleep, snoring softly. Zzz-snore. Zzz-snore.
The Hungry Herd
A few hours later, the sun began to set, throwing long orange shadows across the farm.
The heavy barn doors creaked open, and in walked the cattle. There was Barnaby the ox, and Daisy the cow, and three of their friends. They were absolutely exhausted. They had spent the whole day out in the hot sun, dragging a heavy plough across the muddy fields. Their muscles ached, their hooves were sore, and most of all their stomachs were rumbling.
MOOOOO.
“Oh, look!” Daisy groaned happily, blinking her long eyelashes. “The farmer’s filled our manger with sweet, crunchy hay. Let’s eat!”
The hungry animals crowded round the wooden box, licking their lips, ready to get at their dinner.
The Angry Awakening
But just as Barnaby stretched out his big nose to take an enormous bite, the hay began to wiggle.
Buster’s furry head popped up.
He had been woken by the heavy footsteps of the cattle, and he was in a very bad mood indeed.
Now, Buster was a dog, and dogs cannot eat dry grass and hay. He did not want it. He could not have eaten a mouthful of it if he had tried. But he liked his warm bed, and he did not want anybody spoiling it.
So he stood up on his four little legs, puffed out his chest, and bared his teeth.
“GRRRRR! BARK! BARK!” he yipped, snapping his jaws right at Barnaby’s nose.
The great ox stepped back in surprise. “Excuse me, little dog,” Barnaby said politely. “We are very hungry. Would you please step aside so that we can eat our dinner?”
But Buster would not listen. He snarled and growled and snapped at them as fiercely as though the dry hay were a plate of the finest, juiciest meat and bones, all meant for him alone. Every time a cow came near, Buster lunged forward — SNIP! SNAP! — and drove her away.
The Farmer’s Anger
The cattle looked down at the tiny, furious dog in absolute disgust.
“How incredibly selfish he is,” said Daisy, shaking her heavy head. “He cannot eat a single piece of that hay himself — it would taste horrible to him. And yet he will not let us eat it either, when we are starving after a hard day’s work.”
Just then, heavy footsteps echoed through the barn. The farmer had come in to check on his animals, and he saw at once exactly what was going on.
His face grew stern. He knew how hard his cattle had worked that day, and he was very proud of them. Seeing Buster behaving so meanly made him angry.
“Buster! Shame on you!”
He took up a long wooden stick from beside the door, marched over to the manger, and used it to shoo the dog out, tapping him firmly on the bottom.
“Shoo! Out of there! Go on!”
With a surprised yelp, Buster leaped out of the hay, tucked his tail between his legs, and scurried out through the stable doors into the cold night, thoroughly ashamed of himself.
The cattle cheered, lowered their heads, and settled down at last to their crunchy, sweet, well-earned dinner.
The Moral of the Story: Do not grudge others what you cannot enjoy yourself. Sharing is a wonderful thing — especially when what you are holding on to is something you do not even need.