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One Girl and Her Dogs
What happens when you swap 'I do' for pastures new? When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself. And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma's dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade. Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma's collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she'll never really be alone. Emma's remarkable first year at Fallowlees - the triumphs, the disasters, the heartbreak and the glimmer of romance on the horizon - is an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life and starting all over again. (Large Print Edition)
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First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
June 18, 2019
One Girl and Her Dogs: Life, Love and Lambing in the Middle of Nowhere by Emma Gray. Kindle UK Edition, 285 pages. Published April 26th 2012 by Hachette Digital. 5 Stars.
A great read and honest recounting of the author’s life and hard work on and off Fallowlees, a farm awarded her by the National Trust. A look at the isolation and fear a farmer faces in troubling economic times, but also the love and joy of raising sheep and training sheepdogs within the beauty of the English countryside. Highly recommend!
A great read and honest recounting of the author’s life and hard work on and off Fallowlees, a farm awarded her by the National Trust. A look at the isolation and fear a farmer faces in troubling economic times, but also the love and joy of raising sheep and training sheepdogs within the beauty of the English countryside. Highly recommend!
September 11, 2022
Choosing a rating can sometimes be a little hard. Some people give 4 stars for good books, and only 5 stars for truly exceptional. I give 5 for good books I really like, and put the exceptional ones in my category for 'dogs-favorite-books.' Then I put in details and just hope from them a person can gleem if it sounds like their kind of book or not. This was a book I enjoyed of a 23 year-old who takes over an isolated Northumberland farm with her 4 collies.
I have read a number of books on herding dogs. I find he details with the care needed for sheep interesting. This book has a fair amount of it but not too much. I love hearing about the dogs that work with the sheep and there is a good amount of it, although the main theme is Emma choosing and living out in the isolated farm, and what she does working with sheep on other farms.
Here is when someone mentions the opportunity:
‘Ah, I was thinking of you the other day. There’s a little farm just a few mile from me that’s come up for let.’ He looks at me and pauses, sensing my interest.
‘Go on’
‘Aye, it’s through the National Trust. They call it Fallowlees. You’re probably not bothered now, but you can always give them a ring and get the particulars. Mind, it’s a rough sort of spot, very remote, no mains electric, stuck in the trees.’
‘Sounds like it’ll suit me down to the ground,’ I say, with a giggle, half joking. But the moment he’s gone I go and look up the number for the National Trust.
Then here is where she is describing two of her dogs:
"From the word go, the two of us have been a team. I was not an experienced trainer, but she and I worked through it all together, both learning as we went. She is the most loyal dog I will ever own. She will sit and gaze into my eyes. I am her world. She does not have the strength of some sheepdogs, but what she lacks in raw power she more than makes up for in pure effort. If I were to set her an impossible task, she would persevere to her last breath rather than let me down. Whether we are out checking the sheep, gathering lambs for dosing or just sitting together in my car, having lunch and listening to Radio 1, we are inseparable. I doubt I will ever own another dog like her."
"Alfie is the goon in the team: think of Scooby-Doo with the brains of Homer Simpson. People often can’t believe he’s a collie because he is as smooth as a piglet and built like a lurcher with long legs and a deep chest. He is a true athlete and can run for miles and miles without tiring. Dog owners call it ‘having a good engine.’ He is obedient to the last – but sometimes ‘obedient’ can be another word for ‘stupid.’ If I ask him to lie down and get side-tracked, he will stay glued to the very spot until eventually I come looking for him ten minutes later. I would take sheep out the same gate every day for a week and on day seven Alfie would still need to be told what to do. But he is a great work dog and very honest, and no matter what situation he gets into he is always listening for my commands and has full faith that I will not see him wrong."
Near the end she has a sentence that a lot of us feel, "And once we were on the subject of dogs, well, I cold probably talk for ever."
I have read a number of books on herding dogs. I find he details with the care needed for sheep interesting. This book has a fair amount of it but not too much. I love hearing about the dogs that work with the sheep and there is a good amount of it, although the main theme is Emma choosing and living out in the isolated farm, and what she does working with sheep on other farms.
Here is when someone mentions the opportunity:
‘Ah, I was thinking of you the other day. There’s a little farm just a few mile from me that’s come up for let.’ He looks at me and pauses, sensing my interest.
‘Go on’
‘Aye, it’s through the National Trust. They call it Fallowlees. You’re probably not bothered now, but you can always give them a ring and get the particulars. Mind, it’s a rough sort of spot, very remote, no mains electric, stuck in the trees.’
‘Sounds like it’ll suit me down to the ground,’ I say, with a giggle, half joking. But the moment he’s gone I go and look up the number for the National Trust.
Then here is where she is describing two of her dogs:
"From the word go, the two of us have been a team. I was not an experienced trainer, but she and I worked through it all together, both learning as we went. She is the most loyal dog I will ever own. She will sit and gaze into my eyes. I am her world. She does not have the strength of some sheepdogs, but what she lacks in raw power she more than makes up for in pure effort. If I were to set her an impossible task, she would persevere to her last breath rather than let me down. Whether we are out checking the sheep, gathering lambs for dosing or just sitting together in my car, having lunch and listening to Radio 1, we are inseparable. I doubt I will ever own another dog like her."
"Alfie is the goon in the team: think of Scooby-Doo with the brains of Homer Simpson. People often can’t believe he’s a collie because he is as smooth as a piglet and built like a lurcher with long legs and a deep chest. He is a true athlete and can run for miles and miles without tiring. Dog owners call it ‘having a good engine.’ He is obedient to the last – but sometimes ‘obedient’ can be another word for ‘stupid.’ If I ask him to lie down and get side-tracked, he will stay glued to the very spot until eventually I come looking for him ten minutes later. I would take sheep out the same gate every day for a week and on day seven Alfie would still need to be told what to do. But he is a great work dog and very honest, and no matter what situation he gets into he is always listening for my commands and has full faith that I will not see him wrong."
Near the end she has a sentence that a lot of us feel, "And once we were on the subject of dogs, well, I cold probably talk for ever."
November 21, 2021
If you REALLY want to know what it’s like to live out in the middle of nowhere (rural England, to be precise) and make a living farming (aka doing the toughest physical work you can think of and getting paid hardly anything for it, read this book. The author does a fantastic job of showing you the grit and the glamour of this lifestyle. Like all dreams, it is both exactly as fulfilling as you knew it would be, and harder than you would have thought possible because living it makes any other dreams or goals NOT centered around farming pretty much impossible. Bonus: tons and tons of interesting stories about dogs and dog training.
April 19, 2025
very calming and interesting book
October 21, 2019
An independent spirt
I bought this looking forward to a great read but a little disappointed although would still day it's a good read. Also the ending left one wishing for a better conclusion.
I bought this looking forward to a great read but a little disappointed although would still day it's a good read. Also the ending left one wishing for a better conclusion.
March 7, 2022
I thought this was a fiction novel right up until I got to the end and then realised it was an autobiography. 😂
January 27, 2020
I really enjoyed this book about the true life of Emma Gray, a shepherd in the north of England. It tells of her life starting out and how she gave us a settled life with her fiance' and decided to buy a farm, train dogs and go it alone for awhile.
I thought the book was well written and I really admire her fortitude in facing each hurtle to fulfill her dream of becoming a farmer and dog trainer.
I thought the book was well written and I really admire her fortitude in facing each hurtle to fulfill her dream of becoming a farmer and dog trainer.
June 20, 2020
Very powerful for women
I truly liked this book. I liked that she told her story her way. Especially when it came to living out her dream.
It is encouraging to all women, showing them that there are NO fields out there that women can’t take on as well. Even though they may have previously been held by men...step over gentlemen, the ladies are here to stay!
I truly liked this book. I liked that she told her story her way. Especially when it came to living out her dream.
It is encouraging to all women, showing them that there are NO fields out there that women can’t take on as well. Even though they may have previously been held by men...step over gentlemen, the ladies are here to stay!
July 24, 2021
A light and very easy read, the narrative carries you along and you find yourself drawn in to the trials and tribulations of Fallowlees and Emma's journey. This was probably my favourite of the Shepherdess related books I have been reading and particularly found the way Emma describes her relationships with her dogs relatable and engaging.
December 15, 2022
I picked up this book after watching the BBC docuseries ‘This Farming Life’ and Emma’s was the family that I totally fell for. I loved her story and wanted to hear more about it! (I’m already halfway through her 2nd book too…)
Authentically written, it tells a beautiful and real account of British farming from the lesser known perspective of a young and gritty girl.
Authentically written, it tells a beautiful and real account of British farming from the lesser known perspective of a young and gritty girl.
February 7, 2023
Help! I need to learn everything there is to know about sheep. Quick, read more books. This book did not tell me enough about sheep, but in a similar fashion to a few other books I’ve read recently made me regret deeply the amount of knowledge on so many subjects that is leaving us.
Emma’s deep respect for the wisdom in her community shows, and shows well.
Emma’s deep respect for the wisdom in her community shows, and shows well.
January 6, 2025
Read this in two days. The writing is pretty good. I have watched all available episodes of This Farming Life where Emma Gray was featured in a couple of seasons. Loved learning how she came to live at the farm Fallowlees. I am fascinated by what can only be called a labor of love (hard work, not a lot of money, but surrounded by the beauty of the land and the farming life).
June 21, 2025
Searingly open and honest, very readable account of Emma's journey settling into a new chapter of her life at Fallowlees Farm. A real joy if you're a dog lover, or want an uplifting autobiography, totally opposite to superficial celeb tell-all books. Highly recommend this and also her second later book.
April 5, 2020
This was such an easy-going, lovely read. I love Emma Gray and her dogs and sheep. I've been living in Northumberland for the past few years and her descriptions of local sites warmed my North Eastern heart! She is a pure sweetheart!
January 2, 2021
Great read. Emotional and inspiring
Loving animals brought me to this book and I’m glad I read it . Emma’s genuine heart and love for her animals radiates through this book and I loved reading it
Loving animals brought me to this book and I’m glad I read it . Emma’s genuine heart and love for her animals radiates through this book and I loved reading it
May 7, 2021
I loved this. Emma is such an inspiration and has grown my knowledge on sheep! It's a lovely written, easy read book about a girl with a dream, dogs, sheep and a passion. Can't wait to read the next book...
August 8, 2021
I absolutely loved this book and follow Emma Gray on Instagram. I have also watched her in This Farming Life. Really enjoyed the trials and tribulations of Emma’s life on Fallowlees and I am looking forward to her second book.
August 20, 2022
I absolutely loved this!! Saw Emma on This Farming Life and loved reading her journey to Fallowlees. Funny, honest and a lot more sweary than the BBC showed! 😆 Second book is on order and I'm hoping number three is in process. 🤞🏻
December 1, 2022
Listened to the audio version of this and utterly loved it. In my most wildest moments it had me wanting to leave bookselling and head for a farming life.
Beautiful, honest, hilarious and entirely readable.
Beautiful, honest, hilarious and entirely readable.
September 23, 2018
Amazing book. Really felt connected to Emma and her dogs and life. A glimpse into a world I have very little knowledge of, but a great deal of respect and wonderment at. Would highly recommend.
September 8, 2019
A sweet read! An honest look inside the shepherd lifestyle.
October 25, 2019
I felt as if I learnt a lot and connected with what she was saying which is how you want to feel when reading a book.
January 30, 2021
Well written, humorous throughout, looking forward to Emma's next book.
June 7, 2021
A lovely gentle intro to a focussed, determined and talented lady. I admire her skills enormously and follow her on social media as I love her work ethic, something that shines through in the book. Now on to the second book.
June 22, 2021
The beginning of the story of Emma and her dogs, and her farming life at Fallowlees.
Read
June 25, 2021I can relate to this one as we have four border collies in our family.
June 28, 2021
I found Emma's farming story fascinating. About the ups and downs of farming and the amount of work needed.
February 5, 2022
A good , quick and interesting read.
August 30, 2022
I didn't care for the writing style. It didn't feel natural. She's essentially living the dream, but it came across poorly.
October 5, 2022
What an inspirational story of one woman chasing her dream. I love how she recounts both her successes and her failures; and what she learned from both. I would read anything she writes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews