January 29, 2013
As we were driving down the unpaved road , we had an unexpected demonstration of modern-day sheep herding and pulled over to watch.
We have always thought of sheep as creatures that blindly follow each other (hence the phrase “sheep mentality”). Today we discovered that’s not true. They are surprisingly independent thinkers, and there are plenty of rugged individualists who would rather break from the herd. This is where the dogs come in.
I’ve always pictured dogs working alongside the farmer, but in fact they work at the far corners of the herd, places the farmer is nowhere near. They start by gathering all the sheep into one huge group, then hold them there until the farmer is ready; then they move ‘em out. How those dogs know where to draw the line, the boundaries where sheep are and aren’t permitted to be, and then where to move them, I can’t imagine. It’s pretty amazing to watch.
On the drive back, we had another show as we needed to pull over and wait for the sheep, now crossing the road ahead of us. This time the farmer was using his other assistant, the ATV, while the dogs supervised. This was Rich’s first lesson on where sweaters come from. –Cyndi
