When passions collide - of sheep and hay, of dogs and fur trade history, of the Scottish Highlands - and Doris

This picture (below) is the last time I saw Doris, before she went to her new home in Pass Lake. They say that sheep are the smartest of the barnyard animals (please take a moment to click and read this)... with long memories and facial recognition. The man who trained the animals for the move Babe wrote a beautiful tribute in a sermon about sheep that is also good reading, called Lambs of God.

People think they are not smart because they run when they are frightened. I hate to tell you this, but people would do the same - as we are much like sheep, without claws or sharp teeth for fighting. There are many good reasons sheep and people are compared in the Bible and I find them positive overall. The shepherd knows his sheep. It is true. I remember every idiosyncracy of my girls, and could pick them out in a flock with no trouble. The sheep know their shepherd. Also true. My sheep used to run to greet me but if I walked up with a stranger to them, they hung back.

There are lots of good reasons why so many Far Side cartoons featured sheep too! I love the ones where the sheep are on their hind legs working out scientific formulas, but when the farmer appears they are on all fours going baaaaa. I think Gary Larson must have had sheep. Most people who work with sheep dogs know how smart and tough sheep can be, often getting the better of dogs.


In Biblical days, and in many places still today, the shepherd walked at the front and sheep followed, because they knew their shepherd. John 10:4 reads: When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. The dogs would hold the sides and bring up the rear, and protect the sheep. This is much like tending, the natural work of German Shepherds. As sheep became commercial, with large flocks displacing Scottish Highland farmers, gathering dogs started to be used to round them up, rather than have people move nomadically from one place to another. That marked a major change in the relationship between sheep and shepherds, and was the beginning of modern, large-scale farming. I find this so interesting, because it also marks a change from tending and protection to gathering and driving, and I have both kinds of dogs with my German Shepherds and my Border Collies. In fact, the Border Collie and the "Rough Collie" later split into two types from one common ancestor simply known as the Collie.

When the Scottish Highlanders were forcibly removed during the Highland Clearances from their farms to make room for large commercial flocks of sheep, many emigrated to Canada. Some of them became famous explorers and founders of the Northwest Company, opening the west by establishing trade routes and laying the foundation for what would become Canada. And hey, that is what I wrote my thesis about, way back in University. All my passions seem to come together with sheep, dogs and history in this post! Including my new passion for local, organic, environmentally friendly food.

Here is a snapshot of the whole article about Sleepy G Farm in Pass Lake. I like to think that on a smaller, organic farm like Brendan's, Doris and Pebbles and the other sheep enjoy a more pastoral life, and are enjoying sunny days and cozy winters back home in Thunder Bay.