I'm putting this here because it's a brag loosely disguised as a funny story.

I want to brag because we will be entering Ted's first trial this weekend and I have the Black Cloud of Doom hanging over me. We haven't worked much since I banged up my foot over a week ago, so I've got that bad feeling I get when I'm not feeling prepared. So I want to brag while I've still got some dignity left.

So this afternoon Ted and I went out and worked on our flanks, on some sheepy "volunteers" who had jumped the fence and were visiting my rose garden. We were in the front yard. I really want Ted to listen to me even when things are weird and tough, like when the sheep keep trying to go through the open gate there or make a break for the back fence. And I want my sheep to understand that when Ted comes out, it's time to behave!

The sheep settled down fast so I thought of a new challenge. Let's put the sheep up the steps to the front porch!

This wasn't really as tough as it sounds. The fifteen sheep were cooperating nicely by this time and Ted is very good up close - it's that whole outrun thing where our team falls apart.

So we worked a bit and up they came! I had five on the porch with me, and the rest lined up and settled well, right up the steps.

Then our landlord came home from work.

Now our house sits on a hill that slopes straight down to the road - the intersection of two roads, in fact. So there was no getting around the fact that there were fifteen sheep standing on the front porch of his "showplace" ("You know I'm a deacon in the church, don't you?").

I waved, but he didn't wave back.

He sat there just about long enough to settle the question in his mind ("Are those really sheep on the porch?") and then slowly drove on.

I imagine the next question in his mind is, how does one ask one's tenants to keep their trick sheep off the porch, without sounding insane? What if one really IS insane? What if SHE'S insane?

I'm awfully proud of my baby dog, though. Next time I'll get pictures or video. But we'll get it done before 3:30 when the landlord comes come from work!

Good work Ted! I can't stop laughing at the mental image of your landlord sitting in his car trying to figure out if he was hallucinating or not.

Funny Becca!
I'll see that story and raise you this:
I was helping my friend prep for the international lift out in his yard- yeah, no fences. I couldn't believe I was asked to hold sheep. Hmmm.. So, it all started out well enough. Dog took the look back and everything was good. Then, we brought the sheep back to me and chatted- that's when they took off. Bad humans. Lucy took off in hot pursuit, I in hot pursuit of her. The sheep and she disappear around the corner. I finally catch up, with my friend, and there, nicely held on the front porch are three sheep, by Lucy and my friend's dog. WISH I had a camera. I wonder what the sheep were thinking....

Tonight I got home from church and found more sheep in the garden. This time is was dark, I zigged when I should have zagged, and we lost control of the sheep. They zipped around the front of the house, Ted followed, I was hollering, and then I remembered there's a dead spot - if you are in the back you can't hear around front. So I went around front and there was Ted holding the sheep on the porch for me. "Hey, check it out mom! I'm the DOG!"

And here I was thinking we had this team thing rocking. Turns out Ted doesn't need me at all.

Of course, the next lesson was about getting sheep OFF the porch.

Yeah- and without smashing into doors and windows....

These stories are even funnier in my mind because I envision these sheep as the Serta sheep. I think that's who they are spokespeople for. Kind of cartooney sheep that are all indignant. Anyway, I can just picture it!

Patrick's agreed to try to video this. Actually Jen, my sheep look a lot like the Serta sheep. No blue eyes though. The group of lambs that were on the porch last night were sort of a Cheviot looking things:



They aren't actually Cheviots though - they are Texel/blue faced leister crosses so they were much calmer. Last night, Ted wouldn't get up on the porch and push them off (they had figured out the porch was safe - there was light there and they couldn't see off the edge which was about a 40 inch dropoff). So I lifted him up on the porch and then petted him until he relaxed. Then we did the one step at a time thing until the sheep had taken the "leap of faith" two by two.

Nothing broken or even touched - they didn't even knock over my (dead) potted fern. Although they stopped to munch on it.

What it really reminded me of was a Wallace and Gromit episode where a sheep goes astray and finds itself in the heroes house. The rendering of the sheep is very similar to the Serta sheep. My sheep have white faces like those above, however, and only a few have topknots. The wide-eyed clueless attitude is very familiar though.

Shawn! I Shawn!

And appropo of almost nothing, my grandma does a mean Gwendolyn impression.

This thread has made my day - though I do not herd, I do have a "thing" for sheep and picturing all these sheep milling about on various and sundry porches, the landlord driving by in that slow, am I seeing things mode, Wallace and Grommit and Shawn (!) and Jen's Grandma's Gwendolyn impression, I'll be smiling all day!!!!!!!

You could do nothing but say, "Shawn the Sheep" and it just makes you laugh, doesn't it?

The video-ing didn't happen. We had a Sheep Incident on Friday and then had to run to the fair once we had everything sorted out.

We did hear from the landlord today. Patrick said he had apparently gotten himself quite worked up about it because he was practically incoherent (or maybe he was still suffering from uncertainty about how one actually requests tenants to keep their sheep off the porch).

Actually, he said he was pretty sure he had seen me opening the door and wanted to know if there was "sheep dukey" on the floor in the house. Since, you know, it's in the yard and shouldn't be there either. Anyone who would let their sheep poop in the yard might let sheep dukey in the house and maybe even the beds!

Just to be clear, I didn't open the door and it hadn't crossed my mind to try to put the sheep in the house. However, there HAVE been sheep in the house already several times - sick lambs - but as far as the dukey, I don't know about that.

Oh, geez. Your landlord sounds a little tightly wound.

Thanks for the story Becca. That is the kind of herding we do around here, only with goats who pretty much turn and look at the dog and say "you want a piece of me?" The dogs are very helpful although Skye is really the only one who can actually get them moving and herding isn't what she has in mind. Quinn loved the sheep out at Kathy's (Barbie's) that where actually intimidated by him.
I do have hope that being a Terv Brenna will be able to talk some sense into them at some point but right now she is no bigger then a minute and not terribly intimidating.