I was getting ready to put up the sheep tonight and noticed something that struck me. I have Maremma sheepdogs who live with the sheep and guard them. Part of the standard for the breed is that they should be attentive to their stock - true "shepherds" in fact. These dogs are kind of like Great Pyrs, but all white and a little less massive.
I have a blind sheep. She is very young, also - she ate a toxic plant and went blind not too long ago, so she's not used to getting around yet. Tonight she had wandered far from the flock and was approaching the house - dangerous territory because a neighbor's dog keeps coming up here to see whether the sheep are accessible.
Tully approached this sheep and walked beside her for a while. Finally he brushed up against her gently and turned back towards the pasture. He stopped and waited for her to turn around, then started walking again. Every so often she would stop to graze, or wander in the wrong direction, and he would go back and touch her again. Sheep hear very well but the guard dogs move like ghosts - I cannot hear them even when they are moving fast.
Gradually they made their way back to the flock, where she stood on the edge as usual. He lay down beside her and put his head down. I guess he's been doing this every night - because every morning that's where I find him - I hadn't really thought about it until now.
These dogs just make my heart sing, sometimes.
