The life of the working dog is not simple, you can just ask Red. This morning I asked  him to go get the sheep and bring them out to the barn so we could check their coats. The donkeys, diligent guard animals all, moved right in front of the sheep and took up their positions. Lulu and Fanny are easy with Red, but they don’t like him herding the sheep, they still think he is a coyote, as they did Rose. Red has more focus than any other living thing I have known.

He moved up, determined to carry out his task, lay down and then began to navigate his way through the clusters of donkeys. The sheep, hiding from him, at first, knew they were marked and that he was coming, and they moved out to the other pasture. Simon is getting easier with Red, he keeps an eye on him but challenges him less. Red pays no attention to obstacles. He gets it done.