It is exciting to see border collies rushing around after sheep, it can be dramatic and even inspiring. My own personal favorite images are different. Herding sheep is a timeless thing, animals have been helping people care for their animals for thousands of years, working animals are among the most beautiful creations in nature, it is painful for me to see them being driven out of the world by people who do not understand anything about them.

For some animals – border collies for sure – working with people and serving them is their destiny, and they are not really about chasing, they are about sustenance and safety. Fate and the sheep are getting to know and trust one another, slowly and carefully. Some days, the ewes and wethers try and butt her and run her off, that is becoming less frequent. Fate loves to run around, but more than that, she loves to sit with the sheep and watch over, their true purpose.

People love to see the acrobatics and precision of herding trials, but I don’t care for them. They are manufactured events to me, there is nothing wrong with them, they are amazing. But now, I see Fate sitting down peacefully next to the sheep while they graze, and the sheep are coming to trust her enough to graze close to her, a sign that they respect the dog and know he or she won’t harm them. Sheep are wondrous readers of dogs, put a crazy or aggressive one near them and they will panic and run.

So they are paying her a compliment. The true purpose and role of the border collie is not to compete for ribbons, at least not for me, it is to help the sheep find graze, to watch over them, and to bring them home when they need to be safe. That is the timeless role, and I wonder seeing Fate slip gracefully into it, a little more each day. She has a lot of drive, but there is a calmness about her I will work hard to nurture and develop.