People often ask me if it is dangerous to work with herding dogs and sheep. I don’t think of it as being especially dangerous, but I suppose it is, if you are not very careful. Almost everyone I know who is serious about learning to herd sheep with dogs has experienced some kind of injury, from sprains to breaks to knee damage to torn tendons and ligaments.

Anything involving work with animals can be dangerous, the dogs are aroused and move rapidly, sheep are fast and heavy, when they run into people, they tend to hit their knees hard and in vulnerable positions. The trainers and herders I know have experienced some awful and painful leg injuries.

I have been knocked down by sheep at least a dozen times, not yet seriously, although my knee still hurts from one of those collisions. Red is a safe dog to work with, he is calm and responsive, but if you don’t stay alert and in control, the sheep can panic and take off on you. This afternoon, I thought of this when I told Red to “come bye” and I thought he was taking the sheep into the barn before feeding.

But for some reason – I couldn’t see  him – he moved quickly behind the flock and they came flying over the hill, even Fate was caught unawares and ran out of the way. When sheep come at you, you learn to move sideways, and I did do that, they will most often (but not always) split and go around you. One of them, Zelda, banged into my right knee and if I hadn’t been standing sideways, it could have been a serious injury.

I was reminded to be careful and not stand below a hill when the dog and sheep are on the other side. Being a lunatic, I aimed and lifted the camera to get a photo of it, I guess I always have my priorities right. On balance, I wouldn’t say herding with dogs is dangerous. Unless you don’t take it seriously and pay attention to it. Contrary to popular belief, few animals are 100 per cent predictable and few are unwilling to hurt a human being if they are in a panic or hungry. Stay out of the way.