This is a true story. It happened two days’ ago.

There has been a stray hill sheep in the back field that can’t get out and desperately wants to be reunited with its mother – she went back to the hill a few weeks ago.  It has made friends with Dahlia who stays back at night to keep it company.  I have tried, on many occasions, to get this sheep to leave but it always panics and runs hysterically back into the field.

On this particular morning, the hill sheep followed Dahlia into the shed for breakfast and I quickly shut the door leaving them all to it, while wondering, as I walked away, just how would we get this sheep out.  It was far from helpful.

OH had finished his chores and I asked him to come with me to catch the sheep in the shed.

We walked in and couldn’t see this sheep anywhere but all my lot were just standing there looking at us.  It was eerily like “The Sheep Detectives”.  If they could’ve said something I swear they would have.

And the hill sheep?  It was caught between the inter-stable gate and the wall while the other sheep were keeping it there for me.  It was like they knew I wanted to catch that sheep and for once I wanted it to be easy.  It never is.

But today it was. I slipped a headcollar on upside-down, like a harness and OH and I clipped two ropes to it and we walked/dragged the sheep out depositing it into the open hill, where it rushed off to find it’s mother.

So, if folk ever tell you sheep are stupid – the answer is that they jolly well are not.  My lot are intelligent and helpful (at times).  Especially Dahlia.