The littlest shepherd

Every morning Jackson goes to the barn with me to do chores. At first I had to put a leash on him to get him there and keep him there; he wanted to hightail it for the known safety of the house. Now he goes down happily and stays with me of his own accord. With his newfound confidence, he is eager to interact with the sheep. I keep a hand on him so he doesn't chase the sheep when they run out to pasture, as much to keep him safe as to prevent bad habits. Dinah and Rechel are both very leery of the young "wolf," and would flatten him if given the chance. Valentine is more curious and less aggressive, not butting as readily, perhaps because she came from a home with resident Border Collies. Braveheart shows no fear of or aggression towards Jackson at all, seeming as eager to get acquainted as the pup is.

Once the sheep are safely shut in their area, Jackson is free to interact through the fence. He sniffs noses, tries to crawl through the spaces, then does his best to entice the sheep to play, "tucking butt" and racing up and down the fence, stopping every once in awhile to play bow and sniff noses again. It's a hoot to watch!Notice Valentine's bloody coat? When I first saw this mess yesterday afternoon, I was momentarily shocked, wondering if something had attacked the sheep. I quickly realized that Braveheart's horn nubs were the source of the gore.There was nothing, really, to knock off, but he sure managed to spread a lot of blood around in his amorous pursuits of the girls!

Braveheart struck this handsome pose, a la Bighorn(less) Sheep, on a big piece of concrete in the pasture this morning. Perhaps the step up makes my littlest sheep feel more ramly?

That's it for now at . . .