‘Extreme Shepherding’ indeed!
These guys have too much time. But I suppose it’s great practice for sheep herding trials and competitions. All I can say is… HOLY CRAP!
They’re a bunch of guys from Wales or somewhere and yes, they actually did this! Shows quite some talent between masters and dogs. What a great commercial idea!
Dogs: the never-ending source of entertainment
I’m not sure how I stumbled across this video. It’s short and sweet but hilarious. I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the dog! He does look a little old after all…
Working “doggie style”
I have found myself fascinated with a relatively new Animal Planet show called K9 Cops. It follows the several K9 units in the St. Paul Police Department in Minnesota. Those dogs are amazing animals. They are very highly trained and so responsive to their handlers. It’s clear how much the dogs love their work.
Even though it’s on television, I love watching them work. They make life so much easier for law enforcement just by being there, and certainly safer for the officers. The way they are able to use their noses to detect specific smells is incredible. I had some experience with that, too.
During my journalism internship, I was invited to attend a training exercise for the Michigan Search and Rescue organization. There were over a dozen dogs there with different skills, but all of them were being trained to smell human odor. There were dogs that use scents in the air, others that track specific scents on the ground and some that find all kinds of human remains. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the dogs work – and they were so excited to be working!
I think that using dogs for such purposes makes them indispensable for the overall safety of everyone. But they’re more than just tools. The people that own them and work with them care for them so well. The animals are part of the family and are spoiled rotten just like other pets. They generally make great family dogs, even though they may be trained to apprehend criminals. I suggest watching the show on Animal Planet to see what I mean.
Because of their intelligence and the way they are capable of doing such things, it only makes me love dogs all the more.
