Edible Cape Cod
Sheep Count: The Gifts of a Grazing Flock
Photo by Michelle Koch
Thorrold and Dempsey make a great flock-driving team.
Photo by Michelle Koch
Wickman jumps to duty when work partner Thorrold discovers an infected sore on a lamb's ear.
Photo by Michelle Koch
The pair diligently handle most every medical situation they encounter on the farm themselves, learning from other shepherds and the Internet.
Photo by Michelle Koch
Thorrold (l) and Wickman (r) check the weight of a sheep.
Photo by Larry Egan
Other pasture neighbors take advantage of the free bedding available with the grazing flock.
Photo by Larry Egan
The back of a sheep makes for a comfortable perch.
Photo by Michelle Koch
The round-up at the end of the day at Peterson Farm.
Photo by Michelle Koch
Bottom: Abel (l) and Dempsey (r) take a break from their herding duties.
Photo by Michelle Koch
Late afternoon against a pristine azure sky, tall grasses in the fields billow. The pair of shepherds, both lean and tautly muscled, stride the fields in tall boots. Speaking with a captivating New Zealand accent, Simon Thorrold joins Diana Wickman in alternating calls. In measured calm fashion, each names the command they want their own sheepdog to follow. Words and phrases including away, come by, lie down, walk up, and that’ll do, the sounds are a language unto itself, each one riveting the dogs’ attention and pivoting their actions. Working nimbly in arcs to encircle the moving sheep, the dogs move independently of one another according to their owner’s preferences to reach their target destinations — down paths, across fields and through gates; a remarkable dance.
