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intersestingly, there are two differing kinds of sheep dogs.
some like border collies, still look and act like dogs.. and the sheep are mildly frightened by them, enough so that they flock away.
there are also sheep dogs that are "wolf's in sheeps clothing's". they have long thick, wool like fur, and hide in the flock.. they are often playful, but they are at the same time large and powerful. any real wolf that came along to attach the sheep would suddenly find himself confronting a large, powerful dog.. (and not being much of a dog lover, nor very interested in breeds, i didn't go to the AKA to look up the breeds.. but we all know them, the "shepherd" dogs with long, stringy fleese like fur..
I am sure some one will supply us with a name, and links to 100 times more informations. (or at least 100 more than a non dog--no make that animal lover needs)
*Note, i don't dislike animals, it just i have never been interested in having any of my own.. not fish, not birds, not cats not dogs.. --i did sort of think about a lamb, like CK, i thought it might be a nice way to deal with the grass, and a local farm museum does exactly that.. but after reading CK's experiences with a wether.. i am cured of any romantic notions i had!
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[Flirt] dr. bill, once you switch to "occassional rogue dogs" rather than " routinely destoyed", I can agree with you. I must admit that there are (pardon the double entrendre) a few black sheep, aberrant thugs, in every family, including mine. One source ( http://www.bcrescue.org/bc-page.html) says, Question: What is the best thing about Border Collies?
Answer: Border Collies are extremely intelligent and active dogs.
Question: What is the worst thing about Border Collies?
Answer: Border Collies are extremely intelligent and active dogs.Rather like ayleurs!  [tail-wagging -e] [/Flirt]
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Dear Wordwind: I should think it very difficult to measure the intelligence of dogs accurately enough to make comparison. One thing that makes a tremendous difference is the motivation of the dogs. The Border Collies are highly motivated to please the owner. But I remember an Irish Setter we owned before the AKC turned them into beautiful idiots. That dog learned three tricks in one night, but when I tried to get him to learn a fourth, he just kept repeating the third, and I swear he was laughing at me, because he knew three tricks were enough to get him all the treats he wanted.
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I found a site describing sheep dogs responding to voice commands of shepherd in 1576.
I heard that sheepdogs were first used to keep sheepherders away from sheep. I don't think they called them sheepherders then. Is that true, wwh?
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The geese are really getting to be a nuisance, and I thought it stupid that they were allowed in hundreds close to runways at Dulles. They could easily cause plane crash by getting into engine intake.
wwh. I have read that some Airports are now using Falcons and trained Falconeers to keep birds away. Don't know if a Falcom will intimidate a goose, do you?
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curiously, a nesting pair of swan will! I live near a salt water marsh-- the last one left on Long Island north shore. it has a large varity of water fowl, but very few geese. the swan chase them! i have read that geese do not nest near swans. and while we only have two, they are mean, nasty birds. the look very elegant, but they can be agressive. (and as Faldage is always pointing out, i should know, what with daddy and all...)
an alternate that is being tried.. is grape flavoring. geese can't stand it. so, un sweetened, grape flavored kool ade is diluted and sprayed on the grass.. and geese will not eat the grass, and don't even hang around.. problem is many golfers can't stand it either..
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Returning belatedly to "thy rod and thy staff", and byb's inquiry as to the orignal hebrew words:
I e-mailed that question to a rabbi who runs a talmud sites. Promptly after close of the sabbath, Rav Lipman sent me the following reply:
there isn't a talmudic commentary, but I can tell you about a shevet and a mish'an, normally translated rod and staff (which is incorrect).
The Shevet was originally a pole used to hold a tribe's "emblem." (hence the word shevet also means tribe....) We don't know much from the Torah about these emblems; there is much Talmudic material about them. However, the pole itself was cut down to about 4 ft long and was used to keep a flock together by whacking strays with it. It was thin enough that it would not cause actual damage, but it certainly motivated sheep and goats to not stray.
The Mishan was similar to the staves used for defense described in the fight between Robin Hood and Little John; the mish'an was about six feet long and about four inches in diameter. It could scare off (or even kill) wolves and wild cats and other predators interested in the flock.
Hence the image in the Psalm is God as a shepherd with the appropriate equipment to keep the flock in line AND safe.
Neither the shevet nor the mish'an was used in war; even Little John resorted to a sword when going against the Nottingham deputies....
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