Is the Sheepdog reference for Police, Military and other First Responders Fair and Accurate? Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate?
(Some people will object to this photo of one of our dogs, Junior. Saying that a Rottweiler is NOT a Sheepdog. Read on, you might be surprised.)
Many people use the term "Sheepdogs" in reference to Police, Military and other First Responders. It is meant as a compliment, but I sometimes beg to differ from the popularity of this term of endearment. But, Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate?
Do Sheepdogs Make Great Companions? Yes, they often do and are phenomenal members of the family. Are Sheepdogs great protectors of their flocks? Yes, many are. Do all sheepdogs fit into the category of great protectors? No, in my experience they do not.
Does all of society take the time and effort required to understand the temperament and needs of Sheepdogs? Absolutely, 100% No. But we will get to that a little later on. Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate?
From Wikipedia, "A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and control sheep and other livestock."
Some of the Sheepdog breeds across the World are divided into several groups. Separated primarily by there use.
Herding breeds Include these Breeds.
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Kelpie
Australian Shepherd
Basque Shepherd Dog
Beauceron
Belgian Shepherds (4 Varities including the Malinois)
Bergamasco Shepherd
Berger Blanc Suisse
Bouvier des Flandres
Bohemian shepherd
Briard
Can de Chira
Caucasian Shepherd
Can de Palleiro
Cão da Serra de Aires
Carea Castellano Manchego
Carea Leonés
Canaan Dog
Catahoula Leopard Dog
Catalan Sheepdog
Chiribaya Dog
Collies (Made up of 6 varieties)
Croatian Sheepdog
Cumberland Sheepdog
Dutch Shepherd
English Shepherd
Finnish Lapphund
Garafian Shepherd
German Shepherd
Gaucho sheepdog
Huntaway
Icelandic Sheepdog
Koolie
Komondor
Lancashire Heeler
Lapponian Herder
Magellan sheep dog
McNab
Miniature American Shepherd
Mudi
New Zealand Heading Dog
Norwegian Buhund
Old English Sheepdog
Pastore della Lessinia e del Lagorai
Picardy Shepherd
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Polish Tatra Sheepdog
Portuguese Sheepdog
Puli dog
Pumi
Pyrenean Shepherd
Rottweiler
Slovak Cuvac
Tornjak
Schapendoes
Schipperke
Shetland Sheepdog
Smithfield
Swedish Lapphund
Swedish Vallhund
Welsh Corgis (2 Varieties)
Livestock guardian dog breeds.
Aidi
Akbash dog
Aksaray Malaklisi
Armenian Gampr
Ashayeri Dog
Azerbaijani Shepherd Dog
Bakharwal dog
Bucovina Shepherd
Buryat-Mongolian Wolfhound
Cane di Mannara
Cão de Castro Laboreiro
Cão de Gado Transmontano
Carpathian Shepherd Dog
Caucasian Shepherd Dog
Central Asian Shepherd Dog
Estrela Mountain Dog
Georgian Shepherd
Ghadrejani dog
Great Pyrenees
Greek Shepherd
Himalayan Sheepdog
Kangal Shepherd
Karakachan
Kars
Karst Shepherd
Komondor
Koyun dog
Kuchi
Kuvasz
Maremmano-Abruzzese Sheepdog
Mazandrani dog
Mioritic Shepherd
Mongolian banhar
Mucuchies
Persian Mastiff
Polish Tatra Sheepdog
Pshdar dog
Pyrenean Mastiff
Rafeiro do Alentejo
Romanian Raven Shepherd Dog
Sardinian Shepherd Dog
Šarplaninac
Shirak Sheepdog
Slovak Cuvac
Spanish Mastiff
Tibetan kyi apso
Tibetan Mastiff
Tobet
Torkuz
Tornjak
Vikhan Sheepdog
The American Kennel Club divides breeds of Dogs into 7 Groups. Most of the Sheepdogs are in the working group or herding group.
Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate? My main complaint about referring to our Law Enforcement Officers, Military and other First Responders is choice. You see, Sheepdogs, for example the breeds listed above, are the end result of years, and at time centuries of selective breeding. A practice where humans bred certain dogs that displayed the desired traits that the breeders wanted. Is that wrong? Do I have a problem with that? No.
So, the Sheepdogs have no idea why they are doing what they do. They have no choice in the matter, you could say that their protective instincts are the result of years and years of selective breeding.
Our Police, Military and other First Responders had to choose to do these jobs. All of them are faced at times with situations where they must decide to put themselves in harms way to protect their flock. In other words, they are very much aware of the choices they have to make. Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate?
And that is the primary difference. Many of our Police, Military and other First Responders, and their families pay a huge price as a result of their service. With their lives, their physical health and mental health as well.
Which brings me to my final question. If you believe that our Police, Military and other First Responders are Sheepdogs, will you take the time and effort to understand the temperament and needs of Sheepdogs? How about when they are wounded, either physically, mentally, and, or emotionally while protecting their flocks? Remember, these people had to choose to protect, unlike the Sheepdogs that had it bred into them.
Sheepdog Police Fair, is it accurate?
