Being a sheepdog is a job for a dog with some stature, but this dog is proving you may not need size to get the job done.
Yoda did say, “Size matters not,” didn’t he?
This is Nancy, a Chihuahua doing a job meant for a much bigger dog.
The 2.5lb dog was rescued by Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2009. Nancy had a horrible skin condition, sarcoptic mange when she was rescued. The poor Chihuahua needed treatment for it.
Ali Taylor, the rescue home’s head of canine welfare, was caring for the little dog.
After caring for Nancy as part of her job, the Chihuahua grew too lovable to resist.
Ali eventually adopted her as her dog, and that was that.
Ali visited farms often. Her new dog would tag along, and those trips left an impression on her.
Those farms they visited had Border Collies herding sheep, something Nancy seemed keenly interested in.
Ali noted that Nancy’s interest seemed to go beyond just wanting to watch.
Like a little kid watching Michael Jordan, Nancy seemed to itch to try it – even if she was a fraction of the size.
So one day, she let Nancy have a go at herding the sheep herself.
Nancy’s sheep-herding practice began with some supervision and a controlled environment.
But she quickly took off the training wheels and proved to be a natural.
You almost wouldn’t believe it, but this 2.5lb Chihuahua could do just as well as the much larger Border Collies.
Nancy proved her mettle and rounded the sheep with ease.
They didn’t seem to know or care about the size of the dog herding them.
Farmer Geoff Temple was blown away by what Nancy could do.
He had been herding sheep for 17 years and couldn’t believe how good Nancy was at it.
“Nancy really is something special – she’s a fun-size sheep herder.” he said
It’s true what they say: Chihuahuas have a lot of dogs in them for such a small breed.
The breed has been around since pre-Columbian times.
Though we don’t know what they were originally for, I’m going to make a confident guess that herding cattle wasn’t one of the reasons.
The sheep go where Nancy tells them to. Her little legs sprint through the grass like nobody’s business, and she almost makes it look easy.
I wonder if those Border Collies are proud of little Nancy.
She really punches above her weight.
But herding sheep isn’t the calling Ali wants for Nancy.
“Nancy and I only do this for fun, and to prove that rescue dogs really can do anything.”
Herding sheep is a lot more dangerous than it looks. Those are still pretty heft animals to be chasing around.
One wrong move, and someone could get hurt.
And while I did make a point out of Nancy’s impressive display despite her size, she could still get hurt if a sheep missteps and runs into her.
Still, she proved she could do it. That counts for a lot.
“I wouldn’t encourage anyone to try sheepherding with their dog unless it is under proper supervision from an expert. Some dogs could react very badly, and you could end up harming your dog and the sheep.” said Ali
Well, Nancy made quite the impact during her brief sheep-herding career nonetheless!
Watch her show how it’s done in the video below!
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