Word: sheepdog
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...wool shed housing "Ironbark" Jim and his sheepdog performing shearing demonstrations
With his binoculars, an M-16 automatic rifle and his sheepdog Mikey, Barnett sometimes tracks a group of illegals for miles, following their footprints in the sand and bits of clothing snagged on the mesquite thorns. In the summer it's harder for his dog to track them; the incandescent heat sears away their scent. "They move across the desert like a centipede, 40 or 50 people at a time," says Barnett. Once he catches them, Barnett radios the border patrol to cart them off his land. "You always get one or two that are defiant," says Barnett, who chuckles...
...guru is a handsome, 40-year-old Highlander named Alasdair MacRae, widely regarded as the most dangerous of all "dangerous men"--the insider's term for virtuoso sheepdog handlers. The son of a tenant farmer, MacRae is a newfangled sort of celebrity. In centuries past, those who handled sheepdogs were known as shepherds, and their occupation was so humble that many fled to America to escape it. These days, however, competitive sheepherding ranks among the fastest-growing outdoor sports in the U.S. Fifteen years ago, perhaps a dozen sheepdog trials were held each year; now there are more than...
There is little money to be had in sheepdog trialing; even the richest purses fail to break $3,000. Nor, for the less than dangerous, is there much glory. "You get knocked down," says Adrienne Paier Wienir, 55, an artist from Encino, displaying a fresh bruise on her forehead. "You get covered with dust and sheep snot...
Such dedication is typical of sheepdog trialers--and it is reciprocated. "Dogs give you their all," says MacRae, sipping black coffee. "They return any affection tenfold. They're not gonna say nothin' behind your back." A grin creases the guru's windburned face. "On the whole, they're just nicer than folk...