Omne Trium Perfectum

Proving this to be fact are our three recent ovine arrivals, Princeton, Yale, and Columbia. So named after three great institutions of learning. And it is from these wise, sensitive, and charismatic animals we can learn much. None the least, “you are responsible for what (or whom) you have tamed”.

With their ancestry reaching back to the fertile crescent approximately 10,500 years ago it is found that sheep of today have descended from a dark-colored, long horned animal who more resembled a goat. Their hair covered coat being shed each year in winter, having after adapted in length according to the season.

From here selective breeding for traits of human desire has landed an animal who is less robust, often hornless (also referred to as polled), and one whose white fleece requires at least annual shearing to prevent issues of well-being.

Alas seeing sheep with such burdensome fleece is not something new, and something we are see more and more often these days. And in the case of the dashing Princeton, the “been-around-the-block-a-few-times” Yale, and sassy Columbia (yes, they are already telling us who they are), all hailing from diverse areas of the state, speaks to a wider issue of assuming our responsibility for who we have tamed.

Yet despite human tinkering in their lives, genetics, and even their family groups, sheep remain gentle beings. Ones who are willing to forgive our transgressions with an open heart.

Although truth be told this is often preceded by a good old stamp of the hoof. Something that readily conveys to us their lives are inherently precious, worth fighting for, as they are abundantly perfect indeed.