The Dogs of Bedlam Farm

Jon Katz loved his dogs, three border collies named Orson, Homer and Rose. Border collies were originally bred to help shepherds herd their sheep. Katz wanted his dogs to be as happy as possible and he figured the way to do that was to give them the chance to be the dogs they were breed to be: sheep-herding dogs. So he bought a few sheep, a small farm and, leaving behind the big city, his wife and daughter, he went to live with the dogs, the sheep, and a couple of donkeys on this small farm, Bedlam Farm, in rural New York State.
Even taking care of a small flock of sheep turns out to be grueling hard work, especially for an older man with bad knees. It didn't help that the farm is located on hilly land and that the winters there are just plain nasty, cold, icy and snowy. The work is hard and unrelenting, just like the winter weather. But he sticks it out, with the help of friends and neighbors, and the dogs improve with their sheep handling skills and Katz becomes famous in the area as the guy with the dogs, His farm becomes one of the local attractions as people stop by just to watch his dogs work the sheep. At the end of the book, Katz feels that not only are his dogs happier and more centered but that he is also feeling more at peace and grounded too.

I did enjoy this book, reading about Katz's trials and tribulations. I can't really understand what he did though. It seems as though his dogs and their happiness were more important to him than his own family. I've heard of people moving because they wanted their dogs to have a nice, fenced backyard. But this is the first time I ever heard of anyone buying a farm and sheep just so their dogs could something to do. Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to just to keep your dogs happy. Still, it made for a very interesting and diverting story, even if I don't approve of his lifestyle