Lessons from a Scottish shepherd

By Leisa Boley Hellwarth

Most days, I start my morning with a cup of dark roast coffee and check TikTok or YouTube. TikTok if I am in a hurry, and YouTube if I have time for a longer video. Sean the Sheepman (Sean Hannah), 34, is a contract shepherd and digital creator who cares for 700 sheep and 100 beef cows across a large farming estate in the southwest of Scotland, near Stranraer. He has four Border Collies who are the stars of the show: Kate, Storm, Echo, and Copper.

Kate is Storm’s mother and Echo’s grandmother. Storm is Echo’s mother. Echo is the only male. And Copper is a puppy who is quickly learning to work the livestock. Each has their own personality and working style.

Sean didn’t come from a farming family. He was raised in a small fishing village near the coast. When he was 17 and still in school, he put an ad in the local paper seeking work on a farm.… Continue reading