Could the loveable sheepdog soon be the latest victims of advancing technology?
A video from a Co Carlow farmer has shown his sheep being herded from one field to another through a narrow gate, but with no dog in sight.
That is because the job was being done by a drone with a camera installed to capture the action. Could it spell the end for the sheepdog – a shepherd’s trusted companion for hundreds of years?
The video was shot by Paul Brennan, who showed impressive skills in controlling the drone to herd around 100 sheep.
Paul said the they used the drone when they realised their sheepdog wasn’t around and they needed to move the sheep quickly. They happened to have their drone with them so the flew it at a height of about five feet. It worked a treat so they later added a camera to capture the action.
“I’d like to add that no sheep were hurt in the making of the video,” Paul joked as he mentioned that the cameras aren’t the only modern device they used. “We’ve also use a quad bike sometimes.”
However, Paul doesn’t believe this spells the end for sheepdogs across the world. “We’ll still be using the dogs but now we have another option we can call on.”
The video is titled ‘SHEP the Drone – Worlds first Drone Sheepdog’ and is a great show of Irish innovation.
Take a look below: