All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray

"He's actually a long-haired German Shepherd," she replies, "and I'm training him to be a good citizen so he can visit sick people in the hospital."

"Working dogs need jobs," I say, trotting out my standard phrase as we continue across the street..

"Yes," she says, nodding agreement, "but he really likes to herd, anything that runs, really, so we sometimes get yelled at by parents in the park."

I imagine this 110 pound furry giant, a catcher-in-the-rye in Prospect Park, body checking toddlers and nipping gently at young children as they streak through the meadow in maddening abandon, driving a dog to distraction in the traditional way that all lambs do in the spring.