Why I Need A Flock Of Aquatic Sheep

[dr_pretentious]

Gareth wanted to know all about dog breeds. Dogs are kind of confusing--all one species, but with different features clustered differently so they don't look like one. For a kid who watches Dinosaur Train and has started analyzing every animal he comes across to determine whether it's a carnivore or an herbivore, solving the dog mystery is a big deal.

So we talked about domestication, human manipulation of our companion species' DNA, the kinds of jobs dogs can do, and how much dogs usually want to do the jobs they're bred for. Dogs from sheepherding breeds tend to be deeply unhappy unless they're allowed to herd something. Dogs bred for aquatic work are miserable if they don't get to play in water.

And Gareth, who is aware that dog breeds can be crossed, added matter-of-factly, "So if we got a cross between a sheepherding dog and a water dog, we'd need to get water-sheep for it to herd."

Comments

[jaime-sama.livejournal.com]

Our dog must have been bred to eat peanut butter treats and ask for belly rubs.

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

And here I thought it would be to count when you can't fall asleep on a houseboat. (A waterbed?)

Of course, it could be quite busy trying to herd a pod of dolphins or a school of fish...

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Now I really want someone to write a story about a Portie/border collie cross who herds dolphins. Oh, dear. Now my brain is trying to mash it up with that famous Bradley Denton novella, Sergeant Chip (http://www.bradleydenton.net/sgtchipcomplete.htm), which is already perfect for doing what it does, and no mashup could improve it. Stop right there, brain!

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

...for dolphin ranchers who live on a houseboat. If it's a 2-woman household, it might be a good fit for Steam Powered 3 (the kookiness of the concept could really work with steampunk, though not only with steampunk).

Of course, raising dolphins for meat would be a turnoff to American readers, but they could be trained to dive for pearls or abalone. One member of the household is a rancher, the other a jeweler...

I'm not sure if this is a Sklar story or an Avery story (or a collaboration, or a brainstorm we can cannibalize for parts). But I do want to see where it goes. The sea, of course, has endless potential for external conflict. Not sure what the internal conflict would be--perhaps standard relationship stuff in a nonstandard context...

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

I think it may be a Sklar story, mostly because my rate of production is so much diminished and I have such a long backlog of much-longed-for projects. But I would totally read what you just described. There should be more houseboats, on general principle. Steampunk houseboats with semi-domesticated dolphins and herding water dogs must surely still be fresh, even with the steampunk boom at apogee.

[thunderpigeon.livejournal.com]

Thanks! While the idea of collaborating is appealing, this seems like a lot more fun than the other story idea I had on deck.

[sabrinamari.livejournal.com]

Hey, I love that kid's mind!

[spindlewand.livejournal.com]

I spin.*

You can't imagine how interested i am in this concept of water sheep...



*wool into yarn, not on a bicycle.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

A friend from New Zealand, where they know a thing or two about sheep, says, "The problem with aquatic sheep, of course, is the heaviness of wool when it's wet. You need to provide them with heavy-duty flotation devices, and that can run into real money." Perhaps feral mutant water sheep evolve and then need to be re-domesticated? Or perhaps they evolve blowholes, and their need for flotation devices is alleviated? Or the genetic engineers give them gills, or extra-buoyant fat?

I'm not sensing a working story in any of this, but it does tickle me to play with it.

What advantage would occur to spinners from water sheep?

[puckmls.livejournal.com]

I love the way Gareth thinks. :-)

[sleepymaggie.livejournal.com]

You need miniature aquatic giraffes - much easier to deal with then the sheep.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Aha! That solves everything! As long as they keep to shallow water, they're all set. Bonus: less noise pollution.

[violet-moon25.livejournal.com]

You have to appreciate the creativity of a young child whose ideas aren't limited by little things like reality! Aquatic sheep are fun if not practical. But maybe more practical than electric, aquatic sheep. Perhaps they can be genetically engineered to have acrylic "wool" that floats and repels water like polar fleece. I'd love to see if it turns into some kind of story. I could definitely see a one of a kind multimedia book cover with wool, fabric, pearls, beads, shells, etc.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

The mental image that has pleased me most is of the sheep using snorkels and goggles, and sometimes even swim fins.

[happy-dr-friend.livejournal.com]

Critter is lobbying for a dog. So far we've gone only as far as getting dog books. And puzzled over the question: Where does one get a nice, healthy mixed breed puppy that hasn't been traumatized these days? Before the spay and neuter craze you could just find a neighbor with some oopsie puppies, but now it's either evil breeders or traumatized shelter dogs.

[dr-pretentious.livejournal.com]

Sometimes evil breeders unload dogs they can't sell fast enough by dropping them at shelters. I know a guy who got an AKC registered boxer puppy just two weeks too old to be sold. If you tell a rescue society that you have a young child in the house and cannot take a traumatized dog, as long as you're willing to hold the line with both the rescue people and your kid while you wait for a puppy, eventually a rescued dog who hasn't had much trauma time will come along. Or at least, that's what I hear, and that's the strategy we think we'll take once Conrad is four or so. I've heard many good things about Petfinder.com, too.

[happy-dr-friend.livejournal.com]

Browsing petfinder.com. It's by no means certain that we can fit a dog into our lives, but we're now in Philadelphia in a townhouse with a preexisting pet door, so it looks a little more plausible.