Tuesday's Folklore Photo: Tolson Shears his Sheep

Yesterday evening Tolson Rendell of Heart's Content invited me to observe him shearing one of his sheep. It is a tradition that only two people in the town still practice, the other being his good friend Jack Smith. Tolson will be putting his animals out to pasture for the summer this coming weekend, so has lots of work to do before then. It usually takes him just over 2 hours to fully shear a sheep, and he uses scissors rather than electric shears because he believes them to be safer for the animal. He takes his time and makes sure to do a thorough job. Tolson clearly loves his animals and exclaimed "Isn't nature wonderful!" more than once during my visit. There were many newborns animals around the yard, and I couldn't help but notice how happy Tolson was to see them running around. This photo shows the mother sheep named Black being watched by her new lamb, who wasn't very patient about waiting for this whole shearing thing to be done. 

-Lisa

Did you know? A Little Tidbit About Heritage Animals

 "The Newfoundland Pony has long been a proud part of Newfoundland's culture and history. These ponies interbred for over three centuries until the Newfoundland Pony that developed was perfectly suited to the rough Newfoundland environment." 

Did you know?

The Newfoundland Pony was the first and only animal to be given status as a heritage animal by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. In December of 1996, the province passed new legislation that calls for the protection of heritage animal such as the pony.This protection is seen through the support and breeding of animals that have been an important part of the province's history. For more information on the designation of the Newfoundland Pony please see the Heritage Animals site hosted by the Department of Natural Resources. 
-Lisa