The Cluster That Is Junior Year

So, we had an extra Clinical Skills lab this past Friday.  Sheep, that's what I signed up for.  I can't say that I was super excited.  I would have rather gone home and taken a nap.  But, hey, sheep are cute and fluffy right?  Except for the poop in their butt-wool, yes, so I was willing to deal.

We all squished into K-State's vans and head 10 feet down the road to the sheep farm.  As we waited for the rest of the group, and the professors to show up, we stood around ogling the cute lambs.  After awhile this guy comes out.  I don't know what his actual job at the sheep farm is, but that day, he had the misfortune of being assigned to help us generally incompetent vet students.  (My apologies to my classmates who know what they're doing around large animals, and, in particular, to Ms. Elizabeth Prigge who actually raises sheep.)  The next few minutes went something like this:

Sheep Farm Man: "Who's in charge?"

Uninformed Vet Students:  "The professors."

Sheep Farm Man: "Where are they?"

Uninformed Vet Students: silence

Sheep Farm Man: "Well what skills are on your list to accomplish today?"

Uninformed Vet Students:  "We don't have a list."

Sheep Farm Man: "I heard you were supposed to learn how to trim hooves?"

Uninformed Vet Students: shrugging  "Sure."

Sheep Farm Man: looking extremely put-out "Just follow me."

We followed Sheep Farm Man down the barn aisle then waited while he rounded us up some practice sheep.

Sheep Farm Man:  "Do you know how to throw down sheep?"

Uninformed Vet Students:  "What?"

Sheep Farm Man:  "What do you guys do all day?!"

Uninformed Vet Students:  "Sit in class."

He rolled his eyes at us, like we had all flown in from the city in our stilettos. Then he very patiently explained how to "throw down" a sheep.

1. Grab a sheep out of the flock.

2. The head is the "brakes".

3. The tail dock is the "go button".

4. Pull the head around to knock her off balance.

5. Grab the flank.

6. Flip her over.

7. Pull her up by her front legs so she's in a sitting position on your feet.

Sound simple enough?  Here's how it looked when we tried.

Eventually a couple food animal residents showed up and showed us how to check for pregnancy via ultrasound.

Not a successful lab.

I hope you have better luck the next time you go play with sheep.