Shearing doesn't hurt a Sheep!

There is a growing rumor. I don't know how it got started but there are folks trying to convince you that it hurts a sheep to shear it. Let's start at the beginning:

Sheep have been used for wool for about 11,000 years. Sadly, they were chosen for their entire pelt and it was cut off them when they were killed for meat. The good news is, that was not the most popular way to get wool after a few thousand years. Eventually, sheep were kept alive and given a good and sturdy haircut- a shearing. The wool would grow back and they would be shorn again. Wool became a renewable resource.

According to archaeologists, the oldest woven textile preserved is from 1500 BCE (about 3,500 years ago). The thing is, stories are even older and there are stories as old as the wind of being woven into being in many religions and cultures. Either way, for thousands of years, humans and sheep have worked in a symbiotic way together. Sheep were bogged down by their heavy wool and if they lay down while wet, could die out in the wild. When we began keeping them, they were protected. In exchange we used their shorn wool and milk to keep us warm and healthy. (yeah, I know, we also still ate them, but once they were dead, they don't make more wool!) Wool is nature's best renewable fiber. There is little carbon footprint in raising, shearing, or even cleaning the fleece. It is kind to the earth and garments made from wool can last an entire lifetime if well cared for. The sheep keep fire danger down and don't need pesticides to keep bugs away. Best yet, wool is resilient, and with time, and globalization, we have many different types to choose from for various purposes. But there are folks out there who believe that we are harming sheep or the earth by using wool. I can tell you that I purchase my wool from local farms with small herds of sheep- less than 50. They are well cared for and happy sheep and I am helping the local economy. At times I purchase wool from further away, but that is conservancy wool (another blog altogether) and for good reason- to conserve a breed from dying out. The thing is, if you just do a bit of research, wool is kind, it is not inhumane, and shearing does not harm a sheep. Feel free to hit me up for a cup of coffee or tea to talk about it more- but let's just start with the basics. Sheep died without humans to help protect them and still do when they get water laden. We are not harming them by giving a hair cut and we are using the wool for quality clothing that will last years. It really is a winning situation.

photo credit to Shirl Phelps