The next event in the Mister and Miss Farmhand Competition wasn't connected to the vegetable growing that had been going on so far. This was a chance to earn bonus points for those who didn't do so well before or to get a better edge. There was more to farming than just fruits and vegetables. There was also livestock. While no one was expecting to raise any animals from scratch (which would be kinda awkward for some Animalians), there were certain parts of livestock farming they could do.
The sheep-herding event was mainly for dog Animalians, though it was possible for other kinds of Animalian to do this as well. This wasn't unlike the sheepdog trials that are popular in the United Kingdom and certain areas of the US. Of course, the main difference was that the shepherd and sheepdog were one person. The sheep used were normal, mundane sheep. Sheep Animalians were understandably not keen on being herded. The goal was for the competitors to take the sheep in one loop around the field before herding them into the pen in the center.
Sarah and Mary Alice were also taking part in this event, to shore up more points for later in the competition. Their boyfriends were recording this to be shown on Animalia Ambassadoria later. "So, the way sheepdogs work is that sheep see them as wolves which is something they want to avoid," said Sarah, "That's why sheepdogs like collies and Alsatians look so much like wolves. So, we ought to have a good advantage because huskies are similar to wolves."
"So, what you're saying is that the less a dog looks like a wolf, the more trouble it has with sheep?" asked Simon.
There was some screaming just then and they turned to see a Chihuahua Animalian running by, being chased by the sheep. "There's your evidence right there," said Malice.
It wasn't always down to breed. Some dog Animalians had a difficult time getting the sheep to listen to them. In one particularly notable incident, a Labrador and turned her back to the sheep to complain to Abby and Samson that the sheep weren't listening at all. However, one sheep decided that her backside made a particularly fine target. Before she knew it, the Labrador was rammed from behind and sent flying forward onto her front. The video featuring that quickly made its way to the internet and became quite popular.
But there were competitors who did pretty well. Sarah and Malice did reasonably well with the sheep, though their technique was a bit sloppy. But for some sheepdogs, like Kai the border collie, the sheep did pretty much what they wanted to do. Though not every shepherd there was a dog. Most notably, there was a pig Animalian who basically made the sheep follow him around quite docilely. When asked how he managed to do it, he said, "I don't smell like a threat to them. In fact, they see me and think I might have food with me. Sometimes the carrot is better than the stick."
The sheep-herding event wasn't a deciding factor towards who'll be crowned Mister/Miss Farmhand, but it did even out some odd and put other further ahead. But there was a lot more events before it would be decided.