missing dog

[Guest Bart]

I was out with my sheep letting them graze with my 1.5 year old BC. The sheep started to drift away and found a way to get to the horse ranch next door to where I was grazing. I could see them and they were in one of the alley ways between the horse corrals and a 3 rail fence. It was pretty narrow so I hesitated about sending the dog because I didn't want to create havoc and I thought the gates were open at the ranch next door and my sheep would exit on their own to their other pasture where the rest of my sheep were grazing. I could see the sheep getting close to the gate so I sent the dog thinking he would drive them back to the other pasture. He got them turned around and was heading them back to me when they went behind the hay stack. I realized I needed to get down there pronto and started running down the street to get them through the gates and out of trouble.

I got down there and there were all 6 sheep waiting patiently for someone to open the gate and let them out. Expecting to see the dog holding them at the gate I was about to congratulate myself on having a really smart dog. But there was no dog around. I whistled a few times but no dog. The sheep were looking for the dog and so was I when out of the creek came my BC all wet and ready to take the sheep back. He knew there was a creek at this location but never had to move the sheep at this ranch. What just happened?