Ep 16. Animal Barber

The show Dirty Jobs is a reality series that documents the daily working life of various blue-collar occupations across America. Season 4 episode 16, titled Animal Barber, takes viewers to a unique job site where we see a new kind of grooming specialist at work.

Hosted by Mike Rowe, the show opens with him introducing the audience to the rugged terrain of South Dakota's Black Hills. Against the breathtaking backdrop of hills, Mike greets an introduced audience to 'LL' Bishop, a fourth-generation rancher who's also a trained 'animal barber'.

The episode title 'Animal Barber' refers to the specialized job role of shearing and grooming animals like sheep, goats, rabbits, and alpacas. With more than three thousand sheep, Bishop's ranch is a booming business, and Mike is excited to learn more about the art of animal grooming from the expert himself.

Mike is given a quick run-through of the animal barn and how they keep the animals healthy. Mike then meets Bishop's trusted assistants, all of whom have been trained in the art of grooming these animals. The team then begins their day, starting with the morning chores of feeding and cleaning up after the animals.

Bishop explains to Mike that grooming sheep is more involved than just a mere haircut. Sheep's wool needs to be trimmed carefully, with different areas requiring different trimming techniques. With 3000 sheep to groom, focusing on one sheep at a time will take too long. Instead, Bishop and his team have adopted a time-efficient shearing technique that requires a whole lot of finesse, which Mike is about to get a firsthand experience of.

The team ambles around the field, running after the sheep and barking instructions. The sheep are then herded into a pen and pushed towards the "chute," which is a system Bishop built around the barn to make the shearing process easier. Mike is amazed as the team starts separating the sheep to put them in 'holding pens' to prep for their haircuts.

Bishop directs Mike to one of the pens to help shear the sheep. Mike, being the affable host he is, doesn't shy away from getting his hands dirty. He gets on the board and starts shearing away the wool from the back of the sheep with an electric hand shearer.

Mike has a fun-spirited banter with Bishop while they work together in the pens. Bishop informs Mike that shearing can be a dangerous job, and novice shearers like Mike need to be extra cautious while handling the animals. The team also ensures that none of the animals is hurt in the process, ensuring that their welfare is maintained.

As the day progresses, Mike helps Bishop and his team shear and groom the sheep. Bishop takes Mike through each of the techniques for grooming each animal and shares the intricate details of grooming different types of wool such as alpaca wool, which is much softer and finer than sheep's wool.

Towards the end of the episode, Mike gets to see the end product of Bishop's hard work. We see the happy sheep, with their coats-looking clean and fluffier than ever. Bishop shows Mike some of the wool that is sheared and explains the process of tanning the wool to make it usable as a fiber.

Mike concludes the show with his delight and admiration for the world of 'animal barbering,' which he felt was an underappreciated and unknown job for the general public. He jokes that he might start his own "shepherd's hut" but quickly debunks that silly idea.

The episode 'Animal Barber' is an excellent tribute to the incredible work that goes into grooming and perfecting these animals' wool. It educates viewers on the intriguing world of animal grooming and how much care and attention is given to maintain each animal's well-being. Thanks to Bishop and his team, viewers get an insight into a world that many may not even know exists.