# Shepherds Staff: Why the hook? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2007, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061 "2007-12-23T22:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/21 "2007-12-25T17:51:17Z")
Anywho, back to the hook. When I was real little there were Basque sheep herders around that would drive their flocks thru town once in a while. (Thousands of sheep _everywhere_.) For everyday driving, they had just a walking stick. (The dogs, usually border collies, did all the work.) A hook like stick would be used when working the sheep in pens and loading them onto trucks and RR cars. Never witnessed a shearing but I bet they used them then too. I wonder if they use cattle prods nowadays? ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/22 "2007-12-25T21:21:21Z")
I bet that someone on the Boards knows the answer but is too sheepish to say it. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/23 "2007-12-26T02:23:15Z")
The shear abundance of puns in this thread has fleeced the OP of his deserved answer. Now go to your corners and mewl over what you’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/24 "2007-12-26T02:51:53Z")
Boy the punsters are really flocking to _this_ thread, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/25 "2007-12-26T18:03:28Z")
A goat’ll do that… wait,what? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/26 "2007-12-26T18:06:22Z")
Woo, these puns are really baa-a-a-a-a-a-d. ---
**Author:** ![Sockmunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Sockmunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmunkey)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061/27 "2007-12-27T14:03:37Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] This whole thread is much ado about mutton. [/QUOTE] Ha! Best one so far. In some areas the sheperds used stilits to keep up with the flock over broken/muddy ground and used the staff as a third leg/stool when at rest. > **[Stilt Walkers](http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2006/12/stilt-walkers.html)** > > Shepherd resting on stilts, knitting. Undated. Young woman helping a boy walk on stilts. Undated. Tradecard 1875. Satirical cartoon about th... IMHO the best reason for the end of the staff to be curved over. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepherds-staff-why-the-hook/431061.md?page=1)