NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Especially this time of year, professional mowers like Jeannette Blankenship earn every penny. "There is no — I can’t come out because it’s too hot. I mean it's what your job is," she said.
But even though she's ready for any time of yard, there are still some assignments she has absolutely no interest in. Count the Cumberland River Greenway on the MetroCenter levy as one of them. "In some areas it’s very wide, in some areas it’s very narrow," explained Sonia Allman, spokesperson for Metro Water. The department is required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to mow the levy so engineers can know it's still stable.
Allman says Metro, in years past, has struggled to staff mowing the levy. "It can’t be done with mowers, it had to be done by manual labor. So we had crews out here with weed eaters and hand tools trying to clear this 3-mile levy," said Allman.
So a few years back, they came up with a solution: to replace mowers with... munchers.
"Definitely strange to see," said Nicole Debiase, a walker on the greenway.
"Am I awake, am I still sleeping, dreaming?" said Joanne Hambler, another Greenway visitor. "I am shocked to see sheep. Shocked."
It's shocking until you consider that the sheep can easily eat where tractors and weed whackers can't easily reach. Managing these little natural landscapers is Zach Richardson. "Four-legged lawnmowers, yea. Can’t beat them," joked Richardson. "This is the life of an Urban Shepard, yea, watching a lot of sheep."
Every couple of days, Zach moves his flock to a different section of the greenway, which requires special assistance. "Dougie is the brains of the operation," he said.
And it doesn't take long to see why. Dougie follows Zach's spoken and whistled commands, which in turn, moves the sheep down the greenway to their next grassy section. "He is the million-dollar tool," explained Richardson.
If Dougie is the brains, Zach's other dog Dolly is the muscle. "Dolly, think of her like the sheep’s secret service. She’s with them 24/7. She was born with the flock," said Richardson.
But that also means as cute as Dolly may look, she's not been raised to be warm and cuddly. "Her job is to just ward off any potential threats, whether it be dogs off-leash, coyotes, mischievous people. Which, knock on wood, people are good so I’m not worried about that," he said.
Dolly's passion for her work is something photojournalist Jordan Powell learned firsthand. Anytime our intrepid photojournalist got a little too close to the herd, Dolly didn't hesitate to bark at him to get back. "He’s a friend, not foe," Richardson reminded Dolly.
While it may be a two-dog operation, it's just a one-man show. That means Richardson is out at the gerenway every day, checking in on the sheep and feeding Dolly. "Every day. 24/7, 365," said Richardson. "Every day, there’s no such thing as a vacation."
But if you couldn't already tell, he loves his job. "It’s hardwired into all of us to enjoy seeing animals work and doing what they’re meant to do," explained Richardon.
Nashville taxpayers should love Zach's job too. Hiring Zach and "The Nashville Chew Crew" saves the city thousands of dollars. "We were paying over $197,000 for crews to manually trim and cut this down," explained Allman. "These sheep actually do it for $70,000 a year."
Not bad considering they work overtime, weekends, and holidays. "Every now and then you hear a bahh, but other than that, they work really well," Allman joked.
Sure, it may always be a strange sight and an unconventional choice, but the idea is even growing on the competition. "Actually, I think it’s awesome. I really do," said Blankenship, the professional mower. "Nashville’s got plenty of grass all of us out there to grow."
