Looks like reindeer but border collie ready to round up sheep

Salomo Näkkäläjärvi, 60, and his trusty companion, Tafie, take One Man and His Dog to the extreme by herding the iconic animal over a huge 1,100 square mile area in Lapland.

But now eight-year-old Tafie and her master are leaving the frozen surroundings of the Lemmenjoki National Park and stepping out of their comfort zone to take part in something a bit more expected of a border collie, this time in the green pastures of Cumbria.

Father-of-two Salomo is a member of the Sámi – Europe’s northernmost Arctic indigenous people – who are renowned reindeer herders, often spending weeks and even months away from their families to tend the reindeer, which are raised for their meat, hides, antlers, and even for milk and transportation.

But while most of his kin use modern-day snowmobiles to herd their animals, Salomo is one of the only people in the country to use the traditional method.

Salomo is from the small historical reindeer herding village of Lisma, which is 90km from the nearest village.

He and Tafie regularly travel more than 25,000 km a year to attend sheep dog trials throughout Scandinavia but this year their travels will see them arrive in Cumbria for the World Sheep Dog Trials next month as a member of the Finnish team.

While far away from their native land, their reindeer, and the wolverines and wolves they have to contend with, Salomo and Tafie will have to be content with a small flock of sheep.

They will battle with dog handlers from around the globe for the “top dog” title at the 2011 World Sheep Dog Trials in Penrith, which runs from September 15-18.