Animals and breeds are not just categories of livestock; they are living relationships shaped by land, work, and long histories of human care. The resources gathered here explore that relationship from many angles — breed lineage and development, the daily practice of shepherding, animal behaviour and nutrition, practical health and husbandry, and the ways animals live in story, memory, and culture. Together, they reflect an understanding of livestock not as units of production, but as co-workers and fellow inhabitants of working landscapes.

Breed History and Lineage

“Publication of the Surtees Society, Matthew and George Culley, Farming Letters 1798-1804”; Edited by Anne Orde; Boydell Press, 2006
“Robert Bakewell of Dishley: Farmer and Livestock Improver”; David L. Wykes; AgHR 52 I, p. 38-55
“Sheep Raising in Central Alberta and A Comparison of Six Breeds” (archived); F.H. Reed, L.T. Chapman; Dominion of Canada, Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 68, 1928
“Robert Bakewell (1725-1795), pioneer animal breeder, and his influence on Charles Darwin”; Roger J. Wood; University of Manchester, 1973
“Highlights of Sheep History in the Canadian West”; Grant MacEwan; Alberta Sheep and Wool Commission, 1991. See Also: Land and Place, Western Canadian Prairie History
“DLS and Arcott Sheep, New Canadian Breeds”; M.H. Fahmy, J.N.B. Shrestha; Agriculture Canada, 1993

Shepherding as Practice and Way of Life

“English Pastoral”; James Rebanks; Allen Lane, 2020
“A Shepherd’s Life”; W. H. Hudson; Okitoks Press, 2017
“The Art and Science of Shepherding, Tapping the Wisdom of French Herders”; Edited by Michel Meuret and Fred Provenza; Acres, USA, 2014
“Sweetgrass”; Directed by Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, 2009; Synopsis: An unsentimental elegy to the American West, Sweetgrass follows the last modern-day cowboys to lead their flocks of sheep up into Montana’s breathtaking and often dangerous Absaroka-Beartooth mountains for summer pasture. This astonishingly beautiful yet unsparing film reveals a world in which nature and culture, animals and humans, vulnerability and violence are all intimately meshed.

Animal Behaviour, Nutrition and Lived Ecology

“Nourishment, What Animals Can Teach Us About Rediscovering Our Nutritional Wisdom”; Fred Provenza; Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018

Husbandry, Health and Practical Care

“Sheep Husbandry in Canada” (archived); published by the authority of Hon. W. R. Motherwell, Minister of Agriculture, Government of Canada, 1924
“The Sheep Book, A Handbook for the Modern Shepherd”; Ron Parker; Ohio University Press, 2001
“Keeping Livestock Healthy”; N. Bruce Hanyes, D.V.M.; Storey Publishing, 2001
“Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep, Breeding, Care, Facilities”; Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius; Storey Publishing, 2009
“Veterinary Parasitology, Reference Manual, 5th Edition”; William J. Foreyt; Iowa State University Press, 2001

Sheep and Other Working Species

“Goats, Sheep and How They Live”; Marie M. Jenkins, drawings by Matthew Kalmenoff; Holiday House, NY, 1978
“The Alpaca Breeding Book”; Dr. K.D. Galbraith; Walnut Creek Publishing, 2013

Animals in Culture, Story and Memory

“The Lambs, My Father, a Farm and the Gift of a Flock of Sheep”; Carole George; Thomas Dunne Books, 2018
“Woolly West, Colorado’s Hidden History of Sheepscapes”; Andrew Gulliford; Texas A&M University Press, 2018
“Counting Sheep”; Philip Walling; Profile Books, 2015

Animal Law and Welfare

Animal welfare in Canada is shaped by a combination of federal criminal law, provincial enforcement, industry Codes of Practice, and international market expectations. The resources below provide legal, academic, and policy perspectives on how Canadian frameworks compare with other jurisdictions — particularly the European Union.

Health of Animals Regulations – enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and form part of the statutory framework that defines basic legal protections for animals in agriculture and commerce.
Canadian Criminal Code Animal Cruelty Provisions – federal offences related to animal cruelty, including causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal, as well as neglect or abandonment in certain circumstances. These provisions establish the baseline criminal standard for animal protection across the country and apply to all animals, including those used in agriculture. Enforcement is carried out through the criminal justice system.
For a plain-language breakdown of how these provisions are interpreted and applied in court, please see Animal Cruelty (Offence), The Criminal Law Notebook
Canadian CFIA Regulations – Humane Transport and Animal Welfare, July 9, 2025, Government of Canada
“Animal Welfare Laws in Canada and Europe”; Elaine L. Hughes, Christiane Meyer; PDF.Published through an animal law research repository, this paper offers a comparative analysis of Canadian and European animal welfare legislation, examining how each legal system balances animal protection with economic and agricultural interests.
Canadian Codes of Practice – These are the official Codes of Practice for farm animals in Canada. While not statutory law in themselves, these Codes are referenced in enforcement and embedded within many provincial regulatory systems.
“Concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes;” PDF, Official Journal of the European Communities, 1998 – The European Union regulates farm animal welfare through binding directives that apply across member states. These include general welfare requirements for farmed animals, as well as specific rules governing transport, slaughter, and housing systems. Member countries may implement stricter national standards, but all must meet the minimum requirements set out in EU law.
Animal Protection Index – ranks countries’ animal welfare laws and policies objectively, including Canada and EU nations. This provides a structured framework for comparing national animal welfare legislation across jurisdictions.
Paw and Order – This is Canada’s first animal law podcast, hosted by legal experts including Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff (University of Alberta, one of the country’s foremost experts when it comes to animals and the law). It covers current animal law issues in Canada and often features legal discussion about enforcement, court decisions, and legislative reform.
“Animal Welfare: How a lack of transparency in Canadian slaughterhouses is keeping us in the dark”; The Conversation; Sarah Berger Richardson, Daphnée B. Ménard, University of Ottawa, March 2026

Further Resources:
Our Hen House – Features interviews with legal scholars and policy experts discussing current developments in animal law, including European welfare frameworks.