A seasoned firefighter, resentful that a political hack was named fire chief, goes to the mayor and asks how he can become chief. The mayor says, "Get me a sheep, and I'll make you fire chief, for the rest of your life, starting tomorrow." The firefighter didn't want to know why the mayor wanted a sheep, but if it would get him promoted to fire chief, he didn't really care. Next door to the station was a huge sheep ranch, so the firefighter went there. He met the shepherd in the field, tending his flock. "Those are nice sheep," the firefighter stated. "They should be," the shepherd said, "they're worth $5,000.00 a head." The firefighter was amazed, undaunted, he wanted to get a sheep, but what was the sense of paying five grand to get promoted? "I tell you what," the firefighter suggested, "If I can guess how many sheep you have, can I have one?" The shepherd agreed and the firefighter made his guess, "Four hundred and forty-three." The farmer was amazed, that's exactly how many sheep he had in this particular pasture. The firefighter went into the flock to collect his prize. The farmer stopped him and said, "If I can guess what you do, will you give me back the sheep?" The firefighter agreed, to which the farmer proudly stated, "You're a professional firefighter." "You're right," said the fireman, "How'd you know?" To which the farmer replied, "Put the dog down and I'll tell you."