I'm neither a soldier nor an officer of the law, and yet I consider myself a sheepdog. In my opinion, the essence of being a sheepdog is not in your profession, but in your character. It's a question of how you will respond when the rights and privileges that you hold dearest come under assault. It's not even a question of whether or not you are law-abiding, it's whether or not you are willing to defend and die for your principles when exercising them becomes contradictory to the law or common approval. I grant that the sheepdog allegory is not a perfect one, but it's close enough to pass the common-sense test, and that's good enough for me.