Stupid smart sheep

So I've been told sheep are smart. Well I'm just not sure whether they are so stupid that they have us fooled they are smart or so smart they have us believing they are stupid??
 
So it 37 {friggin pants on fire} degrees outside and the three Dorper {breed of sheep} musketeers decide to go on a farm side adventure. They duck under a few fences, visit a few well known tree lines for some shade, stop by the cows for a chinwag. - this all takes place over the course of a few hours just to mess with my day.
THEN they spot it! 
The green grass just the other side of the fence. 
Right next to.... 
The road side.

Great

Bloody

Great

Now I actually have to intervene.

So here's the problem:

1. I'm already 200m behind the three sheep.
2. The paddock they need to return to is where they are clearly going to be hijacking it from once they catch sight of me.
3. Another 200m down the road and there is a school (public embarrassment or help, not sure which?).
4. The road also splits into a fork.
5. I'm wearing gumboots, so can't run in these...
6. Frig squeak is at home with no idea I've bailed outside and taken off down the road (surely farmers do this kind of thing all the time right???)

So anyway long story short we stare it off. The leader makes a dash for it and takes the other two. Then stops giving me a false hope that we might come to some agreement over this little misunderstanding.
I take off my boots, realise the road will scorch my feet, so put my boots back on. the Dorpers {or DORKers as they are known by in our household} hear kids at the school and are distracted enough for me to get just past them enough to shoo them back up the road towards the house. 

The little buggers then speedily gap it under the fence and back into their own paddock like they have been there all along. Seriously.mad.right.now.and.hot.and.mad.

By the time I arrive back, dripping in sweat, they are happily drinking from their trough and I scowl
"don't worry boys it's gonna be much cooler where I have planned for ya".

Bloody sheep! If I didn't have the right to feel yuck with a migraine already I can tell you it's a double O for awesome now!