Reflections of Jim

Jim has evolved into a protective lamb guardian.  He goes everywhere with them now.  When they were with the ewes, Jim did not give a whit if they were in another pasture without him.  Lately, if they move to another pasture to graze, Jim wigs out. 

Since he has been behaving himself I let him in the yard to graze with the lambs before I mow. 

Yesterday, Jim discovered the large glass door on the back of the house & his handsome reflection. 

Today, I had to clean the spit off the window. 

Quick Update & More Lamb Races

I am so tired I am not sure if I should scratch my watch or wind my butt.

Last night was traumatic.  We had to pull a massive lamb from a ewe with some type of stricture in the birth canal.  The ewe had been in labor for 36 hours and was exhausted.  The lambs were in distress, we were lucky to be there to help.  One leg was turned back.  I had to reach in and straighten it. It took both John and I pulling along with Monique on speaker phone trying to help out.  A combination of things finally worked, unfortunately the first ewe lamb died.  It's twin survived after a rough start.

Both the ewe and lamb are doing better this evening and it looks like both will make it.

The ewe lamb is a gorgeous black.  Mom is a Columbia Rambouillet.  The ram was a AI coopworth. It is my hope that this combination will make a good fleece for felting.   Unfortunately this ewe will have to be culled due to an abdominal hernia and the stricture in the birth canal. Unless I decide to keep her for working dogs.  I have not decided yet.  She is Maimie's twin.

This afternoon after we returned from lunch we arrived to find this...

Ruth is in the front with her twin lambs.  One ewe, one ram lamb.  The ewe behind by the big rock also had her lambs, another ewe & ram lamb.  The ewe in the back is the Border Leicester/coopworth ewe we almost lost to pregnancy toxemia last month. 

Both sets are doing fantastic.  Four large, healthy, vigorous lambs with excellent mothers.

Our stats so far:

14 ewes delivered, 8 more to go
16 ewe lambs
10 ram lambs
2 deaths at birth (1 ewe, 1 ram)
1 still born (dog attack)
2 sets of triplets
11 sets of twins
1 single
26 lambs to date

Now for more lamb races!  Just quick videos I shot with my iPhone.  Enjoy!

Video: Ewe Delivers Triplets

I shot this video when Maimie the Columbia/Rambouillet ewe was delivering her triplets.

If you are at all squeamish, do not watch this video.  It is graphic, contains blood, birthing fluids and shows the ewe eating the amniotic sac.

If you would like to witness birth in all its messy glory please proceed and enjoy.

She started out quickly.  The first lamb was a full breech presentation, butt first, which she actually delivered without intervention.  I stopped filming when I saw the first lamb might be hung up before she delivered the head.  Fortunately I did not have to intervene, the next contraction she successfully pushed it out without help.  The lamb was alert, up and nursing in minutes.  The second lamb was not filmed because I was checking her (internal exam).  If she had only a single I was going to graft one of the triplets from earlier in the day on to her - she did not look like she was carrying triplets - twins lambs was a surprise, triplets shocking.  After I checked her she popped out another, then I filmed the third. 

Terrible Plunger

I was cruising through my phone and forgot I shot this video while staying at Jaenne's in Idaho.

One morning we were getting ready to leave, while I was brushing my teeth, Bea & Brynn were exploring the bathroom.  Suddenly Brynn succumbed to terror  darted out of the bathroom, bashed into the wall, skidded into the bedroom and dove into Bea's crate. 

It took me a few minutes to figure out that she was terrified of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad plunger that was standing next to the loo.

I could not let an opportunity like this pass me by.  Brynn needed to make friends with the plunger and I needed to test out the video capabilities on my iPhone.  

Do you suppose if I took the plunger to the post at the next trial she might actually listen to my lie down whistle? Would that be considered a 'training aid' or not?

I wonder...

Why I Need a New Screen...

Hear birds in the cherry tree, go through window, birds leave...come back in the house, do it all over again. 

Guess I should look into getting a doggie door.

Working Brynn - Videos

For a while now I have been talking about how my demeanor on the field changes when I work Brynn.

As much as I yammer on about it you would think I would have 'gotten' it by now.

Thoughts, intentions & goals that get into my head and rattle around are notoriously slow in affecting change.  Change is a difficult thing.  Not unlike losing weight - easy to visualize & dream about - but when it comes to making the big step and changing your lifestyle by embracing a new pattern of living - it is a whole different ball of wax to go from thinking to doing.

My focus the last few weeks has been to figure out what my stress points are when working Brynn.  What causes me to get anxious & then telegraph that anxiety through my voice?    How am I  making her nervous, thus causing her to doubt me?

So I asked John to video two of our work sessions.   I have been hanging on to these videos the past few days because I am embarrassed to show them.  As much as I have harped on my goals and keeping the anger/anxiety out of my commands you would think I would be further along than I am. 

What a reality check these videos were for me.  I made annotations in the video - some of them may appear quickly and then disappear, stop the video to catch them if you are not able to read that fast.

Sorry for the poor quality - John was having a hard time holding the camera still.

At the beginning of this video I was happy with Brynn's lift, the fetch was offline & too fast, her driving was strange because for some reason she suddenly thinks 'lie down' means 'sit'.  But I am not going to argue with her about that nuance right now - because she is moving - her tendency is to get stuck driving & I am glad she is not doing that here.  That said, I should have ran up the field and corrected a few things - it is important to make sure she is working correctly.  However the goal of this video was to listen to ME and how I relay my anxiety and frustration through my voice. 

The video quality in this next one is even lower (blurry and very shaky) but you can get the gist.

Brynn starts out with a tight outrun an okay lift, fetch is offline and entirely too fast and then I make a major boo boo at the post and turn to watch her as she circles me - which only puts pressure on her.  We do a little bit of driving then work on putting the sheep into the pen (door open) all with inside flanks.  I was very happy with how she listened to me even though I was raising the tension level with my voice.  At the end she put the sheep in the pen and we celebrated.

She is a very good dog. 



And her handler is finally learning something.  Perhaps one day I will be the handler my dog deserves.

Puppy Fix - Video

It was dark in the room, I was giggling, the quality is questionable - I still had to share this video clip.

Bea and Brynn playing.  Culminating with Bea hiding under the couch, Brynn trying to get her out and Ranger being a boy. 

I loved the silhouette of Bea's tail flopping around under the couch, the snapping teeth, mini growls and of course Brynn's expression when she looked at Ranger in the end. 

Who needs TV? 

Sheep, Brynn & Videotape

Last weekend we went to a training 'trial' at Fido's Farm in Olympia.   A trail field was set up and sheep were held for you.  Your runs were timed and you could do anything you wanted in that time.  The panels were set up in as an open course.

It was extraordinarily helpful for showing me where our problems are.  When Dianne is here next weekend I will have a better idea what we need to work on.  I am sure she can get a handle on the issues with Brynn.  The issues with me, well that is whole 'nuther problem, which cant be fixed in a weekend of lessons.  It might require large doses of ADHD medication and a baseball bat - upside the head. 

For example:  The other day when I was working Brynn, Cindy brought it to my attention when I called her in for an inside flank I was not actually giving her a flank command.   Just saying "here Brynn, that'll do" then nothing after that.  Apparently Brynn is supposed to read my mind and know which direction I want her to flank.  She is that smart, don't you know.

Not.  Apparently, neither is her handler.

I know this a journey of time and miles.  I can look back on video's of me working Beth two years ago and really see the difference.  (Most obviously in the size of my back side.)  Truthfully, I am happy with how Brynn has continued to progress rather than slide back after she came home from Dianne. 

While the outrun/lift/fetch  has gone to hell in a hand basket her driving is moving along nicely.  The stickiness is fading and she is beginning to hold pressure and keep the sheep on line.  There is still some over flanking going on, we haven't quite grasped the idea of a small flank yet - but she is getting there.  With the progress in driving I have broken her 'lie down'.  I am supposed to use "stand" for driving, as opposed to 'lie down'.  Since I am handling impaired I continue to use "lie down" to get her to stop...and then when she doesn't I don't say anything.  I can't get mad at Brynn for my consistent error in communication - the broken 'down' is on me.   *sigh*    Even with all that I am still as happy as a pig in slop with her progress.  

I was wishy-washy this week about sharing this video - mostly because it isn't that great.  I clearly have some handling issues, my commands are late, off time or just plain wrong.  I am happiest with how Brynn is listening to me.  The flow has improved significantly.  She is nicely tucking the trailing sheep in and is starting to hold the pressure nicely.   What I am reminded of when I watch this is how very much she wants to please me, she is such an honest little baby dog.  

Please forgive the jumpy nature of the video - when it gets really hard to watch, just look away, I promise it does improve.

I love the entire journey I have been on with the dogs.  I never imagined myself standing in the middle of a field, with a big smile on my face, tears in my eyes while I watch a little dog move sheep around...experiencing that perfect moment, when I am at one with my dog ...where nothing else outside of the teamwork between myself and Brynn enters my mind.  Ahhhhh....perfect.

Footnote Giggle:  When previewing this video Brynn came running into the room, whined at me and raced to the back door.  I let her out and watched her run like a bat out of hell around the side of the house, and begin to frantically search for something in the back yard.  When she didn't find it she came running back into the door and dashed back into my office.  I followed her and found her front feet on my computer desk, her head tilted, looking at the speakers....she was trying to figure out where my voice and whistles was coming from - I giggled and giggled.

Do you have any idea how hard it is for me not to keep playing this video over and over again?  Oh, so hard indeed. 

Earplugs Anyone?

While going through scads of pictures files I found this little video.

We live 3 blocks from the Carbon River.  When we take the dogs down to the river for off leash runs it is easier and quicker to just pop them into the car than leash everyone up, grab the chuck it & tennis balls and manage walking 4 dogs to the river - without one of them wrapping the leash around my legs and dragging me down the road in front of the neighbors.  I am lazy like that, I like the car.  Besides I hate schlepping the leashes and crap around with me on the levee.

The dogs know exactly where they are going from the minute I put my shoes on.  Drives me nuts.

Evan shot this video ... this is a typical three block drive.   I giggle every time I watch it. 

 

Our First Trial - Rocky Ewe, Yelm WA

Well, we did it. We have our first official novice trail under out belt.

I believe I have said this before. It bears repeating. This sport is teeming with new and interesting opportunities to completely humiliate yourself.

Through the modern miracle of video I am sharing our experience.

Today I felt like a complete asshat. Then after watching the videos - I realized I am not a major asshat, only a minor one. I also think Beth is pretty darn cool and she is doing a remarkable job for a dog with an asshat for a handler.

Definition of Asshat: From the slang expression having one's head up one's ass, thus, wearing the ass as a hat. The term is extended to people who are clueless or bumbling, who don't understand what is going on.

I can see very clearly that I am screwing Beth up (we already knew that huh?). My timing is off and I am not communicating enough with her. She is running around so fast she is leaving my dim witted brain behind in the dust.

I need to have brakes installed on her - it would be nice to have a handy dandy remote control - ZAP - poof she stops! Think of the potential! Then my brain would have a chance to catch up - and I could once again remember which direction "AWAY" was.

Below is our first time to the post running Novice at the Rocky Ewe Trial in Yelm, WA today. We retired because we lost the sheep. More accurately - the sheep were running like hell as far away from us as sheepily possible. We had no point deductions on the outrun or lift. Three point deduction on the fetch due to the fast pace - we obviously got nothing on the pen and retired because we lost the sheep down the exhaust. Beth did follow them down the exhaust and tried like heck to get them back to me - but realized she was out of touch and came back. I was so happy to see her smiling face running back to her asshat (my new favorite word) handler.



Our second novice run the sky opened in a torrential downpour accompanied by thunder. Did I mention Beth is scared to death of thunder? Right before we went out on the field I was trying to keep her dry with my polar fleece vest.



When we were waiting our turn to the post she hid under the judges truck. Poor baby - she did not want to go out on the field. While standing at the post waiting for the sheep to settle at the set out - she looked up at me and I could see her calling me names. Asshat comes to mind.

When I sent her Beth went REALLY WIDE on the outrun. For a moment I thought she was going to run for the car. When she engaged again and rejoined planet earth she came in too tight on the top. The fetch wobbled & the pace was way to fast. We were able to get them settled before the pen, but I couldn't get Beth to lie down - she kept jumping up and was moving faster than my brain. We got three of the sheep into the pen, then Beth ran around the back and popped them out again. After several circles around I yelped "HELP" to the judge.

I am not sure why I quit. Why I yelped for help. I can replay it in my mind...and can't quite figure out why I quit instead of trying to get her settled and keep trying. I want to believe that I wanted to end it before it went too far south. Truthfully I think I started to panic...err, you know, freaking out.

The judge Diane Pagel responded to my cry for help and left the warm dry comfort of the truck and ran to the field and tried to help me get Beth under control and salvage the pen. It was too far gone at that point - Beth tried but the sheep were done and it was over.



Diane Pagel is a wonderful judge. She is very sympathetic and when the run goes badly she will take the time to help you transition from train wreck to training run & not just ask you to leave the field. I appreciated it tremendously. Thank you Diane! I am glad our first trial was with you!

I am so proud of Beth! This was a fantastic experience!

Kiddo vs Ranger

I love Ranger. I really do. But I feel terrible leaving him alone while we go herding with the other dogs. The poor boy...all alone in the back yard. Lazing about, watching the bugs fly by...chewing on his bone, enjoying the solitude. Wait, that sounds pretty darn good actually. Maybe he doesn't have it so bad?

The problem is our city will only allow me to have four dogs. If I am going to have more than that I need a kennel license. Taking in the occasion foster dog that pushes me above four dogs is okay because it is temporary and I do not need to obtain a kennel license.

We wont talk about what my husband will do to me if I keep another dog. He wanders around the house muttering "crazy dog lady" combined with unmentionable expletives enough already.

So, if I want to keep a dog I have to get rid of one.

Doesn't Kiddo look AWESOME in this video??? Who wouldn't want to keep this boy? I am in love. He is the spitting image of Beth. Please ignore the bumbling woman in the hideous shirt (I am going to burn that shirt tonight).

Seriously - those of you who have so much more experience than I in judging a puppy and their potential. What do you think?



Here is the big question.....Should I keep Kiddo and get rid of Ranger?

Who wants him? Any takers?

Ranger is not amused. He called me a "traitorous biatch" then ran out in the back yard.

"You don't love me anymore? I WILL SHOW YOU!"

"I am gonna stick my head in this hole until I smother to death."

"You will miss me when I am DEAD AND GONE!"

Brynn says "Hey Ranger, don't forget your ball!"

"Got it, now I am going to kill myself because Mom doesn't love me anymore."

Brynn says, "Uhhhhnnnn....Mom I don't think he is breathing!"

Its okay Ranger, you can pull your head out.

Awwwww...I cant get rid of this adorable face.

I feel an uncontrollable need to go to the butcher and buy the biggest meatiest bone I can find and give it to him.

Guilt is a powerful thing...and Ranger knows how to use it to his advantage.

Yep...how about some pig ears, raw meaty bones, my dinner, my dessert, breakfast...sure Ranger you can sleep in my bed too.

Cuz I love ya more than my luggage - you big dolt.

Tyler SAR Video

A couple of weeks ago I posted an update about one of our foster dogs Tyler who was adopted by Harry Oakes from K9SAR.






Here is a great video featuring both of his current dogs, Willow and Tyler. Both were adopted from Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue. Tyler is growing up so nicely and is obviously loved and happy.



SAR Dogs Video - Harry Oakes with Willow & Tyler on Better.TV



Enjoy!

Wonderful Weekend - Part 3 - Bonnie

As many of you know, I have been struggling with Bonnie over her little attitude problem. She can be sweet, loving and adorable however she has a bratty, snarky, mouthy attitude to rival any teenage delinquent.

One time we were going to let Bonnie approach sheep and she started this lunging. She would hit the end of the long line lunging at the sheep and flail about like a feral cat on a rope. She had no respect for the sheep or most importantly for me.

Bonnie needed to approach the sheep with the right attitude and respect for me - then she would earn her sheep.

Thus embarked Mission Obedience 101. Sit before going through the gate, wait until mom gets through the gate, then only when Bonnie has been invited may she proceed through same gate....etc. I enrolled Bonnie in beginning pet dog obedience and advanced obedience at Dog's World - where she passed wonderfully. She has a lovely heel & loose leash walk.

The last two weeks we have been working on a long line, walking about the pen. Following the sheep reading their behavior & letting Bonnie increase her confidence around them. She has learned she can move them without lunging and being crazy. She is still very much a pup, but this has been wonderful for increasing her confidence and control around the sheep.



We have had some moments of attitude & puppy behavior. "MOM, come on this is SO Boooorrrriiinnnngggggg, let go of the leash so I can eat them please?"



Slowly she learned a little bit of self control



You can almost see her epiphany "I can move them with my eye".



Bonnie has realized she has control over the sheep, but not me.

Finally - he planets aligned.

Saturday we took off the long line. I am happy to report that she did amazingly well.

She is watching me and responding nicely to pressure from the flag. She doesn't quite understand what the flag means yet, but she seems to get it most of the time.

She is giving me a nice respectful distance



The best thing....she is giving me lie downs! I cannot believe it! She will actually drop and lie down in the same pen with sheep!

The video below is last few minutes of the session (she was getting tired and much slower). I was impressed she remained so focused with the pens around us full of people. Remember this is the dog that was afraid of her own shadow and would fly off barking at a mere hiccup.



I am not going to work with Bonnie again until the Patrick Shannahan/Diane Deal Puppy clinic in Boise on May 3rd & 4Th. We are at the point that I need Patrick's direction and I do not want to do anything to screw her up from this point forward.

I am so proud of her!

Andy

Meet Andy. He is being fostered by Vicki, a friend of mine with PNW Border Collie Rescue. Andy is nine years old and looking for his forever home.

Vicki accompanies us on our river walks often and brings several of her dogs with her. Last week she brought Andy, one of her fosters. For some reason Andy caught the attention of a flock of birds. They followed him all the way down the river and back. He was enthralled by it all. I managed to capture it on video & then used it to put together his adoption video.

Enjoy! (The music is Dixie Chicks song called 'Lullaby' from the 'Taking the Long Way' album)



Please check out Andy's listing on www.pnwbcrescue.org. He is a very special boy.

Clinic Pictures & Scott Glen/Maid Video

I finally have the clinic pictures done. I was disappointed in how 99% of them came out. My camera does not have a good distance lense on it so many of them are grainy. Combined with the mist and rain - it reduced the quality even more. Oh well, it is, what it is. I have some favorites

This young dog had a long line on him to 'slow him down' a bit. Can you imagine him without it?

Toward the end of the clinic on Sunday afternoon all the girls were getting a bit punchy. Scott was looking a bit tired too. Every time he stopped he would lean against his stick. I wished I could have gotten a shot of the time he was leaning on it so hard it looked like it was going to snap in two. One of the other woman and I were joking about a possible herding stick accident & what type of injuries it may entail.



Do you suppose Fionn is loved?



I cant tell...I think he is neglected.



Chili was tired of being forced to just watch. He thought 'auditing' a clinic was just plain booooorrrrinnngggggg.

Mom, come on...the sheep are like right there, and I have to just sit here? Wassupwitdat?



Dude, this is like, so not cool....

Hiya, my name is Nan, don't hate me because I am beautiful.




The weather was icky and cold. Poor Beth was watching the action and shaking so hard I was worried teeth were going to rattle out of her head. We borrowed the coat Chris had been wrapping her Kelpie Rosie up in. Beth stopped shaking and was able to watch the sheep now in comfort if not style.



Beth says: "You call this style? I look like a cold border collie wrapped in dirty wind breaker. Must I suffer the indignity of you taking pictures now too? Get a life you wierd old woman."



You can see the rest of the clinic pictures here (the really crappy pictures are at the beginning - they do get a little bit better later)

Link to Fido's Farm Scott Glen Clinic Slideshow

And finally the best for last, a video of Scott working Maid. I asked Scott if I could film him and he said on one condition. If Maid didn't work well I had to delete it. When he was done - I asked him if he wanted me to delete it? He said, no, she did good. So now you can see what we saw - It was poetry for the eyes. Enjoy! (Sorry about the crappy videography. Again blame the cameraman).

Kibble Puzzle Toys

Our dogs rarely get something for nothing - meaning they need to work for their food. I try to use every opportunity for feeding as a chance to train and or keep their brains engaged. Which is why we love kibble puzzle toys!

The main rule for a puzzle toy in our house: It must be virtually indestructable & withstand the chewing it will get.

Our favorite puzzle toys are (right to left)



Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug - this one the dog needs to use a combination of problem solving skills to get their food. Beth is not as food driven as the other two - so this toy is boring for her. She just doesn't get into it like Bonnie will. Ranger likes it but I think he gets frustrated with it too. Bonnie loves this toy so much she hauls it around with her even after it is empty. If I give Ranger or Beth their food in this toy I need to maker sure to put Bonnie outside - because she will freak.

Busy Buddy Egg / Kibble Nibble - This is Ranger's favorite. It is easier to get the food out than the Tug-A-Jug but still keeps them busy. They have to roll the toy end to end to get it to dispense food. They figure this out pretty quickly. It is very durable and the dogs will try and play with it after their food is gone.

Canine Genius - This one is a hit for all the dogs, however it did not pass our durability test. As you can see in the picture - it is missing it's top - because Beth decided she wanted to try and chew the food out instead of rolling it around. Needless to say, this one is used under strict supervision.

Puzzle Ball - All the dogs love this one! However if I feed Beth in this toy she morphs into 'Ball Bonkers Beth' and tries to get me to throw it for her constantly (as seen in the video). If I leave the room she will get all of her food out of it. Bonnie and Ranger just roll it around until all the food is dispenses. It is very challenging and depending on the dog I can change the rate of kibble dispensed

The trick in our house for using these toys is to give the dog their toy in a separate room, then when they are done immediately put them away. If I do not do that I have guarding issues with Bonnie - she will take all the toys when they are empty. She then puts them in a big pile near her and tries to rip snouts off of any dog who comes near her. Bonnie can really be a Brat. *sigh*

I put together a goofy little video of the dogs working for their dinner. Enjoy!

Descent into Obsession

I think I am riding the slippery slope from hobby herder to obsessed herder. Yes, I have succumbed to the magical pairing of handler and dog. I wake up at night muttering "away", "go-by". I don't count sheep - rather I see them dashing through the field being trailed by little black dog.

Since Bonnie is still to young to train seriously I have been laying awake at night plotting ways to steal Beth from John. Perhaps getting rid of him entirely - so I can have her all to myself. Maybe that is going to far. I wonder if I would get Beth in a divorce? Hmmm...that is a possibility. On second thought, I wouldn't be able to afford the cost of the classes without his income. *sigh* That means I need to encourage him to work MORE overtime! Yeeehaaa! That'll do it!

Given this obsession I am heading down to Fido's Farm for more practice this afternoon and tomorrow. We won't be able to go Saturday, since we have a fantastic class through PNW Border Collie Rescue we are attending at Packworks

I finally got the video put together of me working with Beth last week. As you can see we are still beginning but things are starting to come together. She is much further ahead than me and we are working on our communcation. We had a few wobbly moments but in general they turned out okay. I would love to hear what you think of it...and any suggestions on things I may be missing or need to focus on.



And finally, just for Sheepkelpie over at I Love Lucy & Friends I put together a video of one of my first lessons with Chris Soderstrom and her Kelpie Rosie from December. (Due to the snow storms we were in the arena working).



Enjoy!

Thanksgiving, Turkey, & Oliver

Yesterday we loaded all the dogs up and drove 3 hours to Everson, WA to visit my parents. The dogs had a great time! My parents have a large tree farm behind their 'farm' where everyone had several good runs and exploring. The neighbors have sheep - so we had some fun with that too! (shhh...don't tell the neighbors)

Since we didn't cook dinner this year we were both missing the left overs - so John went to Safeway last night after we got home and bought a turkey. I wasn't expecting him to find much...but he came home with a 22 pounder! So we are cooking a huge turkey today! Leftovers anyone?

Oliver our new foster dog is doing wonderfully! The first night he was here he snuggled with me on our bed all night. He was a bit scared and didnt want to sleep in his crate. Who can blame him, he has been shuffled around quite a bit over the past few weeks. He now is sleeping through the night in his crate and he is 100% house trained! What a good dog ... someone is going to get a magnificent dog when they adopt him!

Here is a link to Oliver's listing on the rescue page. http://www.pnwbcrescue.org/show_bio.php?ImageSize=2&DogId=2709" (can someone please tell me how to get links to show up on this silly blogger??)

This is what Oliver looked like when he was first picked up in Oregon next to a freeway (they suspect he had been dumped)

This is Oliver today!

I made a little video of him too!



He has such a sweet face! I love to kiss him on the head. He has a nice big meaty head which is just perfect for hugs!



His first foster mother is the one who brought him through the worst of it. He had pneumonia, was emaciated with a horrible skin condition. Lane County, OR Animal Shelter saw the potential in Oliver and chose to give him a second chance at life (THANK YOU) and was put into foster care. Oliver had been adopted by another family then returned. They said it was because he was 'agressive' when he 'air-snapped' at the mother. No matter how much rescue tried to explain to them that it was somewhat typical border collie behavior - she didn't care - the family returned Oliver after only being in his new home for about a week. *sigh*

All the better for the family that chooses to adopt Oliver! There isn't an agressive bone in this dog's body.





What am I thankful for? My health, my husband, my children & family...and of course my dogs. My life would be sad, lonely and empty without any of you.

Sanity Prevailed

Yesterday we journeyed to 378 miles round trip to George, WA. We stopped to see the Wild Horse Monument near the Columbia. Very cool spot looking down on the Columbia. I think this may be the goofiest picture of John ever.

John and I met Nikki, an amazing woman who has been doing border collie & aussie rescue for over 10 years. Tre was cute as a button.
Ranger, Beth and Bonnie really seemed to like him. He got along with them quite well (in the limited amount of time we spent with him). He really is a lovely little dog. If I had my way, I would have brought him (and Donald) home with me, but sanity prevailed (much to my husband's relief).

This is Donald. In the few minutes I spent with him and the chaos of all the dogs swarming Donald was able to focus on me, treats and clicker in hand. He is one sharp cookie! He would make a lovely agility partner. He was just a little to wild and wooley for our pack.

I dont want to adopt another dog just because I lost Katie. Adopting another dog on impulse it the worst think anyone can do. As much as I loved Tre... and as much as I wanted to bring him home - I didn't. We are going to think about it until after we get back from Texas next week. If I feel I cannot live without him, and I am positive that his addition to our family is the best thing for everyone then I will adopt him. If I have any second thoughts - then Tre will make someone else a wonderful loving companion. He really is a lovely dog.

Being cooped up in the car yesterday seems to have taken its toll on the pups. This morning I made the grave mistake of leaving them in the house while I took a shower. I really should have know better...

I came down stairs to this..., "Uh...Ma, you dont look like you are happy to see me..."

The debris surrounding him happens to be what remains of the super jumbo size box of Swiffer Dusters.



Ranger said Bonnie made him do it.

Bonnie said it was a herd if wild monkeys.

Bonnie's Spay Day

This morning Bonnie is getting spayed. It was difficult to go back to the vet just a few days after saying good bye to Katie.

Beth and Ranger dont seem to want to be out of each other's sight. Maybe they think they will disappear next? This weekend was very hard. The dogs have been out of sorts. I cant say they miss Katie, then again I cant say they don't. Perhaps they are playing off my mood?

This weekend Ranger did some awesome stuff with herding. We were moving sheep from one pasture to another through the gates. He had it in minutes. He is so gentle with the stock it is amazing. At one point one of the sheep fell over then got stuck on his back. Therewas the sheep flat on his back four feet pointing straight up in the air - Ranger standing over him - looking at him with a perplexed 'WTF' look on his face. I wish I would have had my camera. It was priceless. Needless to say we rolled him back over and off he went.

We gave Bonnie another teaser with the sheep. She was totally turned on! We kept the drag line on her just on the off chance she went 'alligator' on the sheep. She was a bit snappy, but backed off nicely. She remained engaged through the whole session. Much better this month than her last one with Karen Child. Puppies are so funny...you truly cannot judge them at this age.

Here is a link to the latest video of her on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHTW3hUIOoQ

Beth continues to come along nicely. John had another session with Karen Child last weekend and they just continued to work on 'traingles' and long gathers. Beth is completely healed from her run in with the fence. Altho she seems to be one of the most accident prone dogs I have ever seen. This weekend one of the sheep jumped then landed on her full on its side. Knocked the wind right out of her, but she learned to keep her distance a bit. She is also learning some patience in the field. Below she is waiting patiently while John talks to Chris. What a good girl...three months ago she wouldnt have this type of restraint that close to the sheep. John and Beth make such a wonderful team. Pictures like this just melt my heart every time I look at them. Beth simply adores him...something tells me the feeling is mutual.