Sounds Like Life to Me.....

They say that life is a Country Western song....and recently, I would agree. My life is being sung by Darrly Worley...."Sounds like life to me, plain old destiny. Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty"

It all started when Kathy Knox told me to put Nell up for a while....."give her some time off" and "now would be a great time to breed her"...said lovingly (I'm sure) to this OCD person who works dogs every day. Knowing that Nell would never come into heat...ever....I decided to buy a young girl to put some time on...take some pressure off Nell while keeping me busy. I am a better person when kept busy!

Introducing L&M Belle (who I call Bella because Nell and Bell just did not work!) Yep, that's right....she came with the "gift with purchase" option....just like a great Clinique promo! I wondered when she went off food......thought she might be stressed.....then she started puking in the car.....never have had a motion sensitive dog....but then she started "developing" and a vet friend palpated a couple "gifts" and my vet confirmed with an ultrasound. Not that time would not have told the truth of the matter!

Five beautiful baby girl pups......Bella the proud mom! Here is one pup the day she was born.....they grew....and grew.....

and they grew......now they are three weeks old today. Cuter than baby's butts and little lambs! Eyes are open....they are growling and playing and....well, I am sure life is going to get just a little more complicated here in the coming weeks!Time to make some lemonade......and my shameless promotion.

For sale: 4 ABCA border collie females from a litter by L&M Belle (Laura Hick's Nell X Michelle Howard's Imp Moss) X Deltabluez Caden (Diane Pagel's Tess X DelMar Scott). All are black and white and should be lightly rough coated. Belle is CEA DNA Normal and preliminary hip x-ray looked very good. DOB 10/11/09

These pups have tremendous breeding behind them. Laura Hick's Nell is the mother of Tommy Wilson's Sly (5th place at the 2009 USBCHA finals),Laura Hick's Jag, Diane Pagel's Nan while Michelle Howard's Imp Moss is the father of Scott Glen's Maid (10th place at the 2009 USBCHA finals) and is out of Henderson's ##Sweep; DelMar Scott is a grandson of Bobby Dalziel's ##Wisp while Diane Pagel's Tess 3rd dog to get ROM through ABCA and placed 6th in the nursery finals in 2001. For more information, please contact me at lora@rockingdogranch.com Located in Oregon.

I do believe these girls are going to make really nice working dogs! They certainly have the genetic make-up and are being raised to be well rounded dogs.

Off to clean up the puppy room and get my puppy-breath fix!

Seize the day!!!!!

Better Than Christmas......Really!

I've confessed I am OCD.....and that I have waited all summer for Nell to come into heat. My false proclamation of her being in heat and almost starting my trip to Missouri in early July....will go down in the history books of my friends as something to tease me about forever! In fact, I had sort of given up on poor Nell, thinking she must have some "female issue" and that she would never come into heat....ever! And then....miracles of Mary....she came into heat at the finals! Indeed....confirmed by all my nay-saying friends. Conveniently, Kathy Knox was right there with room to fly Nell home with her and so Nell went to Camp Knox. I won't talk about that fact that I sent my young, sweet (okay maybe not sweet) innocent girl to an old man who has children all over the continent. I'll briefly breeze over Kathy asking if Nell has any bad habits....me saying no...and then getting the call that Nell was practicing by herself on the young weaner lambs, sneaking under the gate to do so! The day finally came....my friends Cheryl and Lorri (plus Cheryl's husband who is my friend but won't admit it) flew out to the Knox trial and were willing to bring Nell home with them...if there was room on the plane!

I got the call at 7:30 in the morning....Nell was on the plane.....considering it is a 3 1/2 hour flight and a 4 hour drive for me....I jumped in the van and was off.....

I got to the SeaTac in the nick of time.....the plane from Kansas City was 30 minutes early....and I hit rush hour traffic in Portland. What a sight...there was Cheryl, and my Nell....who found me and just stared at me through her crate.....staring without a wag or whine. Man oh Man I missed that dog. I put her in the van and headed to Fido's Farm....where we took a long walk and then.....

we worked sheep! It was like she never left...but then she was more responsive...so the good was still there....but the pushing on me was softer....the month off was a good thing!

Yesterday was day 24 from the her last rendezvous with Jake.....so I took her to the vet to have a little lookie lou.....I was never one to wait till Christmas to open my gifts....ever. (Sorry, Mom, it's true...I got very good at re-wraps). The ultrasound was amazing.....6 tiny little nothings!!!!! This was so much better than Christmas. I asked the vet to sex them.....okay, just kidding but I am so excitedly over the moon. My Nell is having Jake puppies......

Seize the day!!!!!!!!

The Finals.....from a different view

I think I have recovered...maybe! Helping put on the 2009 USBCHA Finals was such a wild ride......better than Disneyland....surrounded by friends, border collies (a couple of shelties), sheep......what more could a woman want....other than to run my very own dog IN the competition. So, I thought I would share my view of the finals......

Here the first campers pulled in....I do believe that is the Helsley family and friends!

The trial committee met to discus the layout of the field......amazing how many top hats it took to make decisions....and how they all came to one conclusion.....only those on the committee would know!
This was my "home away from home" during the daylight hours. It was formally called the "information" tent. Not exactly sure how informative we were....those of us residing there day after day....but the view was great!

The set out pens were amazing! Designed by Ellen Skillings....they made the wrangling job so much more user friendly. On Monday, those in charge of the sheep.....kindly showed the girls around their diggs and gave them encouragement to "get used to it" sistas!The girls were released....four by four...and allowed to check out the field....grazing on the newly harvested alfalfa...what a treat!
And then.....it was on to the main event! You can barely see the fetch panels in the middle of the field....but this was taken from the set out looking back at the whole affair......What an amazing trial! I had no idea what all happens to put on an event like this.....and I was amazed at what a fabulous group of people pulled together to make it happen. Throughout the week, I did indeed get to see a few runs......but by Sunday....I went on strike and watched every single run...taking notes and dreaming of years to come! How does one put into words the beauty of the working border collie? I've left that to the other bloggers who covered the runs so eloquently.....as for me, for once, I have been left speechless!

Seize the day

I am honored to share in "priceless"

A friend of mine has a retired open trial dog named Kris. Kris was injured working cows at the age of 2 1/2...that injury resulted in the loss of one of her back legs. Kris ran open...three legged! until the age of 8 when she went to retire into her current home. My friend continued to trial Kris at smaller field trials running pro novice. Kris LOVED it. But now Kris is 13+.......and time has taken its toll on her physical and mental health. This spring found Kris unable to get out of bed.....and my friend...being the person she is.....bought this dog one of those "chariots". Diligently, the summer has been spent getting Kris back in shape......and Friday......Kris came out to work sheep for the first time in years! This feels like a MasterCard commercial....the end result being PRICELESS!

Seize the day, Kris!!!!!

Read it and weep!!!!

Let me tell you all about Cedarville! First...it is a LONG drive to get there! I swung by Tulelake to pick up Geri...and we were off and running.

The fair that hosts the Cedarville Sheepdog Trial is about the size of a pebble......
Justin agreed to show me the squeeze chute and how to use it, amazingly one handed...as he is protecting his fresh kettle corn in the other hand!I found some of the pistol packing outlaws that have been allowed to run in the Cedarville Sheepdog Trail. They were trying out the Basque BBQ, telling lies, and trying to intimidate the new blood!

More outlaws with their dogs.....although the gal in the pink is just an apprentice outlaw....she might be too nice to run with this renegade crowd. Note the gal in the red is hiding her secret weapon....with good reason!

You have to stand in this circle and run the sheep around the course. It was time and points...meaning points for each sheep going through an obstacle and the fastest team wins....not a whole lot of "finesse" going on!

Then there were heckling blokes like this fellow....who removed his old buckle preparing for his new buckle before he even ran! And then...there was this.........the coveted buckle!
My girls ran good......Nell got some very uncooperative sheep that were the same way their run before. She was a good girl....not biting although she really really really wanted to! I wanted to as well! Snook did a nice job too....I just could not get the sheep to run where they were supposed to.....and well, what can I say. Geri won the goods above....the buckle she won in the ranch class (the one I competed in) with her secret weapon.....Meg...whom she has had a whoppin month.....go figure. And then she won the trailer loading contest which payed out cold hard cash......and a new collar for Jim to sport. I tried to make her walk home but she soothed my wounds by letting me hold her buckle! Oh and also.....she gave me unlimited time with these new friends.....

I think I am in love. Sweet puppy breath! I do believe I could have one of these pups ready for the never competed before class in 2010.....hmmmmm.....

I am now off to buy me some fine wooled ewes......I am going to practice for next year........

Seize the day!

Sheepdoggin' Lesson Number 5,689....or so

I probably spend too much time thinking up the title to each of my blog entries. This time titles came to mind such as....When to use Micromanagement: NEVER; or When Excuses Abound.....RUN!; or Vanity Cometh Before a Fall...but then I do believe it was Pride so that one did not work at all! This past weekend was the Northwest's famous LaCamas trial...hosted by the Johnston family at their dairy on the outskirts of Camas, Washington...somebody said it was "the little Bluegrass". Not only is it beautiful, but every small detail has been addressed.....a set out crew, two fields running open and the novice classes simultaneously, fresh sheep, even the weather was taken care of this year!Nell did not run at this trial....back to the "I thought she would be pregnant" idea....so instead she got to exhaust a nursery class. That was such a gift! One I do not take lightly, nor for granted. Anyway, she did some nice natural stuff.....and I enjoyed my job!

Sally ran open....and my first run was not what I had visualized on the road trip to the trial! She crossed on her outrun (note to self...stopping her on the outrun draws her in....I need to get creative), her fetch was lighting fast, and her drive.....well, I could not get it going...try as I might. I walked...I was not running her the way I want to...so I walked. A little voice inside my head kept saying....stop micromanaging....or was that the person walking next to me? How to not micromanage? What does that mean?

We ran late the last day of open....and I had a new game face on as I walked to the post. Sally left me running out and looking for sheep....had a lovely 525 yard outrun. Got to the sheep...and those cute little lambs were hungry so they did not want to lift.....an area Miss Sal and I have been working on. But she kept walking in and she lifted! I hit my fetch panels.....and as I turned around the post...I gave Sally her line and told her to keep it! Small verbal corrections for not....but no micromanagement came out of this mouth...well maybe a small amount..... baby steps! Thanks to Scott Glen's shedding clinic the weekend before....we nailed our shed. And on to the pen. So here is where my vanity got in my eyes.....I wore my hair down. I never ware my hair down but hey, it was a new day and a new me. So....after a lot of work to do so....Sally and I got those evil lambs all heading into the pen with good commitment...and my hair blew into my face. Instead of just keeping to my task....I used my crook hand to clear my eyes...and by golly...I kicked that one nasty lamb out of the pen! Sally wants to know if she can sell me on because I do not suite her.....and well, I am just not sure she will get any offers. So what did I learn....ponytails!

But what I really learned was....Sally is a nice dog....she works very hard for me....I need to continue to figure out how to run her. It is more about me then it is about my dog. And so....sheepdoggin' lessons continue. BTW Sally wanted me to post: One Handler for Sale...Make Offer! No Guarantees: Health or Otherwise....Sold As Is.

LaCamas ends with a double lift trial the last day. I went and watched some top hands put down some amazing dog work to make their run happen on 20 very hungry lambs. It was truly an amazing trial and I am very thankful to have been able to run in it.

I am now off to Cerdarville to run in a small trial. Lured by beltbuckles......and assured that this is one FUN arena time and points sort of trial.....I am running with a renegade crowd!

Seize the day!!!!

The Fine Art of Shedding

I've been sitting around feeling just a little sorry for myself. First, it was the first time in my life lessons with sheepdogs that I missed time with Patrick Shannahan. Second, my whole summer has been spent WAITING to drive to Missouri to breed Nell....leaving me to not sign up for clinics and lessons, pulling out of trials, and the likes for fear I would be driving to Missouri. And then....low and behold.....a slot opened up in a shedding clinic with Scott Glen! I took it last year before I moved to open with Sally, yet I was very excited because I have been introducing shedding to Nell...and wanted to make sure I was putting a nice foundation into my sheds with her. So...off to Fido's Farm....and shedding! BTW Big thank you to Jeanne Boudrieau for taking pictures and sending them to me!!!

The first time out....Scott asked me to shed...and then came out to give specifics: pointing out lack of consistency or poor technique on my part.....creating confusion in my dog.

And then I got to use what I learned...........

Nell sheds so much different then Sally..... I had to adjust my mind! Go figure! But I learned/relearned...the dog needs to be placed across plus a little.....for goodness sakes face the sheep you want.......call the dog through......give a flank (that was an ah ha moment for me...where was I last year when he told us that)....and then Nell MUST STOP! She is a pushy little thing...always thinking forward....and she needs to just stop and hold. Gosh so much to think about!!!!

The last day of the clinic was all about the International Shed....and since I had cooked poor Nell's brain the previous two days....I used Sally. Once I realized I needed to give a flank command after I called her through.......her "regular" sheds were starting to come together much better. And we had a very nice international shed on some yearling ewes. As I reflect back over the past year....since it has been just one since my very first shedding clinic...........we've come a long way baby! I forget that sometimes as I free fall off the cliff of Open!

This weekend is LaCamas! I am very much looking forward to it.....unless of course I am off to Missouri!!!!!

Seize the day!!!!!!