Steers.....

Sometimes life, and how it unfolds....amazes me! Case in point: Patrick teaching in Cottage Grove was a last minute ta-do....where I chatted with Nancy about a place she likes to go to work stock....and then Geri had to jet to a meeting early Tuesday morning....so Nancy kindly made arrangements ....and Bill stopped haying.......and I found myself doing this: Okay, NOT exactly that...but very close!

Nancy took me out to Bill C's place and I felt like I had stumbled into yet another room at Heaven. Bill had a whole pen full of steers....and sorted them off in small groups for the dogs to work. Knowing that I had "limited" experience working cows.....Bill gave me a brief demo.

His little dog ROCKED! Very confident and moved the cows...but not in a "rodeo" sort of way. Just a lot of authority and a move-along grip when needed. He told me once he got the steers settled to go ahead and bring Nell out.........and that is just what I did. Nell really seems to enjoy working cows. She gripped a few times....got kicked at......started to think through her grips a little.....coming in lower so a kick would miss her head. My only fault was, I should have told Bill how trained Nell was before we went out. Nell seemed a little out of sorts and not doing a whole lot of controlled work....until Bill realized she was taking his whistles (which were opposite to mine and I was not whistling...instead I was standing there with my mouth open) and taking the steers where Bill's whistles said to. Opps.

Nancy brought her young dog out and I was amazed to see the process of starting a dog out on cows. All I can say is.....Nancy and Bill have waaaayyyyy more courage than I!Next, I got Bella out.....I wondered if Bella had ever seen or worked cows....having spent the first 8 months of her life on a huge cow ranch in the Dakotas and coming from strong cow working lines on her mama's side.

At first, she was a bit tentative......and I over cheered with a lot of atta girls and leg pats. We got things going along and she just sort of settled into a baby cow dog......
Bill called out a "task" for me........so Bella and I went to work to accomplish the task....and we lost the steers into the draw. But miracles of miracles.....I kept my mouth shut.....(REALLY I did!)....and Miss Bella turned into a mean, lean, biting, I'll teach you a thing or two, big girl cow dog! I just positioned myself in the direction I wanted her to bring the steers out of the open holding corral.......and Bella did the rest. It was pretty darn amazing! Once we got the steers going.....Bill's words echoed in my mind....."the steers will need a place to go and will need the release to feel they can go there (my interpretation of Bill's words). Bella and I drove them down a fence line...at quite a quick little pace....and I called her off. Bella the cowdog.....that has a nice ring to it! A huge THANK YOU to Nancy and Bill......

Seize the day!!!!