Who are your dogs?

[chene]

Some members mention their dogs on here frequently, enough that I feel like I know those dogs. Others post a ton but I never actually hear about their dogs. So, for the benefit of myself and those others who don't happen to know everyone here in person, I'd love to hear who your dogs are (obviously I'd love to hear about the dogs of members who don't post as often, too)! What they're like, how you got them, how much they drive you crazy, etc.

The only dogs in my life right now are our two family dogs, Angel and Cola, who have been around since I was little enough to want to name dogs Angel and Cola. Angel is a bichon-shitzu who is unusually smart, and Cola is a Lhasa-poo who is unusually dopey. They're fun. Angel is more of a cat than a dog, really.

Your turn.

[rushdoggie]

Argos- 4 year old Border Collie whose heart is full of love but who is terrified of strangers. He tries hard to do everything right and what we ask, even when it scares the pants off of him. Its not helped he has a chronic lameness from a misdiagnosed injury that healed with scar tissue and causes pain at times.. He loves his humans and his Little Bro, and is soft and squishy with those he loves. Cute as a button. Learning to be a sheepdog for confidence and a job, and because his mom wants to learn more and maybe do more of that someday.

 

Jasper- 2 year old Papillon: loud, rowdy, always up for a good time whether its obedience, agility, tracking or romping with his beloved Big Bro (see above). The polar opposite of Argos he is Mr. Confident, Mr. Happy, Mr. I never Met a Stranger.

 

Swiffer - 10 Year Old Papillon. Queen Bee. Ruler of the World from her perch atop the couch. Won't pee in the rain, but will go for off lead walks and swims in the rain. Disdainful of Puppy Shenanigans. Lives to be fed and sleep on her Master's lap (who she wrapped around her paw when her Mistress married him).

[CurlyQ]

At the moment, I have a single Yorkshire Terrier by the name of Pippa. Pippa is a great little thing, she loves to snuggle and play, especially since we got her spayed. Like your dogs, she's a "family dog" rather than being a companion for any one person. Pip can be annoying... my mother babies her and treats her a lot like a human child, so she's really spoiled. Every now and then I steal the poor thing away so she has a chance to be a 'real dog'. But she's generally even-tempered and playful, and I'm working on her food-aggression with her.

 

I'll add more about my border collie, once I get her. I like this thread idea. I was about to post one myself!

[Alchemist]

I have three Border collies, all ABCA registered. The oldest, Spain (7), on the left, is the only female, and is therefore the Lady of the house, with privileges not afforded the other two. Spain was recently given to me by a dear friend (best gift EVER!). She's an Open dog who ran with her last owner in the National Sheepdog Finals. She is now teaching me reams and reams about handling dogs. We just ran in our first sheepdog trials the other weekend. (And because Spain is such an excellent girl, she made up for my mistakes, placing first in what was my very first ever sheepdog trial - pro-novice, East coast style, outrun, lift, fetch (through panels), drive (through one set of panels), and pen; you're allowed to drop a dog two classes here, one time only).

 

The other two dogs (the boys) I've had since they were puppies. The middle one, Duncan (5), is the only rough-coated dog. Both of his parents were Open dogs; unfortunately, his training (on stock) has suffered from my being a rank amateur. (Off stock I'm constantly being told that he's the best-trained dog anyone has ever seen. The people saying this haven't witnessed him being a heathen at sheepdog trials, whining or even howling because he wants to be working the sheep).

 

The youngster, Ross (1) is the only tri. His father is an Open dog but his mother didn't really trial (though her breeder thought she'd be better than her mother). All of Ross's grandparents are Open dogs (and one placed in the Double-Lift Finals last fall). He's off being trained right now in Kentucky. His trainer describes his progress in glowing terms, so I can't wait until he's home again - only another month! Ross is the smallest, but packs a huge personality in a small frame.

 

Here you see them last spring, right before Ross went off for training, patiently waiting for me to give the magic release signal at the beginning of an off-leash hike. It's important to stand by the side of the trail as the thundering herd races by at top speed.

 

[Mdaniels]

I have one border collie named Ben. He is red and white and about 5 1/2 years old. I stumbled onto Ben at the local shelter after looking in earnest for a breeder of border collies. There he was, right under my nose. When I adopted Ben, I had to wait about three weeks. He needed to be neutered and he was exposed to a virus in the shelter and they closed adoptions down for a week or so. He was surrendered, "because he wanted to spend too much time with us."

 

Another woman was looking at him and wanted him, and was intending on him living outside, by himself. (She did not care for animals in the house). The shelter had to approve you, but it was a first come-first serve situation on adoption day. I showed up very early that cold winter day in March and waited. I was first in line. The other woman showed up too--she was not happy when she saw me, but the shelter staff (who were now accustomed to me, as I visited Ben every day at lunch for three weeks) cheered when I walked in.

 

He's lying under my feet right now, all 45 hairy, neurotic pounds of him. We love him very much. Hopefully, he never gives us up for wanting to spend too much time with him

[border_collie_crazy]

I have:

 

Happy, 14 year old Border collie, she is sport bred but early on in the sport breeding game, her sire is a working/sport cross and her dam is 100% working. Happy was mostly a Flyball dog(3.8 second dog) but also dabbled in pretty much every sport out there, including stock work, which she excelled at, but I we never pursued it(I wish I had though, all the stock trainers were super impressed with her). Happy is retired now but I still do training and Demo's with her, other then a wonky knee from a Flyball accident, you would never know she was such an old lady

 

Paisley, 2 year old Australian Shepherd, bit of an odd story... I worked with her original owner, and knew Paisley well from 8 weeks to 8 months, she was a great dog, super sweet and confident, but then her owner left for a new job. for almost a year I never saw her, just heard about her from time to time. during that time her owner, who bounced from place to place, left Paisley with some other people who supposedly "teased her", when her owner had a baby while still bouncing from place to place, she surrendered Paisley to a rescue run by a friend of mine, my friend said Paisly was TERRIFIED when she was surrendered, like she crawled into the house peeing herself, could not look at anyone and was just distressed all the time, if anyone looked at her she would pee herself more. my friend, who also knew Paisley previously asked what the heck happened to her, and she got the "teased" story. anyway, 2 months before Paisley was surrendered to my friend, I unexpectedly lost my 11 year old Border collie Misty, and I was looking for another BC, when I found out Paisley was up for adoption I asked my friend about it, she said I could take her for a trial, and I could have right of first refusal because she knows I could work with fearful dogs and I knew Paisley before, so she thought that would help. I took her for a trail and she's been with me ever since lol. its been a process because she was so terrified of life when I got her, like she fell on the ground and pee'd herself if I offered her food on a spoon... she is doing amazing now, and has even competed in a Rally-O trial, and in on a Demo team. she still has some fear issues, like she super slow to respond if too many people are staring at her, but that's about it.

 

Gem is a 2.5 year old Heeler/GSD,I adopted her when she was 3.5 months old and she is my current sport star. she is crazy smart and super talented. Gem earned her CGN at 10 months old, start competing in Rally at 1 year, and is currently half way through her Excellent title, and training in Versatility, she is also trained but has yet to compete in Agility, and she is currently learning Disc and Flyball and preforms on a Demo team. she is my most reliable dog for doing anything with, and has always been the star of every single class we take, like to the point that if Gem ever does anything wrong in a class, the instructor will immediately be like "what the heck Gem?" lol Gem has also won every "Judges choice award" in every trial she has competed in, and is often held up as an example in judges talks as what the judge wants to see lol. but with all this comes...Gem is friggen INSANE. like she she does not get 6+ hours of hard exercise plus heavy training every day, she is off her rocker.

 

Gypsy is Gem's litter mate, so 2.5 year old Heeler/GSD...Gypsy is...not nearly as talented as Gem haha. Gypsy liked to have fun, but she also has some issues. she is GREAT with small dogs, but towards dogs her size or bigger she is downright nasty, she has improved to the point that I can take her to the dog park and tell her to "knock it off" before she has a chance to try anything and she will be fine, but that is very recent. she also lunges bites people at random, which again she has made huge progress on, but I still don't let anyone near her unless I can fully control the situation. and unlike Gem she is LAZY!! she can handle loads of exercise, but she doesn't get it, she's happy to just chill, and sometimes she just outright refuses to come with me when I take them out, I will put her leash on and she walks into her crate and glares at me lol.

 

in terms of my Siggy so you can put names to faces: Happy in laying down on the left, follwed by Gypsy sitting beside her, Paisley 3rd from the left and Gem is laying down on the right.

[Root Beer]

My oldest, and it is still extremely weird to say this, is Dean Dog. He is the one in my avatar to the left and he is a tri color smooth coat merle. We adopted him from Glen Highland Farm when he was 10 months old and he is 8 now, so he has been with us for quite some time. According to Dean's original owners, he was working bred, from a sheep farm in Arkansas. When we adopted him, he had no training, no structure, and was a full grown, very strong, and crazy adolescent. I consider him my best trained dog. Dean is a ton of fun - he loves to run, retrieve, hike, and swim. He loves the beach and we try to go every year so he can play in the surf. Dean has noise phobia and generalized anxiety, but we have learned to manage the condition and he has a great life.

 

Next is Tessa. She was a stray who landed in a shelter and I went to evaluate her for Glen Highland Farm. She was completely shut down and terrified of everyone. I agreed to hold her for 3 weeks when GHF decided to take her into the rescue. She never left my home. Within less than two weeks, I simply could not put her out of my house. It took a long time to win her trust, but she truly is my "heart dog". She is also my dream Agility dog and we are having a ton of fun doing CPE Agility. I don't know her age. She was "about two" when we adopted her, so she is "about six" now. But who knows? She is the one in my photo below.

 

Last, but in no way least, is our newest addition, Bandit. He is 18 weeks old today. I hadn't planned on a puppy at this point, but we suddenly lost our first Border Collie, Speedy, who was indescribably special and my dance partner. Somehow, within a week after losing him, I had an urge that I could not resist to start looking for a breeder. Things fell into place in a remarkable fashion, and Alder, of Liz P's litter, joined our household in early May. Even though I still miss Speedy horribly, I know that everything happened exactly in the way it was supposed to. Bandit is a wonderful puppy. He has such a pleasant disposition and he is eager to do anything and everything I could possibly want to do. We are already training, playing, hiking, and building a great relationship. I love him more than I can say.

 

So, that's my crew.

[Maralynn]

My 5 y/o Kenzi, came from a now defunct rescue at 9 m/o. I saw her face on Petfinder one night and fell in love with her. She was abandoned at 4 m/o, and bounced around a bit before ending up in rescue. She is sweet, loves everyone, and likes train. She has been in training as a SAR dog but we've kind of hit a rough patch. We've pretty much had a crummy year and she's been off since Kipp got sick so I'm backing up a bit and seeing if that gets her back on track. I also want to get her working as a therapy dog eventually. Kolt is the totally unplanned new kid. I was planning on getting a pup later in the year but then unexpectedly lost my 9 y/o Kipp (who was my SAR partner) to cancer. I started looking for a breeder when Kipp was sick to get my mind off the inevitable. I thought I found one, they said they'd reserve one for me and then they decided I wasn't ready for a pup. That was tough. I started looking again and one person I contacted knew someone with a leftover pup. A smooth male who had a strong personality. IOW, the exact type I was looking for. After talking with the breeder she told me she thought we'd be a great fit and was happy to hang on to him until I was ready to pick him up. His parents are both working farm dogs (sheep) and his dad worked on a cattle ranch before that. Kolt is in training to be my next SAR dog but, more importantly, right now he's a little buddy who is making me smile and laugh after a pretty crummy and depressing spring.

[Tilly's Handler]

I have four dogs here right now

1 is my daughters chihuahua named Buddy who loves to be outside on the farm spends a lot of time with me no matter what i am doing only time he gets shy of doing farm chores is when it is real cold

2 is a dog named sage which we were given austrailian/corgi cross very friendly with family keeps front lawn safe from Robins which she feels is her job

3 Tilly my 14 month old border collie who so badly wants to be a good girl and do exactly what I want but just can't figure out what it is

4 Trooper the 6 month old Springer Spaniel that i said I did not want to have here but got voted down by family 3 votes to 1 and then got stuck training feeding and baby sitting

All have interesting quirks and but so do most members of this pack(family)

[Gloria Atwater]

This is kind of fun! Especially since I'm hearing from people whom I don't read here all the time.

At our house, we're down down to only 3 dogs, from many years of having 6, but within the year or so I hope to have found a pup to add to the household. Meanwhile, though, here's the gang:

NICK, in my profile pic, is 6 years old and my first Open trial dog. I got him at 8 weeks from Geri Byrne of Tulelake, CA and he's a grandson of Derek Scrimgeour's old Ben and great grandson of Derek's old Sweep and Lyn. He's pretty much my heart dog, a big, loyal lug who doesn't want to be hugged and kissed on, but who loves nothing more than to just be near me, lying on my feet or under the table.

He was a very serious puppy and matured at an early age, and his seriousness and biddability has really helped me while I'm floundering along trying to become a better sheepdog handler. On sheep he's a big outrunner and big flanker, a very stylish, intense and dramatic-moving dog, which is sometimes good and sometimes not. But he's a natural at his work and we've done pretty well together. Plus he has a goofy sense of humor that just cracks me up!

GAEL is Nick's full sister, same way bred but just coming 5 years old. She's silly and giddy as he is intense, just a ball of electric energy ready to go from zero to sixty in one jump. ZOOM! (Hubby likes to joke about how she would have made such a wonderful apartment dog - NOT!) She's at least 15 pounds lighter than Nick, built like a whippet and loves to run.

She took forever to grow up, it seemed, unlike her brother, and though she has tons of natural talent, I really had to be mindful of her sensitive and excitable nature during her early training. But by being who she is, she really taught me to expand my learning, be open-minded about changing what we're doing in training at any time, and to always watch for new and better methods of training. Now she's blossomed into a pretty darned nice working dog and I moved her up to Open this spring. She's a big outrunner, endlessly athletic, never gets tired and pretty much approaches all of life as one big, "Wow, let's do THIS!"

ASH is our Australian shepherd. I knew her great grandmother and had admired her father as a strong, natural working Aussie, so when the breeder said she was finally going to have a litter, I knew I wanted one of those pups. I was there the day the pups were whelped and Ash was born in my hand. I was the first thing she touched in the outside world, before I handed her to her mama for care and cleaning. I didn't know then that she would be The One, but ... that's how it worked out. She was the only blue merle female in the litter, so she's pretty to look at, too!

She's been a verrry interesting dog after having Aussie/BC crosses and border collies for 20 years! Ash is an incredibly keen working dog but also very strong-minded and quite impulsive. It has been a long road for me to command her respect and for her to become my working partner, in large part because I'm just not that imposing! (And because there are methods I won't employ to get through to a tough dog.) But she is now 4 years old and I think persistence, time and maturity have finally turned the trick. She's intensely talented, a natural working dog, lots of presence, and our partnership is really blossoming to something pretty awesome.

Meanwhile, at home she's a total couch potato and lounge lizard.

And that's that for now!

~ Gloria
P.S.
In the photos they're wearing bear bells while hiking behind our house this spring.

[BCjetta]

I almost never post...I just lurk.

 

I currently have 2 dogs. My heart dog Hannah passed away Feb 2013. She was my first border collie and although her parents were working dogs, she was not interested in stock but lived to do what I asked training wise. We did AAC agility and had a blast. My first dog Jetta was a little black spaniel/chow mix. I got her in 94 and she passed away in 2009.

Turbo is hubby's 9.5 year old aussie. He doesn't actually care much about me...its all about protecting his person.

 

Tess is almost 3.5 and my current border collie. She's much more serious about wanting to work. I've had her on sheep a couple times and she was fairly interested. I've also had her at my boss's ranch and she goes nuts when she sees cows...staring, crouching, vibrating, will not look away. She does agility as well however I haven't trialed her much yet.

[teresaserrano]

My lovely girl Tess is a rebound pup. My Sara died last october and 2 days after I had Tess. My friend says the first time i was coeherent was when I was with the pups. I kind of worried it might be too early but it was just right.

 

Tess is my first BC. I was afraid i might not be up for a BC but, honestly, i find her an easy dog (I didn't for the first couple months )

 

She is super smart and willing to DO stuff, but also mellow in the house. She is almost 1 year old and really turning into my heart dog. She learns real quickly. She is always happy. She loves everyone and everything. AND she has great selfconfidence, which is a nice change from my Sara. She's a lovely dog.

 

 

[G. Festerling]

My <3 crew are Blimps, Thor, Belle, Fee and my two big girls Strydor and Goers.

 

Blimps leads the pack at over 15. She is my girl that accompanied me through really rough times. Also my IMHA dog that has way beaten the odds. Never much interest in sheep but invaluable in the roping pen. Loves her cattle!

 

Her son Thor at 10 was definitely not planned. He combines his mom's and dads character x 2. The kind of dog that believes that I am stupid and can not possibly do anything without his help. Which is why even in his golden years he does not understand why I don't take him to the barn with me anymore. He thinks it's because of the heat and his heart condition....I don't tell him that I gave up talking sense into him. He never made it into any sport or work due to an early injury.

 

Belle who I purchased after flat falling in love with her dam and sure at a local trial, is also about to turn 10. I waited a good while and she has taught me so much. Loves, loves, loves to work. Loose eyed yet never looses contact with her sheep. When I was not able to work sheep, she was my experimental agility dog. Did it because I wanted to.

 

Fee is my baby at a little over two. I can't believe how time has flown right by. This pup captured my heart from the first day. I also waited 5 or so years for a pup out of her dam. I am working hard on doing her justice working sheep. Super keen and enough power and game to keep me busy. She is my second dog that was raised with tons of engagement work. She has definite ideas and it is about time for me to take the reins.

 

Strydor and Goers are my Germans. At 11, Stry is struggling with spinal issues, teeth issues and heart problems as well. She is oversized and would never win any beauty contests but is the most rock solid, even tempered yet commanding presence on this place. And Goere, aka, Gouda, Cheese head, Goerge or simply G (no one can pronounce her name!), is her complete opposite. Small, agile, quick tempered and 100% ready to protect me from any real or perceived danger. She is mine heart and soul and will do anything for me. Her bloodlines are a mess of many countries and working styles. She is the only dog ever, who's puppy pic was so powerful to me, that I did all I could to get her to me. And when she came off that plane after many delays, I knew she was supposed to be with me. My first dog to venture into shaping and so much fun for anyone she accepts.

[alligande]

I only have one dog at the moment, which is the first time in many years we have been single dog household and it often seems very strange. Rievaulx is my third border collie, like the others he came through rescue, but I got him as a 4 month old puppy. We compete in agility together, and he is an allround great companion. (He is not the dog in my avatar, that is Brody who passed away last year far to young)

He is named after Rievaulx Abby in North Yorkshire.

[OurBoys]

JJ-In 2000 I lost my German Shepherd mix to cancer. Casey was only 6 ½ yrs old. It took me 4 years to get over it. When I did, I told my boyfriend at the time (who is now my DH) I was ready for another dog. We did our research and decided on getting a Border Collie. We both had a stipulation. DH’s was the dog had to come from a rescue and mine was we had to take him/her to obedience classes. We got lucky. JJ’s rescuer/foster mom taught obedience.

 

Jake-After 2 years of doing everything we could think of to do with JJ, I realized the only thing we couldn’t do was play with him like another dog could. He needed a playmate. I also needed another dog. We had moved my mom in with us in January after her double mastectomy. For months I was living on autopilot taking her to doctor appts, scans, tests, radiation treatments, etc. When my mom finished her last radiation treatment I suddenly felt like I had my brakes put on. I went from “Where are we going today” to “What am I going to do today??” When I told DH I wanted another dog, he wasn’t very happy but consented. Mom wasn’t very happy about having another dog in the house either but Jake turned out to be her favorite. My only regret was not being able to take Jake to the nursing home before she passed away. (Jake freaks out on slick floors.) And DH? He found out having 2 Border Collies wasn’t/isn’t hard at all. Of course Jake went through obedience classes like JJ did. DH wasn’t able to attend every class like he did with JJ (they were scheduled on the nights he worked) but the few he was able to attend made him proud. JJ opened our world up to Border Collies but Jake opened our world up to sheepdogs.

 

Josie-Our foster failure. We had no intention of becoming a 3 dog family but she stole our hearts and changed our minds. Here’s Josie’s story http://www.bcrescue.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=3096&p=19105&hilit=lola#p19105. I had told DH I wouldn’t foster anymore but I broke my promise. Before the 2 weeks were up, I told the rescuer I would go ahead and foster her. After a month, DH told me I needed to get her spayed. That broke my heart. As long as Josie wasn’t altered, I had my excuse to not adopt her out. I cheered up some went the humane society told me they were booked up and I had to wait a month before I could get her spayed. By then it was December. When DH asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told him Josie. He said “I know but what else do you want?” I said “Nothing, just Josie”. I don’t remember what else I got for Christmas that year but I don’t care. I got Josie and that’s all that matters.

 

ETA: Josie's original owner is not breeding any longer.

[Lizabeth]

Gidget is our bc pup, she is to one day be my service dog. Orian is our heeler/cyote he is 5 years old super smart just awesome. he is my daughters dog aka my grand puppy. Then we have Poppy 15 years old beagle blu tic shes sweet, going blind, going deaf, a bit not quite with it all the time but all and all shes doing really well.

[sjones]

Currently I have three border collies, Wisp, Meg and Quinn. Wisp(in my profile pic) holds a special place with me since I've had her from the day she was born. My friends husband had a nicely bred stud dog Ben that had been purchased from oversees and I really liked the way he worked so I bred my one and only litter. Belle had two, Wisp who was born first and Floss, who I lost suddenly last year to cancer. I know most people would have said I was crazy for raising littermates together but I took lots of time to work with each individually and they turned out great. By the time Wisp and Floss were ready to put on sheep I had at least a better idea of what I was doing thanks to Annie and Belle for being the ones to put up with my novice mistakes. I was lucky enough to make it to open with both of them. I retired Wisp at around 8 once I had her hearing checked and found she was deaf in one ear. She still loves to help take sheep out to pasture, play with toys and swim in the creek.

I was content at the time with 4 dogs, but my friend called me one day and asked if she could bring a pup over for me to look at. She was a half sister to Floss and Wisp, out of the same sire. I said I was happy with what I had but if she wanted to she could bring her over. So my friend brought out the pup which was cute but I still said no. Well for the next week that pup was in the back of my mind and I broke down, called my friend and said I'll take her. So I brought home 4 month old Meg. I'm so glad I gave in because she has been a great dog and I've learned many things from her. She loves doing daily sheep chores and many times knows what I want before I ask. She doesn't take any guff from the sheep but is gentle with lambs. She is currenly running in open but we need to work on looking back and going back for other sheep. Off sheep she is silly, makes up games with her toys when no one else wants to play and is a swimming fool.

Quinn is the new guy at 9 weeks old is the first male I've had. He comes from some Canadian lines so is totally different breeding than any of mine. He is a fun, confident guy and listens pretty well for his age. He's catching onto potty training and crate training. I don't want he to grow up right away, but I am excited for the day I can put him in the round pen and see what he does.

I'm going to include my sometimes dog Zuri. Zuri is a friends dog that she had me put some training on and then asked me if I could trial her, since being at the post made her too nervous. I jumped at the chance since she's a fun dog on sheep, easy to work, tries hard to please and very stylish. So when she with me she's treated just like one of the family.

 

Samantha

[Mark Billadeau]

Border Collies

Gyp (13) - Gyp is from our first litter (Mary Brighoff's Val x Renee's Starr) where only 2 pups survived. She was my pup and was not a good working dog and was too quirky to place in a pet home. She had a tough spring with 3 bouts of vestibular disease within 2 months. She still has a head tilt but has come back up to normal weight. She's not all there mentally but she is enjoying life. Her litter sister, Rae (Renee's pup) was trained up to Open, retired to a novice home, and worked her way back to Open, and was then retired for a second time.

 

Peg (11) - Peg was purchased from Tommy Wilson as a started dog for me. We worked our way from PN to Open. She has taught me a lot and continues to be a great trial dog for me. She has yet to show me signs that she is ready to be retired from Open. She was a handfull as a young dog frequently running sheep down the fetch or gripping in the shedding ring. When she is on, she is really good.

 

Bette (9) - Bette was purchased from Florance Wilson as a pup for Renee. She ran Nursery & Open at Gettysburg and they finished 9th in Nursery. Bette continues to be a good Open dog for Renee. She was the easiest dog for Renee train up; basically trained herself. She is very obedient on the field.

 

B.J. (8) - B.J. is Renee's dog from our second litter (Mary Brighoff's Val x Mark's Peg). B.J. has a bit more eye than Renee's other dogs but is her best farm dog. Like Peg, she likes challenging sheep and can be a bit headstrong. B.J. was one of the hardest dogs for Renee to train up but is a good Open dog for Renee.

 

Nell (8) - Nell is my dog from our second litter (Mary Brighoff's Val x Mark's Peg) which also produced Peggy Wilkinson's liz, Mary Brigohff's Lance, and a few other nice working dogs in novice hands. Nell is fast, very fast as a young dog and it took me a long time to get her under control. She is now a good Open dog and can almost fill Peg's shoes; she is my go to farm dog except for working the rams which Peg loves.

 

Tally (4) - Tally is Renee's dog from our 3rd litter (Lyle Lad's Shep x Renee's Bette). Tally has been slow to mature as a working dog, was a bit dyslexic with her flank commands but has matured quite a bit this year. She frequently looks good on the trial field but has good and bad days at home. Renee has her in Ranch but is considering moving her up to Open as her 3rd Open dog.

 

Eve (4) - Eve is my dog from our 3rd litter. Eve started out riding sheep across the field and is a bit soft. The corrections to get her to let go induced stress in Eve. She is now starting to free up and mature as a working dog. I am running her in Ranch where she is doing well. Tally & Eve's litter sister is Emily Falk's Liv.

 

Grant (3.5 months) - Grant is Renee's pup from our 4th litter (Amanda's Monty x Renee's B.J.); 3rd generation of Peg's line. Grant looks like he will be a momma's boy wanting to please Renee.

 

Lee (3.5 months) - Lee is my pup from our 4th litter. Lee is a very busy pup and head strong. He will be a handfull but when he is calm he wants to please me.

 

and Sam (4) the Maremma Sheepdog

[emilyfalk]

I will join in!

 

Ella (8) is my first dog and came from a BYB in PA when I was a first year vet student. She ruled the streets of West Philadelphia for 3 years and was a really good flyball prospect, but we quit when I decided the environment was too crazy for us both. While still living in the city, we moved on to agility, where she was fast, smooth, and responsive. Funny, because that is the only outlet where she chooses to partner with me. We tried to work sheep; she had some talent, but no biddability. Ella's role now is to enjoy farm life and police the pack...she is quick to tell on the other dogs who are disobeying house rules! None of the others take her seriously, though. Poor Merlefriend, no respect. While she is my most independent and head-strong dog, she is also the one who reads me the best and is always with me when I am sick or sad.

 

 

She still gets a little turn on the sheep

 

Rae (13) came to me at age 8 when I decided I was serious about getting a sheepdog. She is the littermate to Mark's Gyp (Mary's Val x Renee's Starr) and served as the most perfect first sheepdog a novice could ask for. Rae was very experienced and well-trained, she had good feel, pace, and sheep liked her. We never got into trouble on the trial field, and in no time we were running and even placing in Open. Some of my favorite memories are winning Donald McCaig's trial, competing in the Bluegrass, and earning the VBCA's Open Championship for the year of 2012. One scorching July Saturday when Rae was 11.5, the two of us set sheep at Barbara Rae's trial in the morning, then went on to tie for first in Open 1. We lost the runoff by 1 point (handler error), and I decided to retire her that day. Nothing like going out on top! Although Rae doesn't really want to work sheep anymore, she is very spoiled and well-loved!

 

 

Photo by C. Koval at Robin French's Whistle for a Cure

 

Gabe (6) is one of my current Open dogs, and he gets a gold star for being the first dog I've trained. I got him from Christine Koval (then Henry, from her Tweed x Bess) when he was 16 months old but not even started. He could balance sheep and call off, and the rest we (eventually) figured out on our own! Gabe is a big, fast dog with lots of presence; most light sheep hate him. He is a great combination of his parents with a big, scopey outrun and nice flanks, but the right eye to line sheep out on the drive. He was extremely keen as a youngster and we spent many trials retiring or DQ'ing after a trainwreck at the top end due to his excitability. Gabe is a good lambing dog and has become very good in tight spaces.

 

 

Photo by C. Koval at the Bluegrass

 

Liv (4) is the littermate of Mark's Eve and Renee's Tally (Lyle's Shep x Renee's Bette). She was always the firecracker of the group, and it was hard for the two of us to work things out in her early training. Livy was too fast and too reactive for me at the time, so I sent her for some training. While I could always see glimmers of brilliance in her, she was just too wound up for me to be able to remain calm *myself* while working her, so we continued to amp each other up for, oh, a couple years. Eventually, the light bulb clicked for us both, and by the time she was about 3.5 we were looking more like a legitimate team. With very little trial experience, I moved her to Open last fall after placing a previous Open dog I had, and like Gabe, most of her early runs were also RT's or DQ's. Livy is capable of some amazing work. She is very athletic, great stock sense, has a big engine, and has the most polish and finesse of any dog I've run. She gets better the longer and more challenging the working conditions. Unfortunately we are still at a place where trials are WAY exciting for her, so I'm hoping that as she continues to mature and gain experience we'll be more consistent on the trial field.

 

 

Photo by C. Koval at Rural Hill

 

Lena (1) was an unexpected addition that I acquired from the ex last year. She came to me at 8 months as a shy pup who only knew how to work sheep. My heart went out to her as soon as I met her, and she was quite talented, too, so there was no way she was leaving. Lena is Hubert Bailey's Hank x Dee Penatzer's Floss. She is a tremendous gathering dog and is always looking for more sheep, the kind of dog I'd expect would excel at hill work. Lena is a good shedding dog and good in tight spaces, making her very useful at home. She still doesn't quite understand this trialling business and is taking some time to learn to drive a course, which doesn't make sense to such a task-oriented dog. She is my first dog to train up so early, so I'm learning as I go with regard to how to progress with such a young dog.

 

 

Photo by D. Wall at my Crooked Oak Benefit Trial

 

Rob (7 months) was another sort-of unexpected addition. He is from Denise Wall's Mick x May, a product of a frozen AI. Robert is a very special little guy and has just made himself at home in this world from the start. After numerous sheep break-ins starting at age 11 weeks, I am now just starting to let him work. He was so determined that I've worried he'd hurt himself out there with my unbroke lambs on the open ground. Rob has a very natural cast and glimpses of feel and pace. It's very early to tell, as he's really only worked sheep in an appropriate situation (ie planned) a couple times, but I'm very happy with what I've seen.

 

 

Robert up to no good

[Nathan]

These dogs all have wonderful stories! And Emily, all of your dogs are striking!

 

Cola is my 4 year old German Shepherd. I got her when she was an eight week old puppy and as prepared as I thought I was, I sooned learned that nothing teaches you like experience. Cola is my first dog. Yes, I had dogs growing up, but I would say they were more my dad's dogs than my own. She and I are always together. I cook dinner... by my feet, go to the bathroom... by my side, watching TV... on the floor next to the couch, yard work... right there behind the mower or whatever else is happening outside. Cola loves her walks and happily jogs right along beside me (when I run). She is definitely a little bit of a headcase (has some serious separation anxiety and noise phobia) and we are working on getting that under control. She used to be a one person kind of dog, and a little bit of a loner, but is finding out that having a little sister, and another person isn't too bad. My wife and I got married last year in May. I think Cola wanted to know why we needed to add another person to the house, but she soon realized that new person isn't too bad, and with her came a little buddy, her adopted sister, Marlee.

 

Marlee is a 3 year old Morkie and might be the most loving dog I have ever met. She has probably been the best form of therapy for Cola I could have provided. Marlee has more personality in her 8 pounds than I could have ever imagined possible. She was bought from a breeder as a puppy when she was 8 weeks old and has been the center of my wife's world ever since. Marlee is one of those dogs that puts other little dogs to shame... she listens, she loves, she is a cuddler, but she is still very much a dog. She currently loves the water hose, and is determined to get wet when we water the plants. She also loves a good hike just as much as Cola, and does her best to keep up with her big sister and her people. She also sleeps in the bed with us, and takes up more space than me! I wasn't sure about little dogs, but when I saw her with my Cola, I knew she was special.

 

I'm also keeping my eyes open for a border collie, but with my son soon on the way, my wife and I are going to be patient. One baby at a time

[emilyfalk]

Thank you, Nathan! It helps to have friends who are talented photographers. Mark and Lynn are holding out on us.

[Pipedream Farm]

Peg

 

Gyp

 

Bette

 

B.J.

 

Nell

[Mark Billadeau]

There you go Emily. I didn't find good shots of Eve and Tally loaded onto photobucket. I guess I need to pull out the camera.

[emilyfalk]

Where did you take that picture of Peg? Love the sheep! Bette is of course my favorite, and one of these days I'll need to get a picture of Livy as Hover Dog, Jr. to compare to that great one of Bette from years ago. Young B.J. And Nell are too sweet.

 

Yes. More pics!

[Mark Billadeau]

The photo of Peg was taken at our previous home. We had about 20 romneys & border leicesters there (in addition to our katahdins). We sold them about a year after moving here due to the cockleburs ruining all of the fleeces.