Deacon Dog

Saturday I sold 14 ram lambs to a guy who paid a premium for me to keep them until Eid ul Adha in November. He asked if he and his friends could perform the slaughter ceremony on the farm. Said all they'd need is water and would be neat. Told him I'd talk to the wife and let him know. Who's allowed on-farm slaughter? Good or bad experience? Did you charge extra? Apologies for repeat thread. I remember another on this topic a while back but can't find it.

"Big hat" has long been used in rodeo to mean a geniune cowboy, ie the real deal. So the term was probably borrowed by sheepdog trialing, no idea by who.

I'm Julie's neighbor who cleared apx 7-8 acres of hilly wooded land had been select cut 9-10 years previously. The saga if you're interested. I started last summer. Since it wasn't good logging, I got someone who was supposed take the trees he wanted in exchange for clear cutting and chipping everything else but the stumps; he didn't live up to his end of the bargain, but the only recourse was to sue him which wasn't worth it. The logging was completed in late summer. I then hired a guy with a dozer and a trackhoe to dig up stumps, pile them with the brush, burn what her could, bury the rest and rough grade; he did a great job, and it cost a little less than $900 an acre. The forestry service stopped by when the clearing began and said we had to plant something, so late last summer, I spread soy beans and oats which sprouted but, because of a drought, never did grow enough for erosion control, but with no water erosion wasn't a problem. The most tedious part was picking up rocks, roots and branches which it took four of us about 6 days to do late this winter. The finish grading using two tractors with a scrape blade, box blades and 2 drag harrows linked together took another 3 days. Then I had a local dairy spread 80,000 gallons of liquid manure, and it took another day to harrow this into the ground which is required around here if you're putting manure on bare ground. The manure was free, and the seed was about $65 an acre. One of my clients--I'm an accountant--is a seed dealer, and, on his recommendation, I went with a mix of endophite-free fescue, a grazing variety of bermuda grass called World Leader, white clover and pearl millet. It took another couple of days to spread this, cover it and spread old hay on the worst wash areas which was completed about six weeks ago. The seed came up nicely, but we need some rain for it to keep going. There are some wash areas which will need some attention in the fall. I have high hopes for the bermuda which would give me pretty close to year-round grazing. An overgrown Christmas tree area should be a lot easier to clear, but I'd still hire it out. A pro can grade it for better runoff, should know the local regulations, and can probably do it in a week or two. Assuming your brother can't do it full time, it could take him several months, so you might not save much depending on the cost to rent equipment. Also, I seeded in the spring because of the bermuda, but I'd recommend seeding in the fall if you're planting cool season grasses.

Better yet, see if you can find someone with a pasture renovator. It's like a chisel plow with straight disks or a drag harrow behind, and many of them have bins to spread fertilizer and/or seed so everything can be done in one pass. Be careful about breaking up the soil in high erosion areas without water breaks, straw, etc.

For a 3 gallon sprayer: 1 1/2 cups Roundup or equivalent 1 1/2 cups Brushmaster or equivalent Squirt of dish washing soap Fill with water

According to a U.S. Geological Survey assessment, there's only 3 to 4.3 billion barrels of technically recoverable reserves in the Bakken Formation. At a consumption rate of 20 million barrels a day, that's less than a year of U.S. oil needs. The survey was released in April 2008, so it's yet to be seen whether there will be significant opposition to drilling, environmental or otherwise. The presidential ban on offshore drilling which expires in 2012 resulted from opposition by an amalgam of groups including certain businesses, particularly the Florida tourism industry, politicians of both parties and environmentalists.

What exactly led you to this conclusion? The collective opinion of the old-timers I've spoken to is the dogs have gotten weaker. And my personal observation is the breeding trend is more toward out crossing certain trial dogs as opposed to programs that consistently produce lines with particular characteristics.

Anyone familiar with the process know why that is? Seems to me clinical tests could be run for meat and short-term effects on live animals and allow the product to go to market labeled to indicate testing is ongoing, and any long-term effects are unknown.

For serious hauling, we've got a Ram 2500 diesel. We're getting 25-26 highway mpg empty and 18-19 pulling a 15' gooseneck trailer. We just got an 05 Pontiac Vibe (basically same as the Toyota Matrix) for commuting and lighter hauling. Really wanted a Jetta TDI wagon but couldn't find one for a decent price without a kazillion miles on it. Looked at several other hatchbacks including the Fit and Mini but couldn't fit two Border Collie size crates.

Christine, some friends used a couple Rat Zappers and said they did a good job eradicating rats in their barn. They're traps that kill mice and rats with a battery powered shock and are supposed to be safe for cats and dogs. See www.ratzapper.com.

Is the forum supposed to be for all Board deliberations or just a central place for the Board to seek member input on select issues?

We've had good success splinting broken legs including a compound fracture on a rear leg that my wife set. Based on advice from a long-time shepherd, we extended the PVC splint below the hoof, jugged the ewe with a buddy for several weeks and changed the dressing every 2-3 days.

My understanding of the rules and guidelines is a run doesn't start until the handler sets the dog up for the outrun. If that's the case, then judges shouldn't deduct points, directly or indirectly, for walking to the post with the dog on a leash, training aid or not. This begs the question whether the run should start as the handler and dog approach the post. If trialing is supposed to approximate work, isn't the dog attempting to gather the stock before being asked a fault that should be judged?

Who helped you get into really working your dogs? Variety of people. In the beginning I took some lessons from Steve Clendenin and attended a Jack Knox clinic but mostly worked on my own and--no reflection on either trainer--wasn't progressing very well. What got me jump started was a few lessons with Kent Kuykendall who explained things in a way I could apply and raised my expectations of my dog's capabilities. Since then Robin has helped me some, and I try to listen to other handlers. Did The relationship continue-trainer/newbie? No. Did you ever pay? Yes. Are you currently working sheep? Yes. My wife and I raise Tunis though our numbers are way down because of the draught. Also work my dogs on Julie's sheep on a fairly regular basis.

^Exactly. A title that, in the spirit of the law itself, is bogus and unenforceable.

I've sent several letters on behalf of the Carolinas Border Collie Association, but maybe it's not listed because it isn't a national or California organization. Kind of surprised the USBCHA isn't on the opposed list either. If this thing passes, a California working dog "title" should be created so breeders can get intact permits.

Senate Bill 21 was signed by the Governor last Thursday and is now the law. General Statute 14-362.2, Dog fighting and baiting, "does not apply to the use of herding dogs engaged in the working of domesticated livestock for agricultural, entertainment, or sporting purposes." Thanks to everyone who supported this change. Special thanks to Dwight Parker and Senator John Snow who got the ball rolling. FYI S1424 excepting earthdog trials was also signed by the Governor. S92 rewriting the law requiring owners of dangerous dogs to provide surety or liability insurance is still in the House Judiciary Committee.

Your husband's probably right. The fiberglass board would act like a big sail with that amount of wind. I wonder if it would work if you drill very small holes all over it? Not a perfect blind, but as good as slats and probably a lot more durable. If you could rig it so the dogs wouldn't tear it up, what'd work really well is the heavy duty erosion-control fabric. Wind passes right through it.

4' X 8' sheets of fiberglass shower board work really well. Should be available at any building supply store. Weatherproof and easy to wash off with a hose. Cut to size and attach to the chain link with wire or electrical ties, just make sure it's tight so dogs can't chew on it. Kind of expensive though, about $40 per sheet last time I checked.

After recieving favorable recommendations from the House Agriculture and Judiciary Committees, S21 passed the House last Wednesday. It's expected to be ratified and signed by the Governor. Thanks again to everyone who contacted their representatives. FYI, S1424 is also awaiting ratification; S1172 was withdrawn; S92 passed the Senate and was referred to the House Jucidiary committee.

Robin, thanks again for taking the time and trouble. It was fun, and I think my dogs got a lot out of it. You and Kate have a standing invitation to work at our place.

My gut reaction is it's like learning a language later in life. Can you do it and even become fluent? Probably. Will it become instinctual and intuitive like you've been speaking it since you were a kid? Probably not.

^Also in my experience judges are pretty lenient in novice about distance from the post and fiddling with the dog in setting up for the outrun (within reason). FWIW, I think novice can be more difficult than pro-novice or ranch. There's no time to adjust on the fetch, and the stronger dogs usually don't shine holding sheep as the handler slowly walks around the course.

I like being outside, the beauty of seeing good dog work, tending livestock, the intellectual rigor of training creatures that don't think or communicate like humans and doing something that gets my mind off my day job. I like trialing for the same reasons and, for the most part, being around like-minded people I enjoy, but I wouldn't give up working dogs or raising livestock if trialing ceased to exist. Has trialing watered down the dogs? I think so. My impression is this feeling is pretty widespread, and it makes me wonder why we aren't working to make trialing a better test which is too bad because it's the only semi-objective criteria we've got.

Pearse's #3 is my personal #1 since I have a tendency to spend too much time on the fancy stuff and not enough getting the basics down pat. The more I've gotten to watch and talk to top-notch trainers, I'm surprised how much time they spend on the building blocks--proper flanks, 100% stop, etc.--even to maintain training on their open level dogs.