Goal!

There is nothing quite so satisfying as setting a goal and not only attaining it...but exceeding it. My goal this year was to get Emma's CD. We did that. And then  we got our first Herding title. We are 1 performance title point away from a VT (Versatility Tile) from the AWSS (Association of Working Shetland Sheepdogs). My dream has always been to achieve the highest level titles..on each end of our registered name. This is a...giant step forward.  Emma is UCH Wintercreek Angels Walk CD HT CGC RN.   We have the points, only our highest number of points comes from our UKC CH...and they need to come from a performance title.   Next weekend we are entered in an ASCA Stockdog trial: Started Sheep.....if we successfully complete the course twice --again under 2 different judges we will add the STD title...and then we'll have the VT!  It'll be fun....Apparently we get to take goats around the course...

First Herding Titles!

I have been herding with the shelties for about 1.5 years now...with some intensity.  We have grown to love it and look forward to every chance we get to be in the field.   In the beginning of September we travelled to Gig Harbor, WA for a 2 day trial...our first real trial.... and Both Emma and Ike earned an AKC HT title in 2 trials.  (You have to pass twice under different judges.)  It was grand.
The HT tests were scheduled for the end of the day so we hung around Pack Leader Farm and watched a lot of different dogs work. We were the only shelties there though.

Emma is an especially talented sheepherder; she is subtle and instinctive and just a joy to work. We finished the test in under a minute and a half...and probably would've done so faster if it weren't for me being a little poky and stopping to "fix things" which would have fixed themselves had I just kept moving.

Blue for the title. Boom.

July 15 2012

At the Oregon Shetland Sheepdog Regional Specialty obedience trials, Emma and I finished our CD.   True to our obstinacy...we either got 1st place or an NQ.....no 2nd best for us!

On Our Way!

 This past weekend in Canby, Emma and I got our first 2 Novice legs with 2 blue ribbons!!! On Day 2 our score was 194 out of 200 !  I love working with my  little brown dog...and I was especially excited to hear 2 well known judges and obedience competitors say how much they liked her....in fact...that they would still have shelties if they were like her.  That may have made me happier than the ribbons because I know I helped nurture that attitude...that I made the world a good place for her and that we are truly a team.

We are entered in Nov B for three trials at our Specialty in July...and although they are outdoor trials, I'm hoping we get that last leg.  I would imagine that working outdoors with sheep for a year will help us concentrate.

In August and Spetmeber we are entered in 2 Herding Trials. Emma and Ike. Hoping we can get HT*s PT*s slapped on the end of our names too! 
HT= Herding Tested
PT= Pre Trial Test

Living the Dream!

New Show @ PDX Opens 4/4/12

Swaledale Moon

Tomorrow my show, Pastoral opens. It has been a really intense 6 months of work. I had to  juggle training, teaching, family...and some emotional upheavals...but I got it done. And now I feel that post partum feeling.
The only remedy is to get working again.

Wednesday is the reception, which I half dread. My other half, of course, is excited to see so many people I like so much in one space...looking at my work.

My friend Lynn asked me how I felt about the show....and today my answer was that I thought it looked like I had dropped by an elementary school, swept the shelf of projects, signed them and took them to PDX.  This made us both laugh. Swaledale Moon is my favorite.  Below are the felt sculptures.

Stall Work

Autumn Wolf

Irish Terrier

Herding

I'm not sure I have ever experienced anything as magical or as pure as being in the midst of a cloud on a mountain with my dog and 3 sheep. We herd up on a mountain that catches the clouds as they roll in...and clears as they roll out. Luckily! Michele had her camera and got some lovely shots of the day's lesson. Emma and I went into the field first and about an hour later Ike and I went in. You can see the difference clearly.

After last week's high jinx....at least a month with no sheep made the dogs nutso with excitement...this week was wonderfully thoughtful. Back to work. And while both dogs impress me...Emma is amazing right now...she has some primal knowledge of how to do this....More magic.

The Sport of Dogs

I was thinking this weekend...at the dog show.... that this is a sport that all of us who show, in whatever venue, have a role in....and it occurred to me that we can make a CHOICE about that role:  there are leaders (those who have a generous awareness and by example demonstrate good sportsmanship to everyone; managers (those who feel the need to talk about what others are doing wrong.); the workers who work their hearts out to make the events happen; and the solitary players.  All of us have probably been in each of those roles at one point.... and all of us have the power to pick the roles we want to play.