Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Kelpie book for sale

Rare Kelpie book for sale. "Breeding and Training Sheepdog" by Tim Austin. Small book, about Kelpies. Austin is the breeder of Elfinvale Stud Kelpies, a very famous Kelpie Breeder. Thin book, 12 pages. 1978 date. Some water spots inside. Inscription in back by prior owner.  Normal Price $85. Sale price is $50 plus shipping and insurance to USA and Canada. Buyer backed out so offered again.
 



Saturday, March 28, 2015

More Books for sale

Very rare Kelpie book. Tim Austin. "Breeding and training Sheep dogs". Thin book, 12 pages. 1978 date. Some water spots inside. Inscription in back by prior owner.  Normal Price $85. Sale price is $50 plus shipping and insurance to USA and Canada.
 

The Australian Kelpie Handbook. Norm MacLeod.  Paperback. Second edition, 1985.  Excellent condition. Normal price $125. Sale price $100 plus shipping and insurance to USA and Canada. SOLD

 
South African Sheepdogs Training and Trials, by Con Kingwill and Brenda Munitich. Hardcover. Normal price $75, Sale price $50 plus shipping and insurance to USA and Canada.

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Arthur Allen Border Collies Books for sale

SOLD - I am selling this set of THREE books. Author Arthur Allen. All in excellent condition and original publications. Will not break up the set.

"Border Collies in America" 1965. Paperback


"Album of Fame" 1967. Paperback


"A lifetime of with the working Collies their training and history" 1979. Hardback.


All three books for $400 plus shipping and insurance to USA and Canada. I reduced this price to sell my books to help pay my cancer medical bills.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Kelpie Books for sale - SOLD

Since I have been sick, I am going to reduce my rare sheep dog books. The price is firm and you the buyer will need to pay postage and insurance. Shipping only to USA and Canada. However if you want to get all three for $400 that is possible. Once these are sold, I will be listing more books.

1. Training the Working Kelpie. A D Parson. Printed 1990, Hardcopy, excellent shape. Original price $250. Sale Price is $150.


2. The Australian Kelpie- The essential guide to the Australian working dog.  Tony Parson. Printed 1992. Hardcover, excellent shape Original price $250. Sale Price is $150.

 3. The Working Kelpie: The Origins and Breeding of a Dinkum Australian . A. D. Tony Parsons. Printed in 1986.   Hardcover, excellent shape but few scratches on front.  Original price $250. Sale Price is $150.      
 
            


Monday, March 16, 2015

Heppner Sheep Dog Scores


Thanks to Jeanne B for this.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

That'll Do, Maid

This has been one of the hardest posts I have ever written. It’s been just over three weeks ago, Feb 21, 2015. I lost my beloved partner. My best friend, the love of my life…my dear Maid. She filled the huge hole in my heart left by Tess’s death and I enjoyed trialing again. We had the special connection on the field and one run she got a 96 out of 100 and that run felt so sweet….we just felt in the vibe on that run. Yes, other runs she was pushy but she ran her heart out for me and we really were a team. Scott and Jen glen sold her to me as I needed another Open dog and I am so grateful to them for her.
 
Maid came to me over 3.5 years ago and together we built a very tight bond. She knew what needed to be done in the ways of chores. I would point to a new ewe and lambs and tell her to bring her to the barn and she would carefully work her to the nursery stall. Or put the chickens away at night. I would open the door and she would race around the herd the clueless hens in and then swim in the pond to get the ducks. Once the geese got out, and she never worked them before so I told her to bring them. The male gander pecked her once then a second time, which she grabbed his beak and held on and then he collapsed, then she let him go. After that she had the geese in total control. When the goats tried to butt her, she would look at me as if to say, “Really?” then give them a good head grip. She could work anything.  She loved to please me.
 
But she was much more than a working dog. She was my snuggle bunny on the couch and would put her head on the keyboard as I would try to type. When I had the very bad reaction due to the chemo and crying in pain, she would straddle me like a mom dog and lick my face and paw at me to get up. And when I was done with crying, she would snuggle tightly to my side and lick my face. She never left my side during the bad days and I knew when I would have a good day, when she would grab her bunny to play with. She was a good mom, although she never had pups here but she raised bottle lambs for me in the house. And she was a she-wolf to protect them. She wouldn’t let the other dogs near her lambs. She would keep them clean and sleep with them. She loved her lambs.
 
Maid had a great of humor. She had a goofy smile and her slightly crossed eyes made her even more endearing. She was loyal as they could come. Once she figured out she was a queen house dog, she loved to be the official greeter. Then she discovered my mom and Aunt Kimiko. They brought all sorts of treasures in the bags they had in their hand. She pilfered two croissants and ever since then would meet them at the front door, then stick her nose in the bags. Of course, after they got here, she got tons of treats and some Japanese food as well. I pretended not to see. She would shadow my mom and my mom would speak to her in Japanese. Maid understood. Mom loved Maid.
Maid was obsessed with cats when she first got here. She would stalk Sarah th barn and house cat and one day, Sarah had enough. She chased her all over the place then Maid learned to ignore the cats. But Sarah was not happy with that would follow Maid and just pester her. Maid would be in her bed and Sarah would play with her toes or tail. Then Sarah would snuggle up to her and after a while they got to be best friends. They would snuggle in the bed together and just hang out. Sarah would rub all over Maid and Maid would lick her face. It was quite adorable.
 
Maid was also the greeter at the door, making sure everyone petted her and acknowledged her. If she felt like you were an easy mark, she would follow you and as a result got treats. She also let me know if someone was at the door that she didn’t recognized…..like the UPS man. But if my mom was coming up, she would bark in a high pitch, spin around, squeal and jump up and down. Kinda like me when I was a kid on Christmas morning when I saw my presents.

 
Maid and Rain were jealous of each other but worked it out. Once Maid saw she was the top trial dog and Rain was a pet, she settled in. They loved to play with each other. Maid had a favorite toy that was a stuffed lamb. It was the only toy she loved and Rain would steal it form her…..so they would play chase, grab the lamb and the other one would grab another toy and then they would trade toys. Then Maid would decide she had enough and lay on her bed with her lamb secure under her paws. Sometimes she would bring lambie to bed with her. If the lamb was not on her bed when she came into the house, she would hunt for it. I have never seen a dog so attached to a toy.
Aside from being my cancer comfort dog, chore dog, house pet, she was my top Open dog. We would go to the post and she would give me a sly glance then point her nose to the sheep. I would send her and she would bust out, kicking clods of dirt in her wake. Tremendous outrun and a no nonsense lift and straight fetch. And if we had to so a dog leg fetch, she would nail it. Our last year, she was running like a champ and we just connected on the field. Still pushy on the drive but we sorted that out. In the shed ring, we would glance at each other and smile. Her teeth bright white and grin so huge and she would fly in with a tiniest hole and march the ewes off. At the pen, I was the gate keeper and she did her cutting moves to work them in and I was honored to shut the gate.
 


 
In the first year, we did battle on what was right as she was a hot dog and had a temper but she toned her temper down. She still would grip is a ewe tried to charge her or was wayward (deserved) but kept her temper in check. She tried to do right and didn’t have a mean bone in her body. Ironically, I decided one day to give her a lot more freedom and then she gave me control of her. I trusted her and she trusted me. Even though on the field I did give her a bad command, she would do it, and look at me but didn’t question it. I apologized profusely for those commands and she accepted the apology with a treat.

 
With Tess’s death, I never thought the hole in my heart would heal. It was huge, raw and gaping and I had thought about quitting trialing for a bit. But Maid gave me a huge piece of her heart to fix the hole and soon I was healed. She saw I was grieving and did anything to make me happy, even being goofy with her lamb to get me to laugh. I never thought the hole would heal but by her love, it did heal and I began my life again with the love of a dog.
 
Then the cancer struck and I was so sick so she took on the role of nurse dog and took care of me. I still was trying and she softened a lot on the field as I had no energy and gave her me all. She could have run over me and do as she pleased but she began very soft and pliable.  Unless a ewe tried to butt her at one trial, so she gripped her then looked over at me as if to say. “She needed it” and I just told her to carry on. In the shed ring, my energy would be gone so I would whisper and point and she would shed. I would stumble to the pen and open the door and she did the work.  Usually she would get perfect points for those elements.
She loved to sleep next to me with her head on my pillow and my arms around her. She would sometimes move to my feet if I trashed too much due to chemo but if I was having a nightmare, she would wake me up. She was my snuggle dog and could read my mind.
I miss Maid and still dream of her. I loved that girl so much and it still brings tears to my eyes when I see her photo or talk about her. I grieve for a long time and still will. She was one of a kind and had a huge heart that not only healed my heart but gave me the passion back for trialing.  She was one of a kind and one day we will be together.
 

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Tour de France Sheep

A Yorkshire sheep farmer has marked the start of the Tour de France by dyeing his sheep in the colours of winners’ jerseys.


Farmer Keith Chapman, himself a keen cyclist, painted his flock in different colours using dye he would normally use at tupping time.




The sheep, based at Daleside Nurseries, near Harrogate, have created a mini-media frenzy and pictures have been shared hundreds of times on social media sites.
Mr Chapman has also grown more than 2,500 French marigolds in the shape of a giant yellow jersey.


Both the sheep and the flowers, which are situated along the route, created lots of attention when the Tour made its way through Yorkshire for the first time over the weekend.


Meanwhile, Writtle College, Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex, celebrated the tour by creating a giant landscape of more than 300 bales of haylage in a field on its 220ha estate.

for the rest of the story click the link below.....

SHEEP....

Monday, March 9, 2015

Heppner Run Order

Not official and subject to change!

Saturday
NOELLE WILLIAMS LAD
VICKI CLOSE JESS
PATRICK SHANAHANN VANGIE
BOB HICKMAN RYDER
JEANNE BEAUDRIEAU MOSES
DIANE DEAL WILSON
KATHLEEN TORKELSON GALE
NORM CLOSE CRAIG
SUE MCLEAN GYP
SUE MACDONALD LADDIE
JENIFER COLEMAN MAC
KAREN C CHILD DOUG
JUDY NORRIS BLAZE
LESLIE CAPIK ANNIE
LAVON CALZACORTA PEARL
KAREN    ZAMORA TIGER
SCOTT GLEN BLISS
LISA LUJAN SAGE
RON GREEN CHAVO
GEORGE MACDONALD NAP
BRIAN RICHARDS BUD
GENE ZUCHER ZEB
RAY CRABTREE JILL
JEFF MARRONI CAREMEN
JODY RAUBENHEIMER REGGIE
HOPE HARRIS TIGR
SUZANNE ARAYA YOKO
MINDY MAYER JAVA
LIZ STENNING RYE
MARY HAMILTON TOSS
PAULA BOWDEN JACK
ANGIE UNTIZ LUKE
BOB HICKMAN TROUPER
NOELLE WILLIAMS DUSTY
VICKI CLOSE GALE
LISA LUJAN CLARK
JEANNE BEAUDRIEU SECRET
KAREN CHILD ROCK
PATRICK SHANAHANN FLO
KAREN ZAMORA BEAU
SUZANNE ARAYA CHAMP
LAVON CALZACORTA GUS
JODY RAUBENHEIMER JAKE
RON GREEN KIKI
SCOTT GLEN DON
JUDY NORRIS KASEY
ANGIE UNTSIZ BUTCH
LIZ STENNING SAGE
DIANE DEAL SWAY
SCOTT GLEN ALICE
VICKI CLOSE POCKET N/C
Sunday
KAREN ZAMORA TIGER
MARY HAMILTON TOSS
GEORGE MACDONALD NAP
SUZANNA ARAYA YOKO
RON GREEN CHAVO
HOPE HARRIS TIGR
LISA LUJIAN CLARK
JENNIFER COLEMAN MAC
PATRICK SHANAHANN FLO
BRIAN RICHARDS BUD
RAY COPEMAN JILL
MINDY MAYER JAVA
SUE MCDONALD LADDIE
KAREN CHILD DOUG
PAULA BOWDEN JACK
NOELLE WILLIAMS DUSTY
VICKI CLOSE JESS
LIZ STENNING SAGE
LAVON CALZACORTA PEARL
KATHLEEN TORKELSON GALE
DIANNE DEAL WILSON
SCOTT GLEN BLISS
BOB HICKMAN RYDER
JEANNE BEAUDRIAU SECRET
GENE ZUCHER ZEB
ANGIE UNTIZ LUKE
JODI RAUBERHEIMER JAKE
JUDY NORRIS BLAZE
LESLIE CAPIK ANNIE
NORM CLOSE CRAIG
JEFF MARRONI CARMEN
SUE MCLEAN GYP
RON GREEN KIKI
LIZ STENNING RYE
NOELLE WILLIAMS LAD 
PATRICK SHANAHANN VANGIE
KAREN ZAMORA BEAU
KAREN CHILD ROCK
SUSANANN ARRYA CHAMP
LAVON CALZACORTA GUS
BOB HICKMAN TROUPER
SCOTT GLEN DON
DIANNE DEAL SWAY
JEANNE BEAUDRIAU MOSES
ANGIE UNTIZ BUTCH
JUDY NORRIS KASEY
LISA LUJIAN SAGE
VICKI CLOSE GALE
JODI RAUBERHEIMER REGGIE
SCOTT GLEN ALICE
VICKI CLOSE POCKET N/C

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Human Animal Bond

A friend of mine and a veterinarian’s wrote this excellent article and I wanted to share it with you.
 
 
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I’m going to dress up an old somewhat fuzzy term: I’m going to re-define the “human animal bond” (from here on out the HAB) as an emergent property.
 
The HAB has always seemed to me to be too warm and fuzzy to take seriously. I trained back when most vets started their lives as ranchers, farmers and hunters. That meant that I had to be as unsentimental as possible, especially as a woman. The veterinarian’s historic role was to support agriculture and public health; animals were utilitarian and financial entities.  To fit in with the culture at that time was to be practical, tough and unemotional—to eschew cuteness....
 

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Is Spring here?

Today I decided to go outside and enjoy the almost 60 degree weather. No coat needed. It has been the 50s for most of the last month and sunny. One would think that spring is here. I sure hope so.
 
 View from my deck.

 another view...isn't is lovely?

The flamingos have arrived as well.
 
of course, the ewes and lambs had to graze on the front lawn.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sunday Shearing

The first Sunday in March is our shearing day. We not only do shearing but worming, vaccinations and hoof trimming....the full meal deal. Plus we check on the condition of the ewes since they are laming or close to lambing.
 
This year we lambed early for most of the flock to have lambs ready for Easter. Since the winter was mild, it was not an issue. Usually we lamb at the end of March.  Next year I will have the ewes set up so half will lamb in January/February and the other half in the end of March. Since I dropped from 65 breeding ewes to 25 breeding ewes, the lambing has been a lot easier. I don't breed about 5 so we have working sheep.
 
Since I have been going through chemo and been very sick, I have been banned from the barn and sheep duties. But the shearing crew has been doing the shearing duties for years so they pretty much have it down pat.  I was on lunch detail with the spouse so everyone got fed after shearing.
 
I did sneak down to say "howdy" to Eifion the shearer. We have been friends for probably 10 or so years. I stayed at his place about 8 years ago when I was in Wales.
 
 Eifion and I chatting away,

Wayne, the sheep wrangler.  He is a pro.

Vet Audrey and Vet Diane and Kathleen at the table.

Eifion and me. Love the hug. Mike is in the background and this was his first time.

Audrey doing the vax, Kathleen doing the notes and Diane doing the hooves. Love the tilt table.

Eifion does a ewe in about 2 minutes. Then he runs them down the alleyway to be loaded in the table. After a set was done, then Kathleen and her Kelpie. Josh moved the flock to the appropriate pasture. I heard the Dorper ram was a pill and had to visit the cars. I teased Diane about the ram being in her new ruff tuff crate.
 
They did 40 sheep in about 2 hours. Then we had lunch and had good laughs. Then everyone (besides me) went and worked nekkid sheep. The sheep were in excellent shape, some a little more so! Once shed of the wool, the ewes were a lot lighter and fun to work.
 
Thanks to the best shearing crew. Tim (who took the pixs), Vet Audrey and Diane. Kathleen, Wayne and Mike. And of course, Eifion, the fastest shearer and eye-candy to boot!