Well, I am in the middle of a huge pasture with poor internet service so I will have to do the LaCamas Double Lift photos when I get home. They will not upload and freeze my laptop so you will have to bear with me. I took some very nice photos so all of next week, you will get to see them.
So then, this weekend I am at a sheepdog trial in Yelm, WA. It is hosted by Judy Norris and Joe Haynes is the Judge. I entered Roo and Nan in Open. Rainey was also entered in Open - non-compete. She was entered in PN. I took Tess along as my my lap warmer. Getty stayed home to man the fort....er, so shall I say feed the sheep.
Nan was the first dog up in Open. The sheep are hair trigger light Katadhin and look to run. With the two pushy dogs that I have, I usually have a hard time on these sheep. The drive was a right hand drive, pen and then any two of the five sheep. Shedding these sheep in like winning the lotto.
She ran out to the away side and nice and deep, came on clean for the lift and these sheep ran don the field. I stopped her to slow the sheep down, then flanked her to make sure the sheep hit the fetch gates. They sailed through and then they ambled to the post for a nice turn. I had to really hold her back to prevent the sheep from running and she listened well. She was on the muscle but on the edge of the bubble and not spooking the. The drive lines were nice and he got both panels and the sheep eagerly strolled into the pen. I set up the shed and she came in and held the two.
I set up Roo to go on the away side but he kept looking to the comebye side. He refused to listen to me and on his way out, I managed to stop him before he crossed the line. I told him to look up the field and saw his sheep had broke away from the setout crew to the pen. We got a rerun with the point loss to that part. I really hate reruns but we went at it again. He did the same refuse to look up the field and I stopped him again and told him to look. He finally did and cast out wide and was coming hard on the lift when I gave him a severe down. He took it and we had the fetch smart but he really settled into the drive for only a three point loss. He got the pen and the shed came swiftly, Had he not been a butt at the beginning, his run would have matched Nan's.
At the end of Open, we ran the non-competes. The draw was to the away side and it was heavy. As I walked Rain up to the post, she set herself to the comebye side and had such a determined look on her face, that I let her stay. Most of the dog went on the away side. I sent her from the comebye and she cast out wide and very deep and came on nice for the lift. The sheep never made an attempt to break back to the exhaust. A wee bit of a bobble but not much and she made the fetch panes, then a clean turn at the post. The first leg was very tough but she rallied and got them through the panels, then smartly across for the second panel and into the pen. I set up the shed twice but she did not come in clean so we timed out. Her non compete score was 80.
We had a lunch break then PN ran. Rainey was later in the day and the sheep had been through the course twice and were wily. She wanted to go on the come bye side again so I let her. She had a sweet outrun and nice lift, stopping for a brief second at the setout person (to see if they were to her approval) then marched the sheep down the line. She held a nice line and the turn was around the pen (it was the handler's post) then the tough first leg. She was hard pressed to push but did as asked and got them clean through the panel and a nice crossdrive. She began to lean on the sheep and hit the crossdrive and then a tight turn to a pen. She held her side and I did my side and the sheep danced it. It was a good team work on out part and I was very happy with her run. She lost one on her lift and three off her drive and got 86 out of 90. I about fell over in shock and danced with delight. I was very happy with how hard she worked for me. She has come a long way and I like what I am seeing in her so far. This is her third PN trial and I am quite pleased
We had a handler's potluck and it was great fun. I think I ate too much but that is ok, as Tess went with me and managed to beg a few treats. Thanks to the handlers who humored her and gave her a treat.
Oh, the highlight of the day was when Joe's Corgi, Lester, jumped out of the truck as they were exhausting the sheep, and took them for a run. He did a nice split, then put then back together and took them for a drive, Joe leaped off the truck and we all laughed as sheep, Corgi and Joe disappeared into the area of the exhaust. Soon Joe came out with a panting but happy Corgi under his arms. Too bad, I didn't bring my camera!
Not a very good picture as I cut off the score but you can see that Rainey only lost 4 points. I am so over the moon!
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