I take Echo to help me with the sorting (first time ever ... a very bold move ...), and quickly realized, even before we got to the sheep, that I wouldn't be able to use her. I had a lamb running back and forth outside my fenceline in one of the irrigation alleyways, complaining as usual. The tricky thing is ... there's no gate to just open and let the lamb back in. I am not sure how it even got where it did. So I trade Echo for Zip and walk down there and investigate. I will have to cut the fence. My neighbor comes out ... who DOES have a gate that opens to that alleyway, so with good timing, I started the lamb right into the neighbor's backyard. So I told the neighbor I would hop in the truck and drive around to his house and come get my lamb.
I get to the neighbor's house with Zip and he lets me in the yard. The yard ... well ... there's quite a few obstacles back there. First off, he likes to go up to the mountains and chop wood. So there's a giant wood pile and big miscellaneous pieces of wood scattered all over, amongst many other things. So around and around we go ... Zip worked beautifully shoving the freaked out lamb through the wood pile and back around holding it in the corner for me, etc. The problem was ... the lamb wouldn't let me within 5 feet of it. Rrrrggghh...
So I cut the fence. I was none too pleased.
Loaded Zip back up and went back home. Went down and grabbed breakfast.
I had an instinct test scheduled for 10:00 a.m. for a fellow geocacher ... and she showed up promptly (I love that!) and her dog was lovely! Was a bit grippy, but took my pressure well, and really settled in nicely. I think she may start taking lessons with us.
Sue and Lindy came by. Lindy brought and worked Rave, and Sue helped me pull the rebar posts out of the pasture (they used to hold up my panels). The ex buried them so far in the ground that we had to use a t-post puller to get them out. But we got it. Woo hoo! I've been wanting to get those out of the ground for a while. They are hard to see when you're walking backwards, and several times, I've almost made a lollipop out of myself on them. Yikes!
Sue also brought her Aussie pup (whose name is escaping me at the moment.) We all thought he was going to be a large pup, but he has matured beautifully and looks to be very majestic. He's got very nice bone and good leg length. I can't wait to watch him work!
I worked Rio. She does very well while I am in there with her. She's going around both directions very comfortably, and is lying down on balance. I am trying not to put too much pressure on her yet, as I am not sure she'd be able to handle it. Later on, she snuck away from me and got into the round pen on her own. Sheep looked like popcorn and dust was a'flyin'! Needless to say, she got in big trouble. ;-)
Skar worked very nicely. She is moving pretty fluidly now and I think I will start working on her outrun ... or trying. We'll see how that goes.
Colleen had a brief stay at home amidst her crazy work schedule, so after working all the dogs today, and taking a snooze, I took my son out for lunch, and then met Colleen to take the dogs on a good dog run. We went to Lucky Peak on the back side of the river. We took Reena, Roy, Echo and Zip. Echo found the water pretty quickly and of course had to go play in it. At the far end of the walk, Colleen and I found a good spot and took a dip ourselves. Man was that water cold!! But it was quite refreshing. Took a few pics of the dogs.
Zip:
Echo:
Reena (showing me what she thinks of my photo-taking abilities):
Roy:
Have I told you how much I love this dog?
As usual, a good time was had by all!
Happy tails!
JD
(Wrote an email to the person referred to in my last blog asking a bunch of why's. I haven't gotten a response. Imagine that.)
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