Ivy and Jim 4 months

Sisters

I'm glad that Amy bought Sam a pretty pink collar so we'd know which pup was which!! Above is Sam and below is Clare. If I had a profile of the same side, you'd really see how much they are marked alike. Sam has a little more white on her chest and a more perfectly even blaze, but other than that they sure look alike.

Sam was out for a visit this weekend. She had much better time playing with them than she did a couple weeks when she was here. When she was out a couple weeks ago, things were a bit over whelming. She preferred to stay close to mom, and watch, rather than get involved. (Smart pup! I'm not so sure I'd be real quick to get right in the middle of my 4 hooligans' antics either!!) This weekend she was much more open and less concerned about where her mom was. In the above picture she's getting a friendly greeting from Sly.

Clare's wondering if she's looking at her own reflection, or another pup! Sam and Clare are near identical, not only in markings, but in build and how they move.

Pretty girl, Sam! She's doing a Deal trademark move with her foot. When Deal's watching something with great interest, she will lift her foot. Kit does this too. I think I've noticed it in Clare as well.

Amy is having a really good time with Sam and enjoys her a great deal. Sam's doing great with the family and their lovable, and rowdy young dog, Rocket. Amy's very excited to start training Sam in agility, which I have no doubt she will excell at. I'm sure that Sam will get sheep time too! Even if Amy doesn't have much serious interest in it, I know Sam will be out fairly often to work sheep with me. (smile)

Too big to fill?

Jim. Jim was whelped on Nov 23, 2007, so he's just a bit over 4 months presently. I love this pup. So much of what he does reminds me of his sire, which is so cool. Not only because it's exciting that he may be able to follow in Cruz's stockdog shoes, but also because I love Cruz on a "just the dog" level, so when Jim acts like Cruz, he's being the kind of dog I love being around. I'll be posting a video of him playing with a toy just like Cruz does- making up his own game and just ignoring all the other dogs.

Jim's the largest pup from the litter. Now at 4 months he's more in proportion and I can see that he is going to be a gorgeously put together, big strided, easy moving kind of dog. He didn't get this from Cruz, as Cruz is a more 'square' dog that has to take a lot strides to be as fast as he is. Cruz is only 18.25" tall. It looks like Jim will be closer to 20". I'm not sure if any of the HatsOff dogs were a bit larger, but I know Del'Mar Turk is a larger built dog (in comparison to Cruz) and many of his offspring tend to be of the same build. Gwen's sire is an Imp Jim (Turk's sire) X Imp Nell son and is a very large framed Border Collie. I'm incredibly drawn to this pup and can't wait for him to mature. To date there is nothing I see in Jim that I don't like and his Cruz-like behaviors keep me hopeful I have a shot at having another exceptional dog at a time in my life where I can do more things right than I did with poor Cruz in the beginning. But at the same time I worry that because his is similar in many ways that I am going to hold him to an unfair standard. I'm concerned that because he's "his daddy's son" and I'm only human I'm going to always compare him. I'd like to think that I won't, as I have many dogs and have no trouble at all letting them all be their own personalities and treat them as individuals. I feel so very blessed that I have Jim and Ivy. After Cruz, Gwenie is my favorite dog to just simply be around. She's a trip. She's quite funny and clever and loves attention and does everything with the after-burners on. How can you not love that? She gets by with a few things because of her cleverness. For example I hate begging for food. But she's just so funny about it that I can't help but give in. It's a sort of ritual that when I go to NC to train, I stop at the McDonalds in Suffolk on the way to get a breakfast burrito. She isn't a typical begger. Instead, from the backseat, she politely taps me on the shoulder with her foot. If I ignore her she starts to poke her nose in my ear. Like "um, hello, I want some too." She never gets rude, but she continues to problem solve and find something I find amusing enough that it deserves a piece of burrito. Brain power. All of Cruz's tricks (if they're not there right now, they'll be up soon) where simply shaped off behaviors he'd offer to get something he wanted, so they are very similar in how their brains work. I waited a long time for a bitch I thought worthy to cross Cruz with. I wanted a bitch similar to Cruz in working abilities and personality. All 4 puppies from this cross are being raised as stockdogs in very able hands. The 2 puppies I didn't keep for myself are close-by and with friends, so I'll know exactly how this cross turns out. I am sure it will be a very fun summer, getting these pups started on sheep. By the fall they may be in real training- but only if they are ready.

They wear it well

Border Collies! You've gotta admit they look their best wet and covered in muck!! They simply wear it well! Maybe part of why they wear it so well is that usually if they're covered in mud, stock poop, bits of straw and grass it means they've been doing something they greatly enjoyed! Be it doing a job that needed to be done regardless of the weather that would keep a lesser dog sleeping in late on sofa, or a play session that took place regardless of the icky weather and terrain. Real Border Collies not just tolerate situations like that, they enjoy them. The above pictures are Gwen and Jim. Yesterday after a 4 wheeler run just around the yard, Gwen got in the stock tank to cool off then promotly had a great roll in the grass. Happy dog! The photo of Jim is from this morning. I played with them for an hour in the rain this morning. He looks so glamorous due to the wrestling matches with Ivy.

Cool Weekend and Videos

Yesterday I was able to get a few videos of Gwen and one of Deal before it got too warm. All my ewes are bred, so I didn't want to get them too warm. They're in good shape, but it was certainly the warmest day in a very long time. The wind blew all day. I'm convinced we live in a wind tunnel. I'm sure living surrounded by fields on 3 sides is part of it, but this just seems to be a windy area. People will come from only 10 miles away and comment on how windy it is....

The videos of Gwen and Deal are on my youtube account. I video taped them myself, so for the most part they were doing silent gathers. Both girls are doing such a nice job and I so very much enjoy working and owning both of them. I'm so excited that I have offspring from both of them. Yesterday Ella was here and we played with Wren on my friend's lighter hair sheep. Ella did a great job with her, but just couldn't quite see how to help Wren follow thru when she picked a direction to start going around the 3 ewes. So we traded places and I was able to help Wren go around the sheep several times. What a nice pup, and not that looks are important, but man what a drop-dead gorgeous dog she is going to be! She went around sheep about like Cruz. She had enough eye that Ella had a bit of a time getting her to go all the way around, but not so much that it was hard for me. She has less eye than Gwen did at that age, which is nice. Gwen does fine with her eye, but she could do with 2 clicks less. If Wren is that perfect middle of the road like her sire, Ella will have a very easy pup to start. I haven't tried any of my pups on the lighter sheep yet- but I need to before they go. I'd like to see if all their motion will grab Ivy's interest, and I'd love to see how Clare and Sly do, as they were going around my heavy sheep, just couldn't really move them forward. Jim acts like something inside his head has clicked, as he's much more interested in the sheep on the other side of the fence when they're up by the gate when I'm feeding the sheep. (all my dogs are very good about not being up by the sheep if I'm not) All the pups are doing good. Jim is going to be much bigger than Ivy or Wren. I haven't seen Keele in several weeks, but I bet Jim is bigger than him too- he was the biggest at 8 weeks. I think Jim has maybe picked up some of the Del'Mar size and body build. He's a bigger boned, 'lopey' kind of mover, much like his Del'Mar Turk son sire, Dan. Jim seems to have a lot of Cruz too. He is my puppy. Meaning he pretty much adores me, and prefers me over almost anything. Even in the morning, after being crated over night he pesters me for attention before he even goes out to pee. And other than wrestling with his sister, he tends to pretty much be a loner. Cruz is the same way. He is 100% dog-friendly, but other than to occasionally flirt with a pretty bitch, he would not be the least bit disappointed if every other dog on the planet disappeared. I can see this in Jim already. It's not uncommon at all to see the other 3 pups playing together and Jim off doing his own thing- or hanging with me. To date I only see Gwen in Ivy. She is hard core, sweet temperamented with people, and generally friendly with dogs- unless they try to take what she thinks is hers- then she's a little bitchy. Just like Gwenie. Of course that doesn't fly around here, but it clearly a Gwen trait. Keele did a great job in the round pen last week I was told. Hopefully next week I will be able to go to NC one day to work dogs, visit, and see Keele. I'm still planning on going one day to the cattle trial in Gladys, VA in April. They're running 2 trials/day, so just going one day will get us a couple runs. My only other planned trial is Dixie Meadow in NC the weekend after the cattle trial. Again, I'll probably only be able to attend one day. I highly doubt I will do any summer trials.

Transportation

(photo from CreativeSportsSupply Co in AL)

Transporting the dogs back and forth to trials and training safely is important and not always easy to accomplish. When I drove the Excursion, they rode in their usual crates. Although this was fine, it did mean allotting for the extra time to get them in and strap them down and then doing the reverse upon arriving home. Finding crate space for 6-8 dogs, even in a large vehicle can take some trial and error. When the vehicle is not just for the dogs, the crates don't get to be left in the van/suv. Now that I'm driving a crew cab truck, my current dog transportation is less than ideal. They all ride in the cab with me. I don't mind that at all, (in fact I enjoy it) but it's far from a safe, and riding in strapped in crates in the bed is even worse. I've gone back and forth between a very nice dog box (I could get a stacked 5 dog one- 2 on the bottom and 3 on the top) and a dog trailer. The trailer is not that much more than a 5 dog box of equal quality. The trailer has everything! It's insulated, has powerful fans, rain guards on the doors, a water tank with hose, lights, dog tie outs, storage, etc... Of course having a trailer means the bed of the truck is still available. (I could put on a topper and sleep in there if the weather or trial site was not tent friendly) I think it would soon become a PIA to take the dog box out to haul stuff and then put it back in every time I want to transport the dogs. I also question the safety if an accident happened. I've pretty much decided on a trailer from http://www.creativesportssupply.com They seem to have very well built trailers with all the right kind of extras, and appear to be built for the dogs' comfort. Additionally they are in AL, which is a doable state to buy a trailer from. It's a bit silly for me to look at trailers from places like OK or TX! The above photo is a 6 dog trailer from creative sports supply. I plan to purchase an 8 dog trailer. I don't trial 8 dogs at one time, but very often I'll take that many to training sites. Additionally, an 8 dog trailer will allow me to take all the working Border Collies with me when I go to a trial- therefore only leaving the pets at home for Ben and the kids to care for. This is a big ticket item, that will hopefully help make working 6PM-3AM 4 days a week worth it! Knowing I have a job will allow me to finance the trailer. I'm willing to for-go spring trials if it means it will allow me to purchase a safe, convenient way to transport my dogs.

Speaking of the job, I go in for training most of the afternoon on Tuesday. I feel quite lucky that I found the kind of job I was hoping for, with the hours I wanted, at the distance I wanted to drive- and it all fell into place immediately after I applied! Since I'll be leaving for work after Ben gets home, I'll be able to take "his" car, which gets almost 30mpg, in comparison to my V-8 150 that, well... pretty much gulps.

It's supposed to be 80 today!! Already windy though. It's been windy all week. :-( I'm finally done moving all the panels for the 11 10x10s! Whata job! Now I just need to buy about 17 bales of straw and they'll be set. I'm hoping I can get some videos of Gwen and Deal. Yesterday my heart sank when I saw the farmer out with his sprayer. But to my relief, he was only spraying the edges along the road. :-) It won't be long though. I believe the next ewe to lamb is very close. I hope she goes today, as it's going to be much cooler over the weekend. It'd be nice for the lamb to have a few hours of warm air.

Peep,Peep,Peep

Our youngest son's Gifted and Talented class incubated eggs that hatched right before spring break. They hatched around 20, and we are now the owners of 12, adorable Red Island Reds. I've raised day old chics one time before and made the big mistake of putting them outside too soon. I was going to lock them in the wonderfully spacious coop Ben made until they knew where 'home' was, but was talked out of it... I knew better, but didn't follow my gut. Sure enough, all that peeping and no mother hen meant breakfast, lunch, and dinner for our cats... I was really upset, and mad!! I wish birds weren't such a great things for cats. I don't mind the rodents, but I'm always a little sad when I see they've killed a pretty Blue Bird or Cardinal. They never seem to catch the nasty Jays or Sparrows... We don't have too many barn cats now, and they're all 'fixed', so hopefully someday we can have some bird feeders again! LOL! I'm really getting used to the sound of the chicks almost 24 hours a day. They've graduated from their box, to a large rubbermaid tub, and are about ready for another move. I was going to use one of the 4x4' whelping boxes, as that's perfect! They're about 30" high. I'd like to move them out into the garage so I don't have sawdust in the house (again), but I don't know what I'd do about the darn cats. It's impossible to keep them out of the garage 100% of the time. I hate to put plywood over it, as they poor babies would never see day light, and I'm not about to hook a heat light in there and then put plywood over it. I'd have frrried chicken(s). So I guess in here is where they'll be. I'm sure Ben could make a top out of that rigid screen material, (like rabbit cages) but I'm a little scared that if a cat jumped on it, it would knock the heat lamp off. (I'm a 'freak' according to Ben- but hey, when was the last time we had something stupid happen...) I need to look in my chicken info book and find out how much longer they need heat. They are about 50% feathers now. Rhode Island Reds are such a pretty bird. I've also read they are pretty tame and bond with humans. These will be our layers. (All but 2 roosters will be butchered for the dogs) I need to order a nice batch of day olds from McMurry's. They have a hybrid of sorts that is a wonderful meat bird. I'll be stuffing a freezer with them. Some for us and some cut up for the dogs. Supposedly these birds are at finished weight at 8-10 weeks. That's hard to believe, but I guess it's so. I'm also thinking seriously about ordering day old Khaki Campbell ducks for both herding and eating. They are attractive duck that is light skinned, so it's easier to pluck. Like the chickens, they'll be in the freezer for both us and the dogs. Probably more for the dogs, but we'll see. I have enclosure made for them already, so it's just getting the money to order them. The more I think about things, the more I think I might skip an awful lot of the up coming trials and get things "right" around here. There isn't too much more to do. The priority being finishing the last 315' of the property with fence. Then the entire property is fenced and the dogs can just be out being dogs even if I'm busy with something else. It'll take one roll of fence and the posts. I already have 2, 8' gates for the driveway so that's a big expense already covered. Yesterday I spent nearly 8 hours taking down the kennels along the south side of the house (11, 10x10's with canopies). I got 2 remade over by the garage where there is natural shade nearly all day. It's completely shaded during the hot hours of the day. The canopies last a year. It wasn't the wind, it was the sun. They faced south, and from about #4 as they went west, they just got completely dry rotted from the summer sun. I replaced them with $20 tarps (6 of them!) that were uv and seemed heavier duty. Problem was they weren't a perfect fit. They were just a bit wider. So Ben kind of layered them. Well this meant that not all the holes had a bungee, and that the bungees were hooked to the next canopy over's tubing. Well... that was a mess in the wind! The tube that is at the top of the Aframe is two pieces. Since the canopies were hooked to the next one over, what happened was in the wind the 2 pieces got pulled apart, and they looked like *hit. I hate stuff that looks half-*ssed. So since we're finishing the fence, and the dogs can just be out in the yard most of the time, I'm just going to move their kennels were there is natural shade and not even put tarps over them. I don't kennel them in the rain. When it rains they can either be loose in the yard so they can lay on either of the 2 porches, or under the trees in the grass, or they'll be up in their crates. I never hooked them in a wet 10x10'. Eventually Ben is going to build me a kennel building that will include a permanent cover over the outdoor enclosures, but that is a long way off. I'm kind of thinking of putting in a 10x(up to) 100' garden were the kennels were. It's very good soil there and it's in a good location. That wouldn't be till this fall.

So I'm off to get some more kennels put back together. Taking them down was a fairly slow process. I did the canopies and aframes Tuesday and the panels yesterday. I didn't get any dogs worked yesterday since I just dove into that project. I should get some worked today, as I don't know when I'll loose this field across the road. It's a late crop they put in (it's always been either beans or peanuts), but I don't know when they'll start getting it ready.

So What!!

Well today was a beautiful day outside. Other than taking a lunch break with the boys, I spent from 11AM-7:30 outside. The dogs hung out with me all day and the boys played outside most of that time. They were outside at the neighbor's for awhile, then the neighbor boy was over here, and then they went back to the neighbor's and played inside (video games I reckon) for about an hour before they needed to come home in order for our youngest to get to baseball practice. It's 8:00 now and dinner is just getting done, so I hope they're are on their way home. My plan for pizza fell thru, as I didn't realize I was out of yeast for the dough... So I made turkey "cutlets", veggies and rice. When the boys and Ben left for practice (Ben was home about 15 minutes before they needed to leave) I took the dogs out for a 4 wheeler run and dip in the pond. What an awesome thing to be able to do with them! The fields, trails, and pond are on a neighbor's property. This fall I asked to use the field right across the driveway for herding while there were no crops in it. I was more than welcome to!! This lite a fire under Ben, who wanted to ride the 4 wheelers. I talked to the farmer and he was more than willing to allow that, we just needed to have the proper insurance- which I can totally understand. With that done, he took our oldest and Ben on a "4 wheeler tour" of all the trails. Oh my gosh!! You could literally not do in 2 days the trails he has! Some follow the woods line along the fields, and more are thru the 100s of acres of woods. All we have to do to get on the trails is cross the road at the end of our driveway! :-) I took the dogs out to the pond, let them get a quick drink, then followed a couple different trails. We came back to the pond and I turned off the 4 wheeler and sat on the dock while the dogs waded, drank, and roamed closely around. As I sat on the dock at the pond in the middle of the woods (but 1 mile from home) with the dogs (with the knowledge that my husband was off doing something enjoyable with both boys 3 miles from home) I decided "so what". "So what" about sooo many things. So what if I can't get to every trial I want, so what if I didn't get to head out to Carolina today, so what if there always seems to be more things that need to be done than there is time and money for. So what!! Sometimes it takes moments like tonight to put things in a proper perspective.

So as I sit here now, watching tv, with my family I'm thankful. I'm thankful for all that we have and even more thankful that I am a member of a loving family, and despite the fact that some times things don't seem worthy of being thankful for, in the grand scheme of things- they are!!

Multiple Dogs and The Almightly Dollar

It's funny how when you've been doing something the same way for a long time, you almost get to where you don't even notice what it takes to do that particular thing anymore. Kind of like driving a car or riding a bike. When you first started, you could hardly think fast enough to make it all happen at the right time. Then years later you're driving, talking on the phone, drinking coffee, and refereeing the kids in the backseat- all while driving a stick shift during rush hour... It's almost like the driving part just happens.

Yesterday a had guest out that has only been here once before. When she arrived I was working on canopies on the kennels and the dogs were just out in the yard being dogs. They all greeted her and as they were running about, hoping she'd throw the toy one of them had already brought to her feet, she laughed and said "it's like a herd". I laughed back. Well, I guess to the "normal" person 13 dogs would look like a herd. It's not over whelming to me and none of my dogs are hurting for work, training, or attention. And, I suppose more importantly, they all listen. My dogs greet guests happily if they're out when they pull up, but of course if they happen to be in their 10x10' kennels, they bark. Non-"herd" owners are always amazed that I can say one time "All right, enough" and everyone shuts up. ("herd" owners aren't, as they typically have the same control over their multiple dogs) I over-heard my Mother telling a guest this summer (my parents live in AZ) that I have more control over 13 than most people do over 2! I suppose that's true. If I didn't, I could not have the "herd" I do. Around here, my routine is pretty much set by their needs. They have a routine as consistent, maybe even more, as our kids. I think that's vital to a dog. Just like it is with kids. To be content and settled, they need to have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen next.

Not everyone is cut out to be a "herd" owner. I personally would be bored and my dogs would be burnt out if I only had a few. I've been told that although I am fair and not harsh, I'm also a pretty demanding trainer. No doubt, I have expectations- probably greater than a good number of handlers. Not just on the field, but in over-all behavior. I love having multiple dogs to work. If one dog has an off day, I have several others to work and one of them is liable to be on that day! LOL! Seriously though, having multiple dogs helps me not push dogs. If I only had 2 dogs to work, I would probably train too long- hence the above mentioned burnt out dogs. As it is I can work the 6 dogs that are currently in training in about 3-5 hours time. That's plenty of time per dog. (I'm blessed that in any given day I have those hours to dedicate to training) I don't ever watch time when I work, it's all based on the dog and the task we're working on. Having several dogs to train also greatly benefits me as a handler/trainer, as none of them are the same. Each dog is trained and handled differently so you have to learn how to problem solve and be flexible in your strategies. It also allows me to give a dog a mental training break when needed and still get my "fix". Often times the best way to help a dog is to let him be for a week. I've done this multiple times with Toss and Kit, and often times during part of a bitch's cycle.

I think it's the day to day things that most people would have trouble though- I think most herding people would be happy to work dogs all day, that's not the issue. Which puts me back to the routine part again. The routine is as much for me as it is the dogs. You can't have this many and be working by the seat of your pants. You need to have a plan, and you have to stick to it. Maybe because I grew up on a horse farm, thus being familiar with daily chores that involved more than just a couple animals, it just comes naturally to me. All my dogs have an individual indoor spot, an individual outdoor spot, and can be trusted to just be loose on the 3 acres as one big pack.

It's all about what you're accustomed to. I have friend's with 5 children, ages 3-12. I cannot imagine. But, if I had 5 children, I would be accustomed to that, and I would have developed a system that worked.

Money. Money sucks. I sure can't wait to be working nights so I can have some!! I was hoping to head to NC today to visit and work dogs, but alas it would have resulted in fueling with a credit card, and at this point that's going backwards. Poop! Not only do I enjoy going to see friends, sit in the golf cart and chat, I enjoy getting the dogs on different sheep, getting input from more experienced people than myself, and getting Cruz and either Deal or Gwen on cattle. I really don't want to miss the cattle trial in April, but I really need to get some more time in on them. Cruz is a star on cows, so I don't question his abilities. But I'd like to take one other dog, not only because I know they can do it, but it will help make the trip worth the gas money. I had Gwen on cows once before and she was really getting the hang of it- however I would not trust that I could send her on an Open length outrun to cows and have her be 100% sure that's what I wanted at my feet. I'd also like to give Deal a chance, as she has such wonderful feel for her sheep and 110% holds her ground. If she bites (she's now mature enough she only bites on command- on sheep anyway), it's clean, it's hard, and she goes right back to pushing forward-no fuss no muss. In other words, it's quick, it hurts, and she follows it up. So I think she would be fabulous on cattle. I watched her do this yesterday to the ewe with a lamb. She was moving them off and holding them off the feeder for me and the ewe walked right on up, nose to nose and stomped at her. Deal held her ground, and waited. I gave her the bite command and she reached up and grabbed her nose until the ewe swung around and as soon as she was turned the other way Deal let go and took 3 steps into the ewe. This time she moved! I've also seen Deal do this same thing with goats, only as soon as the goat turned and she let go of it's nose, she quickly heeled it. She knew the goat was going to need a little extra... Stock sense. It's either there or it's not...

So... it's going to be a beautiful day- like 72 and mostly sunny, and although I'd like to be training with friends, I have the entire day (not baby sitting today and the boys are on spring break) to work dogs! Maybe I'll even take them for a 4 wheeler run and a swim at the pond this evening. There is a video clip of the pond on my youtube account. http://www.youtube.com/alinbcs I need to make some pizza crust dough this afternoon so we can have pizza before our youngest goes to baseball practice at 6:30, but aside from that I have no other scheduled plans. Life is good- and I'm not going to let the almighty dollar ruin my day!! :-)

Changes

One thing that is for sure is that everything changes. Lots of things have changed for us in the past year. Now in our 30's, Ben and I have finally figured out that if we can't afford it in cash, we don't need it. It's amazing, and a bit sad, that it takes so many people that long, and some people even longer. We are no longer credit card users, which can be incredibly hard at times. Coupled with no longer using them, we are trying to get them paid off. Of course this leaves little to no extra money. Which, in some budget guidelines is the way it should be until you are debt free. In early 2006 we "bought" an '05, 6.0, fully loaded, diesel Excursion. This was out of our range, but Ben had a large bonus coming up and we planned to pay over half of it off with that bonus, and refinance it. But alas, that isn't what we did! So for almost 2 years we paid the incredibly high payment, and as we watched the price of diesel climb and climb, and our "hole" get deeper and deeper we both finally came together with the idea that the truck just had to go. In hindsight it's foolish to be so in love with a vehicle. In Nov. Ben traded the truck for a new Chrysler Sebring. A CAR! It's a very pretty little car though and it gets almost 30mpg- and the payments are half as much as the truck. This left me with a paid for Explorer Sport for the dogs and hauling feed. I was less than impressed, but knew what we had to do was what we had to do. I looked around and learned that the '95 Explorer Sport was worth about the same as a slightly older F-150 crew cab. I spent one afternoon calling the ads asking if they'd like to simply even-up trade. After only a half a dozen calls or so, I found a girl in Hampton willing to meet. It all worked out and I now drive a PAID FOR '93 crew cab F150. I actually enjoy having a 'good ol girl' pick up truck again. I love having the bed to haul trash and animal feed etc. Now I have to save up for a nice insulated '6 hole' dog box. Right now all the dogs ride in the cab with me. Two, sometimes 3 in the front with me and as many as 4 in the backseat. They are wonderful riders and they all find a spot- they basically have self-made assigned seats. Cruz rides on the floor in the front and Gwen takes the seat. It's similar in the back. A couple ride on the floor and a few on the seat. Depending on where I'm going, I strap in 4 empty crates in the bed so when I get there I have crates. The rest are tied by the truck. Cruz can stay in the cab if weather permits. As I mentioned, there has been little 'left over' money since the dis-use of the credit cards. Which means trialing has nearly come to a stand still. Between entries and the cost of fuel, even going one day with the dogs that are ready to trial, it's close to $200!

So enter big change #3! I have been baby sitting a friend's toddler for almost a year now. Because she's a friend, it's not much money, but it has certainly helped us- but not enough. So this past week I applied for a night job. I haven't worked away from home since before Charlie was born. Charlie was 12 in Feb! Ben finally has a job with a normal schedule and routine, so I decided to give it a whirl. I applied online on Weds. and was in for my first interview on Friday! I've been in 2 more times since then. Now they're just waiting on the drug test and I should be in orientation by mid-week next week. I'll be working 32hrs/wk. and working 6PM-3AM. Changes will have to happen here at home. Dinner will have to be done at 5PM and Ben will have to get the kids off to bed and do the before-bed turn out with the dogs. Ben will also have to get the kids up and ready for the bus in the morning, as I plan to come home, let the dogs out for a pee, put them back up, and feed them- then go to bed until 9-10AM. Jordan (toddler I babysit) will be here nearly everyday at 10AM. Hopefully having from 10AM-3PM available to work dogs and keep up around here will be enough. And hopefully I don't fall asleep on the way home at 3AM! I was told yesterday that I won't always work until 3AM. I'll find out next week if that means the shift is actually shorter, or it means that sometimes you'll just be done with your work at midnight. I got a job unloading merchandise and stocking it. This is exactly what I wanted. I really didn't want a customer service type of job. There was a cashier position available from 6PM-midnight, but I'd rather not have to directly deal with the public during that high tension time of day! Parents and kids can't help but be tired, hungry, and irritable when they've been away from home since 7AM, and it's now 12 hours later and they've yet to be home! If it had been the only job available, I would have taken it, but I'm glad I had a choice not to.

This will be a big change for all of us, and I really hope it all works out. Not only do I want to help get our credit paid off, I want to have money to do the few things I want to do, and not feel guilty about "asking" my husband for it. I make a few bucks with the dogs and training, but not much and it's never reliable. Right now I make roughly enough to care for the dogs and the sheep.

The kids are on spring break this week, so it's been nice to just get out of bed leisurely. The weather is great for sheep work, so once I have Jordan down for her nap in about an hour, I'll get everybody worked. Yesterday a friend brought 3 hair sheep ewes to be bred to my nice Dorper ram. We swapped some outruns in the big field, then came back to the yard to work on shedding. There is green stuff coming up in the field, so the sheep didn't really need to be held, but it's good for the dogs to lift the sheep off a person and dog. It can make a lot of young dogs either stick or rush. She told me I was welcome to use the 3 ewes for the puppies, as I was explaining that although my big wooly ewes aren't nasty to the pups, they are just a bit too heavy for the puppies to move. So that will be nice. They'll be here about 2 weeks I guess.

I enjoy this blog thing. It's an easier format than my website and I think getting to type away at stuff that might not be dog-related.

Meet The Working Dogs

Mary Jane is an attractive, sensible, natural working bitch with loads of balance and the perfect amount of eye. She has plenty of power while still having great natural pace. She is a combination of tough mid-west ranch dogs and well proven trial dogs. Her background is both sheep and cattle, as she closely goes back to Emil Luedecke's Ben (thus then Imp. Tyne), Imp. Ben, Bill Berhow's Nick, and Joni Swanke's bitch Belle. Belle was a top producing bitch and littermate to Kathy Knox's Ettrick Bob. Mary Jane has OFA good hips and DNA eye tested normal. I bred her this past year to my dog Toss. I kept a male pup from the litter and he is quite the go-getter, and at 10 weeks was going right on around sheep and keeping them to me. Mary Jane hasn't done much trialing, but will get out more in the near future. MJ's DOB is Nov 2004.


Sly is the male pup I kept from the MJ X Toss breeding. I wasn't planning on keeping a pup from this litter, as both parents are young and I was already keeping 3 planned pups back. (both parents being young simply means I would have the opportunity to keep a pup back at a future date) He's a pretty little tri that is VERY full of himself. He's clearly showing his mother's eye and balance. Sly was born in Dec 2007, so it will be some time before what he's made of is known for sure. For the time being he's a joy to have around.

Ivy was born in Nov. 2007. She is from my Gwen X Cruz cross. I've been waiting a very long time for the right bitch to put Cruz with. I kept 2 of the 4 pups, and the other 2 are in very capable friends' hands. Ivy is a very stable pup, much like her mother. She's rather hard core, which is also her mother. She is going to look like Gwen in both build and markings.

Deal is a just a cool little bitch. She is very, very stable and friendly, and has wonderful feel for her stock. She is fearless with no back down. She is not overly quick to bite, but if she does, it's hard. As she's matured and gained experience she has developed more patience with "uncooperative" stock. She's a very good outrunner, that keeps tabs on her stock and adjusts herself beautifully all the way to the lift. She has a great deal of presence and typically gives her stock zero time to think about behaving badly. She has had two litters with my Toss. I have a female from each litter. Deal is an exceptional mother- one that is both loving and authoritative. In one word she is exceptionally "appropriate". Deal is an Imp Jim (aka Bomber) granddaughter and has dogs such as Templeton's #Roy, ##Wisp, Ettrick Bob's littermate Bett, and other hard working mid-western ranch dogs. Deal was born in Feb 2004.

Toss is a Nov 2003 pup that is a combination of very proven American dogs and well bred Imported dogs. Toss' American side consists of Sherry Smith's Nap, who is a #Sweep son. As well as Amanda Milliken's Boy and Hazel, who produced Lacy's Christian. His Imported side has several of Wales' WT Davies of dogs, as well as Dalziel's ##Wisp. In true Imported style, Toss is very forward, on the looser end of eye, and is wonderful at taking one powerful step at a time in a high pressure situation. He is a driving machine, marching on and keeping the line for as miles as you wish. He needed some time and experience to be relaxed enough to be trusted on the trial field- he's an incredibly intense dog. He has done well in the limited trials he has been to this winter of 2008. He's a big outrunner who is doing a wonderful job at learning how to lift properly. He has sired 3 litters, 2 with Deal and one with MaryJane. I have a pup from each of these litters. His first daughter from 2006, is a near clone. She looks like him, and her working tendencies are very much his. Off sheep, Toss is a bit of a class clown, always looking to entertain himself, and usually succeeding. Toss was well started in agility when I decided to go all herding. He had superstar potential. He was very high drive, focused, with exceptional work ethic. He was a very efficient jumper with incredibly tight on turns, while having great ground coverage and speed. He is fairly true to form of many imported dogs, being long, lean, and leggy. For his 21" of shoulder height, he has a great amount of leg. His ground speed is something I have never seen before. One a flat, tractor path down the middle of the field I cannot out do him on a 170cc atv!!

Jim is my Cruz X Gwen pup. From the moment he was born I felt a connection with him. I have no idea if he will be as exceptional on stock as his sire, but on a emotional level, he is already making himself special. Jim will be my puppy forever regardless of what he does or does not do!! He has had a few chances on sheep so far and is certain there is something he should be doing, he's just not sure what. He is incredibly biddable and wanting to please like his sire. Cruz is nearly 7 and this is his first litter. I'm hopeful that within Ivy and Jim there is the potential to have a "another" Cruz. Only time will tell!!

Clare is from my Nov 2007 litter from Deal X Toss. Unlike Kit, who is very much her sire, Clare appears all Deal. Her temperament is the same as Deal, she is built the same, she moves just like Deal, and aside from her small blaze she is marked just like Deal-right down to the 3/4 collar. Clare moves around sheep just like Deal- with great feel and sensibility. Deal was never a "puppy" on stock- she was born dead serious about stock, and Clare seems to have inherited this trait. At only a few weeks old, Clare was 'claimed' by my youngest son. She is always the perfect puppy in his eyes. Clare is a very friendly, sensible pup and I greatly look forward to her future as a stockdog and as part of the foundation of Black Water Border Collies!

Words just can't describe my feelings about Cruz. He is, simply put, my everything. There has never been anything he hasn't given me a 110% at when asked. Emotionally he means the world to me, I cannot imagine life without him. From a stockdog sense I could never put a price on what he is willing and capable of doing! He can literally work everything from 1 month chickens to cattle. And not just work them, do it correctly- naturally. He has the brains to put an entire barnyard of animals away, one species at a time. If I was to send him to the chickens and say "these", he will literally go between sheep's legs to get the chickens up. If I wanted to move the sheep and leave the chickens, I need only to cue that it's the sheep I want. All Border Collies are bright, but Cruz takes it to a whole 'nother level. His is my heart and soul, my constant companion, and probably my once-in-lifetime dog. He loves me, he trusts me, and the feeling is 110% mutual!! I can only hope that after 7 years, our relationship has many more incredible, enjoyable years!! Cruz is all ranch dog bred, most of which are cattle lines. His grandsire on his dam's is HatsOff Bill and his greatgrandsire is Ettrick Bob, who is a Henderson's Craig X Knox's Imp Jill son. Bob was a top trial dog run by Kathy Knox. His top side is all ranch cattle-bred dogs. Cruz was born in May of 2001. Before beginning his herding career at the age of nearly 3, Cruz was a top notch agility dog.

Kit was born in April of 2006. I kept her back from the first Toss X Deal cross. Kit is marked like, built like, and works like her sire. Also like Toss, she was on the slower side to mature and be trusted. She will be 2 this spring and has not yet been trialed. At home and at other training fields, she is a very intense, serious working dog. Like her sire, she is a very powerful, forward driving dog. Also like Toss, her outrun will be a bit slow to develop as she tends to rush the lift. She has lots of power and push, and usually prefers to do the right thing. Like Toss, she just needs time and experience. Once she learns to relax with distance between us, she will be a force to be reckoned with! I enjoy her very much. She's an attractive, athletic bitch with endless potential.

In Jan. 2006 I purchased Gwen after a cross that I had been waiting for for over 2 years was possibly not going to happen. I was referred to Gwen's breeder because the dam was of similar breeding. I can't help but think that sometimes the best things happen when it isn't the plan. There were only 2 females left and one just didn't do anything for me in the photos. Someone was coming to look at the puppies the same day I inquired about them. I told the breeder if they did not pick the freckle faced pup, to let me know. A few days later Gwen was home! She shares HatsOff Bill as a grandsire with Cruz. Her grandmother, HatsOff Wynn was a stellar stockdog and produced exceptional pups. The dogs on of her top side are from Canada, England, and Scotland. Her grandsire is Imp Jim CABC 128108 who is a son of ##Wisp. Her top side also includes ##Sweep and ##Spot. So it's quite the interesting blend of classic imports and good old western ranch dogs! Gwen is a very fast flanking dog, who stays off the sheep's bubble, but without ever losing contact. She's been known to take a down so readily on a flying flank that she has rolled herself over. With age she is learning when it's necessary to use steadier, smaller flanks. Her big, fast, clean flanks are a true blessing on fetchlines. Gwen has quite a lot of eye, which so far does not appear to be a problem. I just started shed work with her, and she is a star. She comes in quickly and completely and will readily control the group I indicate. She has nice stock sense and her typical nature is to keep the peace. She is natural outrunner, already running over 300 yards perfectly. She is wonderful in the barn, flanking cleanly and calmly in very tight spaces. If I had already been an Open handler and I had not bred her, she could have surely run well in nursery. She has been to only a couple trials and has run very well. She is a very stable, consistent dog on stock. Off stock she is an intense, goer type of dog, but incredibly responsive. Gwen is one of my favorite dogs to work and be around.

Intro Part II- Enter The Border Collies

In July of 2001 I purchased my first Border Collie. Cruz came to me with only agility as our planned future. We had an immediate and intense bond. He was instantly my dog. I absolutely adored him, and from the get-go all Cruz wanted was to make me happy. He was as perfect as one could hope for as a first time Border Collie owner. He was full of drive, with an endless work ethic, yet had a very natural "on/off" switch. He was quick to learn, and because of his biddability, it was not in his typical nature to try and run the show. I was thrilled to have such an incredible dog, and we quickly became a solid agility team. Cruz is a perfectionist. He wants to be right, so he thinks during training. He is not reckless or unsensible. He was accurate, then a speed demon. He was never slow, rather sensibly cautious until he knew the skill 100%. He was a tough dog to run against during our short agility career. I have one short video clip of his weave poles. http://www.youtube.com/alinbcs

In the summer of 2002 we sold our little place in Hampton and moved to 3 acres in rural Virginia. Like the move to Hampton, we were so happy with the increased freedom and privacy. Although still here, we're planning on moving back to the mid-west in approx. 7-9 years. Ben has 7 years left to military retirement, and our youngest son will graduate in 8 years. We plan to have 50-80 acres with sheep and cattle in northern WI or MN. When we moved out here I was so excited to have my full 100x100' agility space and enough equpiment to run full courses. I also loved having the space for the dogs to just hang out and be dogs! Of course knowing the boys were going to be raised in the country and go to small schools where the student body doesn't walk thru a metal detector each morning, was one of the biggest reasons for the move. We live on just 3 acres, but all of Southampton and surrounding counties are rural. We have neighbors on 2 sides, and the other 2 sides are 50+ acre fields. The same day we moved out here, I went to the airport to pick up my second Border Collie, Edge.

In 2003, when Cruz was 2 1/2 years old I decided to buy some runner ducks and try herding. I had never done any herding, and Cruz had only been to see stock once prior. When he was approx. 10 months old I took him one time. We never went back. Just like with agility and as a family companion, he was a star all on his own. It took him a few times in the round pen to notice the ducks. Mostly because all he was familiar with was me telling him when and where to go. Leaving my side to go do something his gut and brain were telling him to do, was completely foreign to him. He was incredibly talented, and even more patient. I did so many things wrong with him in the beginning, that it's simply a miracle he is what he is 5 years later!


For a couple years I attempted to do both agility and herding. For herding I had ducks and goats. Bottle fed, dairy wethers. Although not a complete disaster, it wasn't the best. I also did a lot of muttling alone before finding help. I learned quite a lot thru trial and error, but for Cruz's sake I wish I would have got help sooner.

In Jan. 2004 I bought Toss and a pup named Ripple that I planned to do both agility and herding with. Ripple was replaced by the breeder with Deal after Ripple became unsound due to HD at only 8 months old. Both Deal and Toss were well started in agility, while Cruz and Edge continued to competively compete at the top level in 2005. During this time, herding and all that goes with it became my passion. I was training agility with the new dogs less and less and by the 2006 trial season, was about done running Cruz and Edge. Ben was on a short deployment during the summer in 2006. I sold all of my agility things and bought Ben and the boys a small boat. It was a step that I painfully pondered for a very long time. I really did enjoy agility, but it was just too hard to try and train properly for both, and affording two sports with multiple dogs was just not in the cards. In thinking of which I could be without, it surely wasn't herding!

With the help from good friends, wonderful mentors, generous instructors, a willing fence and barn building husband, and talented dogs, (and good sheep) Black Water Border Collies was born. I now own 7 adult Border Collies whom I've raised since puppyhood. All 7 are at various levels of stockwork, and only Edge is not a trial dog and doesn't have much training. I have 4 puppies from my own 2007 breedings. They were born in Nov. and Dec. 2007. I have 2 puppies from one cross. One female from another cross (I also have a near 2 yr old from the same cross) and a male from a 3rd cross.

Although this blog will probably be mostly about the dogs, it will also include things about the kids and just simply life.

First Post

Introduction and background. Since this is my first post, I thought it best to give a brief background. We've been in Virginia for nearly 12 years now. Ben and were married in May of 1995. Both of us grew up in the mid-west. Ben spent most of his childhood in the 'burbs of central MN, while I was raised in rural western WI. I was raised a farmgirl on 88 acres where my parents raised Appaloosa horses and ran a horse boarding business. We all worked hard, and greatly enjoyed country living and being among our animals everyday of our lives. I have fabulous memories of things my brother and I did on the farm. My brother used to love to go out into the pastures and build elaborate forts in the small patches of trees and brush left for natural shade and cover for the horses. He would take his trusty Golden Retriever, Kata and they'd spend all day together, often not returning home until dark. I can remember attaching one of the pony's to the toboggan with a make-shift harness of baling twine and padded cinches. Our driveway was very, very long and straight. In the winter Dad plowed it with the tractor, and we'd have a hard-packed snow driveway with banks that were head high or greater. We would trot the pony up and down the driveway with us and the toboggan in tow. Of course the ponies were not really broke to drive, and I wish that I photo of the 'harnesses' we'd make! But we made it work and I can remember having so much fun and laughing to the pee- in- your- pants point! Having horses, ducks, dogs, and too many barn cats we learned about life and about death, without any of it being sugar-coated or politically correct.

I learned that because you'd get hands dirty, or you were tired, or it was too cold, or it was too hot, were not acceptable reasons to not get a job done that needed doing. There were so many things that we just simply had to do, regardless of how much drive one had to get it done. Farm life is not for the faint of heart, or for un-selfmotived individuals. I am so thankful for the upbringing that I had. Along with having the farm, we showed horses. My brother and I showed until we were 18. This was our life. Many weekends all summer long were spent at show grounds with the horses, family, and friends. Like the memories of being raised on the farm, I have memories of these now very special days. At family gatherings, it's without doubt that we end up talking about the horse show days.

I believe that my love and connection with horses made a natural carry-over into dogs. When Ben and I got married he had just joined the Navy. He was in school for the nuclear program and we moved into a townhouse in Patrick Springs, FL. All I can say is YUCK! Not only is this area 100% city, Florida's weather is not to my liking, especially after growing up in WI. We were in FL for 6 months, then moved to upstate NY. Saratoga Springs is beautiful little town and that area is just simply gorgeous. We were 200 miles south of the Canadian border and 200 miles north of NYC. Several times we took day trips to the various parks in the Catskills Mts. Charlie was born in Saratoga Springs and was an infant when we moved to Virginia.

When we moved here, we had one weekend to find a place, get our things delivered, and hopefully be settled in, before Ben was to report to the ship. He was stationed to the USS Enterprise, which left nearly immediately after we arrived in Newport News. We (well, mostly just Charlie and I) lived in the townhouse in Newport News (dirty, crime ridden, and "all city") for the length of the lease, then bought our first house. We found a little rancher (little, as in 1000sqft) in a well established neighborhood where most of the people owned the houses they lived in. It had a front yard, albeit tiny (maybe 30'x60'), a driveway, a privacy fenced backyard (maybe 40x60), and a little shed. We were so very excited!! It seems silly now, but I guess that is the progression of things. We were just so happy to have our own yard for Charlie and Jake (our Lab puppy that we bought shortly before moving). We lived just minutes from Buckroe Beach, but the better find was the dog beach at the Fort Monroe Army Base.

Shortly after moving in, Dylan was born. Charlie was 2 1/2 when Dylan was born in June of 1998. We soon had 3 dogs and I saw agility one night on tv and was instantly in awe! The next morning I called a club that offered agility classes. The club was only minutes away, was in a climate controlled building, and offered night classes. I signed up for the needed obedience classes we had to take, and after a couple months, Jake and I were taking agility classes. Jake was in instant star, and I fell in love with the sport. Our yard soon became filled with jumps, weave poles, a small aframe and teeter, and a tunnel. Jake and I went to agility trials and did very well, right off the bat. Once reaching the Excellent level, I knew that I wanted another dog. Another dog that was better suited for speed and agility, and one that would be raised with agility in mind right from the get go. Jake was almost 3 when I started agility with him. He was such an awesome dog, and was - in every sense, very competitive. He was very clean and consistent. But he just did not have the build to do what these Border Collies were so easily capable of.

Part II to come this evening....