Deal

Deal is a 2004 female out of Lacy's Bobbie and sired by Lacy's Luke. Bobbie is a daughter of Imported Jim, aka the Black Bomber. Deal is a wonderfully stable, hard working bitch. She has been drop dead serious about her work since just a little pup. She is very deliberate in her work, and is a fair, yet take-no-prisoners type of worker. She has a fair amount of eye, and is a naturally scopey kind of outrunner. She has always been one I could trust would right herself on an outrun once she spotted her sheep. She will run a very picture perfect pear shaped outrun almost 100% of the time. If she does need a redirect she is very quick to give me the stop and kicks out beautifully on the additional flank. She's easy to read on the lift, and if her eye is going to pull her in and needs an additional flank bump, she gives it to me very readily.

Deal is now running Ranch and doing really well. Once she gets a little better grasp on the shed, she'll be an easy move up to Open. She likes to shed, however she can be a bit quick to use her teeth if she thinks something is going to get away. I really like the way Deal controls her sheep. She can be a bit to handle sometimes, but I'm learning to appreciate that. Our teamwork is becoming very well developed and I can normally be one step ahead of her now and know when she needs to be reminded to either give a little more ground on a flank or be patient just a hair longer with stock that is not doing as she thinks they should. Additionally, I know our relationship is growing because she will now give me what I ask of her 98% of the time. Early in her training she would often "decide" I was wrong and she would just go ahead and do it her way.... I have always liked Deal very much, but in the recent months she has really started to become my right hand girl. I've been hoping a natural fit for that would fall into place before Cruz got much older. She impressed me a lot the other day while letting a young dog work sheep for the first time. Deal was the only one I had around that could sort off the ewes from the ram (who is being quite ugly right now). Once I did that, I thought "darn, I have the wrong dog to help keep the ewes close at hand for the young dog". This is Cruz's gig and he excels at it. He just knows what the deal is and I never have to say a word. Well, Deal quickly got the picture and did both parts of the job- she kept the ewes close at hand without me asking and I didn't have to tell her to stop working the ewes herself but a time or two. :-) Deal's had 2 litters and I have a pup from each litter. Kit is from her 2006 litter and Clare is the pup I kept from the 2008 litter. Deal is my "Little Black Bullet" and as she matures I only love and appreciate her even more!! :-) Deal is affectionately known as "mama" around here, as she will mother anything, and she is a strong, but fair mama. She loves babies, but at the same time they best act right! The other day when Loki (her 2008 daughter) came to visit, Deal quickly reminded the young'un that she was on her mama's turf and she must act correctly. ;-) Fair but firm, she's a perfect mother and leader. Dogs like Deal are what make and keep a group of dogs socially correct, and that in itself makes her a special girl!