Well, day 2 of ugly weather. I worked in the house yesterday and got caught up on some much needed rest, so I need to get outside today. I'll need to pull on the Gor-Tex and head out to work and play with the dogs. It's not pouring, but drizzling like all day yesterday. I think it's a little warmer today and not windy like yesterday. I'm anxious to work the young girls in the barnyard and barn again today. I think I'll do some gate work with them as well. In and out of the paddock etc. I'm looking forward to my ewes lambing so I have at least double what I have now. I may even go ahead and buy a few more lambs off someone over the summer. I have some really talented dogs and I need to get back to working like I did 2 years ago. It's been an emotional 18 months for me, but I've come around and I've decided these dogs, and training them for stockwork is my passion and I am not going to let anything get in the way of that! I don't think everyone finds their real passion, and fewer yet get to live it. Admittedly, my "picture" is not completely painted, but it will be and I have an awful lot right now I need to remember I'm blessed to have...
This payday I need to look in the trading post paper and see if I can't find some local horse-quality hay. Ben and I had talked about it and I really need to go get 20 bales of good hay and put it on the atv trailer to store it. Right now I'm paying almost $9/bale for alfalfa hay at the feed store. I prefer to feed alfalfa and little to no grain, vs lower quality hay and more grain. I miss the mid-west and it's abundant alfalfa fields! Hay here is pretty low quality. I know some people have bought really nice hay from people that run up to PA to bring a huge trailer load back. I hadn't fed any corn to the birds or sheep until this week. I try to hold off until I think they need that "heat" during the night. I bought a bag of corn and a bag of sheep feed and bird feed and mixed the one bag of corn into the 2 bags of other feed. So it's not a lot of corn. Now that the ewes are looking bred I'm going to feed the some grain-corn mix once a day.
My mama-to-be is getting pretty big. (she slept with me again last night) I'm really getting excited as I have thought long and hard and worked so many different "kinds" of dogs, and for better or worse these 2 dogs are the "type" I love to live and work with. These 2 dogs will no doubt be the foundation of many generations of dogs for me. Better dogs, more notable bred dogs, dogs with more trialing proven ability? Of course. But these are the 2 dogs for me. In my short amount of time training Border Collies, I have worked with so many personalities and styles. More than most people will ever have the opportunity to work and own. Even among the dogs I currently work with there is a huge range, but I have my favorites. Even out of these 2 dogs there will certainly be individuals, but I do believe there will be an "Ali dog" stamp on all of them. So far the pups I have raised have not fallen far from the tree at all. There is no doubt who's out of and who's by who out there! What is my type? Heart. Without heart the most talented dog on the planet is useless. Work Ethic. Talent means nothing if a dog won't work "till the cows come home". Biddability. Talent means nothing if a dog is in it for himself. Those are the big things, the things that matter to me. Of course ability should have been written first, but that was a given. And not that looks matter beyond being functionally built- but I love a pretty face with an intelligent expression.
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