Self portrait AND MORE...

That's my self portrait :0)

                                                         
Nothing too new to report except Yoko has been a BAD girl for over a week now.  We went to the desert two days in a row with different friends.  I enjoy going by myself, but I love meeting and getting to know new people and their dogs, too.  I actually can set my own sheep in the desert with one dog and out run the other.  It was a lot easier though, when I could use Jet.  Jet is too old now.
So, I am appreciative when people like to come with me.  They always ask what they can do for me in payment.  I only ask that they bring lunch and a "good" beer. :0)

The last few days in the desert have been perfect.  Kilt didn't mind the new dogs joining us one bit.  How unusual is that?  She welcomed the company as long as they weren't in her face.  Now, Yoko showed teeth off and on to them.  She has been out of sorts for over a week.  She has gone back to digging in the yard, not listening to me, showing teeth, and being a brat.  The 1st day in the desert we weren't there 10 minutes when Yoko runs up to us showing us that she is ready to work and she is covered in SHIT.  It smelled like shit or worse.  It was all over her face, ears, collar and side.  YUCK!  Git!  Shoo!  We had to start the morning off by using 2 liters of water and a brush to get her at least approachable for the rest of the day.  I haven't a clue where or what she rolled in.  But, we were very glad the other dogs didn't follow suit.  Bad Yoko!  The little white faced dog with the shit eating grin.

The 2nd day in the desert when my friend was working her dog, Yoko decided she would do an outrun.  No one told her it was her turn.  She decided this all on her own.  With the wind in her hair (ears) she took off.  I think she figured Hiroko was going to set the sheep in the hills.  It didn't matter to Yoko, because she was off and running.  I whistled and whistled and resorted to yelling at her to STOP.  All of my efforts fell on deaf ears.  I think she was trying to set a world's record on the longest outrun.  I started walking, then jogging in hopes I could catch her before she disappeared over the top of the hills.  It is rolling in the hills so I could only catch glimpses of her when she hit the tops of the hills.  Somewhere at the 3/4 mark of her mile wide outrun, she figured maybe she was going to get in a bit of trouble and started to backtrack.  I finally caught up with her and since she eventually decided to come to me, I couldn't reprimand her.  Instead, all of the way to the trailer with her following me I kept muttering, BAD Yoko.  She was put on a wire and not allowed to outrun for the rest of the day.

I have seen her father do this when he was younger.  Both are WIDE runners.  I have seen him do it on several occasions.  Both times we needed to get into a truck and put the pedal to the metal for fear of losing them to "out of orbit" or to Coyotes or to Basque shepherds.  Once Jet decided not to pick up 5 sheep at 300 yards because in the distance he saw 1000 sheep with a Basque shepherd.  All attempts to stop him went unthwarted.  I was with Mike Meredith at the time.  Mike was sure the Basque shepherd would shoot him if he tried to fetch his sheep.  We caught up to him just in time.  Another time was exactly where Yoko went into orbit several years ago.  My girlfriend and I got in her car and tracked him down.  Scary. You don't know if they are going to get lost, eaten, shot, or end up on the highway.  All's well that ends well.  But, just when you think you have seen everything, the dogs do something really stupid.  Stupid to me, but obviously quite rewarding to them.

I think I know the problem...the problem with Yoko.  She is missing her half brother who has been gone for a little over a week now.  Champ is in training, at boarding school. She and Champ are inseparable buddies who played all day when I was at home.  I think Yo is just blowing off steam.  She probably needs a bit more one on one time with me.  I'm hoping that's the problem.  Trial time is coming in March.  We best fix whatever the problem is....

P.S.  Champ is doing okay.  He is a very tense pup with a lot of push.  I didn't feel I could do right by him.  When working him, I think I made him more tense, rather than relaxing him around his sheep. Suzy Applegate is starting him for me.