Porterville sheep trial

 The weather was absolutely perfect.  This is a picture Sally and Jim's Porterville Ranch.  I took this photo across the fields on one my walks.  My trailer is just under the first big tree below.  I had a great shady spot.

I ran Yoko in pro-novice.  The sheep were from 2 flocks.  The pro-novice dogs had it the hardest.  They had 3 from one flock and 1 from another.  They would split and go every which way with the slightest bit of pressure.  I ran Jet one day in open and ran Kilt in open both days.  They used 5 sheep in open which was somewhat easier.  They had a collared shed, pen, single this year.  But, they made it easier than last year.  Last year you had to shed the 2 red collared sheep from the 3 without collars.  They must have thought it too hard.  This year you had to take one collared, one uncollared...fairly easy.

These black faced sheep were 25 feet from my trailer door.

We did a lot of evening strolling.  Champ thought he had died and gone to heaven.  Go Go Go!

Thank God, when placed in a crate at night, he didn't say a peep.

He did this at night before going to bed with his mother.  Here he is showing his Mom his new toy purchased at the trial.  Play hard, lights are out in ten minutes!

I was glad I brought Champ, because there were lots of puppies at the trial.  Most were bigger and older than Champ....an unfair match.  I finally found him an 11 week old pup just like himself.  Here he is POUTING in a neighbor's X-pen with his new (NOT) friend.  I went to check on him and I could see he was really bent.  I threw in his yarn tug toy in the pen so he could play with the other pup.  That's when I saw the problem.  The other pup took his yarn tug toy and barred teeth at Champ.  The owner said, "He doesn't share well." Champ gave him a sad look and tried to tug with him.  He got teeth again.  That was it.  Champ jumped on top of him giving him hell.  I reached over the top of the X-pen and plucked Champ off the other pup and retrieved his yarn toy.  That was the end of that friendship.  Oh well.  Didn't seem to phase him too much.  There were plenty more dogs and a zillion other people to visit.  And, he didn't want to miss any of them.

Jet and Yoko stop to look at sheep and the sheep stop to look at them.

I ran Jet on Saturday and he came up with a 79 in open.  Not too shabby.  He had difficulty hearing me with the pasture berms.  Jet is 12 this year.  He is in good shape :0)  He wanted to run Sunday.  I felt badly I only put him in on Saturday.

Yoko was in the money on Saturday with a 4th place and a check.  She felt the need to bite the sheep on her lift which made our fetch really UGLY with the 3 and 1 sheep put together.  Yo was the 2nd dog up both days and they had a huge pile of green alfalfa to set the sheep on.  They weren't none to keen about leaving the hay.  I never say anything to Yoko.  She walked as close as she was going to go and when they ignored her, I could hear her thinking.  Mom needs sheep, so get a move on....wham bam thank-you mam.  The judge didn't call it.  It just wrecked what might have been a first place run.  The second day, Yoko did the same thing.  Now, I was really unhappy with her.  She is 4 yrs. old.  She knows better.  As soon as I got pissed our run pretty much went into the toilet.

Champ is happier than a pig in shit or should I say sheep in a pasture :0)

Champ under the spectator's tent with all of his toys and chewie to oocupy him.  He stops for a nano second to watch the sheep.  I ran Kilt in open, too.  Whoa....I think she has worked sheep 4 times in 4 months.  You get what you train.  Sat. was really ugly.  Sunday was a tad better.  At least, she had a flawless pen and nice sheds on Sunday.

In this sport, you really need your own sheep and you need to train at least 3-4 times a week.  So, I don't get too disturbed when things don't go as well as I wished they should.  I know what my dogs are capable of and I know I don't put in the training needed to be a consistent top contender.  It's okay.  I love trialing and I always find something I like about what they did.  And, on occasion, I end up in the ribbons.

Champ says "Who needs sheep with sticks like this around?"  Happy pup.

One could easily shoot a couple of 100 pictures on the Oxford ranch

But, I decided to bring Champ.  So, picture taking was almost an impossibility along with running 3 dogs in the trial and entertaining the little squirt.  I love this particular guardian dog and his house.  The sun was setting and it cast a pink/purple tint to the metal fence.  I was talking to my husband on my cell phone at the time I saw this shot.  I said, "Hold on" and put the phone down and took this photo.

One of my favorite trees, bare right now, but the sheep still flock to it.

And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention our annual Saturday night birthday celebration and St. Paddy's Day dinner.  Kathy Roberts, the most amazing cook ever, puts on a feast of corned beef and cabbage, carrots, potatos, salad, and rye bread.  We all sit around the fire pit and have a fabulous time.  The weather was picture perfect.  Plus, there was a meteor shower of some sorts happening.  At one moment, a shooting star the size of a huge glowing ball of fire, slowly arced it's way across the night time sky.  It was AWESOME.  Good fun, good food, and good people.  See, it's not all about the dogs and sheep. :0)