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Alasdair MacRae &
Star
2006
National Sheepdog Champion
 I
was given Star’s mother Tib, as an eight week old puppy by Bob Ford out
of his Megan. I trained her to open ranch level and then sold her to Dal
Kratzer for a cash sum plus 2 puppies out of Tib.
Dal ran in the National Finals and took 12th place with
Tib and then he bred her. His wife picked two pups out of the litter, a
rough coated black and white dog, Kirk ,that I was 5th with
at the Nursery Finals, and a tri-colored, smooth coated female, Star.
Star is a very active dog with an electric burst of acceleration when
needed. She is quite biddable and very much a team player although, she
could sometimes be faulted for trying too hard! While off sheep she is
very affectionate, and if I am still for more than 10 seconds, she will
start nudging for my attention.
Star is exceptionally effective around the farm whether it is with a
ewe and her lamb or a flock of 300, she makes the toughest task look
easy and is a pleasure to partner with at home or on the trial field.
Star was sold to Eileen Stineman of Texas in the fall of 2005 and has
the run of her house from late September until March , when the trial
season is quiet. During the winter months, she enjoys helping Eileen
with her large flock of Dorpers.
Beverly Lamber &
Pippa
2006 National RESERVE OPEN
Champion
 Pippa
is a daughter of S. Davidson’s (later Amanda Milliken’s) Craig out of
David Shennan’s Midge a Wisp daughter. Pip was imported in the fall of
the year after she won the Scottish Nursery Finals, and sold to me by
Alasdair MacRae who “thought she would suite me.” She did indeed. We
have now been together for 8 years.
Pippa is a very easy dog to get along with and to
run. Lacking a lot of eye and not having any temper she is very biddable
and never backs down from sheep. She is about the bravest dog I have
ever run. This quality is particularly useful in trials like Meeker
where the sheep can be very aggressive and hard on the dogs. Pippa is
not bothered by that sort of pressure from sheep and seems to run better
the tougher the stock. Pippa is at her best doing practical sorts of
farm work on big gangs of sheep where she can be pretty much left alone
to get the job done. I think this may be why she does so well in the big
double-lift trials. Her worse trait is her intention to eat as much as
she can before she dies.
Pip is almost certainly the best dog I will ever
own. She is brave, clever, has tremendous stock sense and is easily
handled. This will be Pip's last year running and I miss her already.
Haley Howard
& Ross
2006 National Nursery
Champion
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Ross is a son of Michele Howard’s Imp. Spot, out of Joni Swanke’s
Belle; Spot is a grandson of Bobby Henderson’s ##Sweep and Johnny
Wilson’s ## Spot; Belle’s line goes back to Bobby Henderson’s
Craig. I bought Ross from Joni Swanke when he was 18 months old.
Joni had a real nice start on Ross and said that he would be a dog
that would suit me. I trust Joni’s assessment of a young dog and
sure enough, he turned out to be more than I could have hoped for.
From the moment I took Ross out of the crate at the airport, he and
I seemed to “click” and we’ve shared a close connection ever since.
Ross has a real natural outrun and tremendous balance. He can find
the pressure and hold the line without much direction from me. He
is a pushy dog and is very quick and responsive to commands;
whatever I ask of him, he gives 100% of himself, and he never ever
runs out of try. He is a very honest dog, and I know that I can
always trust him. He was a joy to train, as he was always eager to
learn and understand what I wanted of him. Ross has a lot of
presence with livestock and can handle them with ease, being some
distance back. Ross is everything I could want as a trial dog, but
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at home on our ranch, he amazes me with his inborn natural instincts
coming to life in work situations. At 3 years old, Ross has become
my number one dog to use during lambing and for work. I’ve never
owned a dog who could so easily single and hold a ewe that doesn’t
want to part from the rest of the flock after lambing; he seems to
know what I want and never gives up or slows down until the job is
completed. Aside from working, Ross has a wonderful attitude and
nature; he is totally my partner in any situation and is a gentleman
to be around. He is exceptionally faithful and very much a “one
person dog”. I
have always been very grateful to have Ross in my life, and I have a
great deal of respect for him. |
I will never forget
our final run at the end of the day at the National Nursery Finals.
Ross brought tears to my eyes at the end of his run; I was overcome
with emotion at what a job he had done and how proud I was of him. |
Scott Glenn & Mick
2006 National RESERVE
NURSERY
Champion
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Mick was acquired, by Terry Shaeffer
of Michigan, as a stud pup from Kelly Murningham. He was out of
Kelly’s bitch Molly and Terrry’s Merc who is a grandson of a
breeding of Alasdair MacRae’s Nan and Ben. Terry raised Mick for
the first year and then sent him to Scott Glen for the winter for
training. From the beginning Mick was different than most young
well raised pups well raised pups. He worried a lot. Although he
had a natural outrun and fetch, when it was time for the
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drive he would shut down. Scott was
determined to figure this dog out and decided that patience was the
key to his mind. He would
take Mick out to the training field and tie him to the fence while
he was working another dog. When he was finished, he would work
Mick for 30 seconds on his driving and then tie him up again while
he worked the next dog. Then he would go back to Mick for another
30 seconds and then work another dog and so on. A few months later
Mick could rough out a nursery course. It was time for him to go
back to Terry in the spring but Scott felt there was more in him
than he was showing right now. He told Terry, “I think there’s
greatness in him.” With more patience and some maturity, he was
sure that Mick would be a competitive trial dog so Terry decided to
trust Scott and leave Mick with him for another year. The next
year, as Mick worked his way through his second year it was obvious
that the extra time had paid off. Scott started trialing him for
Terry and he continued to improve and gain confidence every time he
went to the post. By the time the Nursery Nationals rolled around
Scott felt he was going to the post as well armed as he ever had and
Mick didn’t disappoint him. After the finals, Mick went back home
to live with Terry, and she says, "Mick is exactly the dog that I
always dreamed of having for farm work, the trial field, and even in
the house!" |
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