Ballidu 3sheep trial results

Thanks to Marianne Rogers for these!
Obviously no photos, since we weren't there...

Novice

1. Gordon Curtis Binnaburra Maggie (kelpie) 82
2. Ivan Solomon Perangery Beck (collie) 78
3. Andrew Gorton Grassvalley Tippy (collie) 75
4. Malcolm Seymore Olboa Jess (NZHDxcollie) 71
5. Sue Himbeck Grassvalley Becky (collie) 65

Improver

1. Ivan Solomon Perangery Danny (collie) 93
2. Nick Webb Morillo Toby (collie) 92
3. Andrew Gorton Boylee Ella (collie) 88
4. Marianne Rogers Bellvie Obie, Bernie (collie) 86
5. Ken Atherton Olboa Merle (NZHDxcollie) 85

Open

1. Peter Gorman El Shamah Ellie (collie) 95+98
2. Peter Gorman Springvale Cindy (collie) 96+91
3. Nick Webb Morillo Bailey (collie) 92+90
4. Gordon Curtis Nolans Minnie (collie) 85+94
5. Ken Atherton Ramulam Gus (collie) 88+88
6. Grant Cooke Pendalup Candy (collie) 94+81
7. Ivan Solomon Perangery Danny (collie) 85+85
8. Ivan Solomon Perangery Jill (collie) 90+74
9. Grant Cooke Grassvalley Tod (collie) 86+76
10. Bernie Jones Glenview Pixie (collie) 86+62
11. Frank Sutherland Rocky Roxy (collie) 87+60
12. Ken Atherton Olboa Merle (NZHDxcollie) 85 +Rtd

You can't leave a good dog behind

Or even a not-very-good dog. Unless you have very high fences.



And this, of course, is why dogs need to be indoors, crated, tethered, or in a fully enclosed kennel run when they are unattended for any length of time. Most of our dogs can get over the pool fencing around our house without much trouble if they really want to, and if I'd been quicker with the camera I'd have some spiffy footage of a 12 week old kelpie puppy successfully scaling a 10 foot weldmesh pen.

They might be trustworthy 99% of the time, but if you really want to keep your dogs safe and out of mischief, they need to be secured.

And average fencing won't cut it. Certainly not for Muddy, if he's being left behind while we go for a walk.

The Seduction

A dark, seedy, not-so-crowded field, on a farm somewhere.

Boy sees girl:


Boy takes a deep breath, pokes out his chest, and moves in to say "Hi!"


"So... you come here often?"


"You smell great! Is that Chanel No. 5? Or Crutchings 2008?"


"And that collar looks HOT on you"


"Really hot!"


"H...O...T!"


"So... how about I take you for a ride sometime?"


Girl:


and again for emphasis:


Girl stalks away, to find a bloke who's at least old enough to drive.


Boy rolls over and takes it like a man.

This Charming Man

is desperately seeking a new home.



Musty (a name to which none of us are that attached) belongs to a relative who basically doesn't want him anymore. It's not Musty's fault, there's nothing wrong with him, he's just in the wrong place at the wrong time.


Yes, that's a slightly suspicious look- I'd just rocked up at his kennel with a dozen strange dogs running loose around me- but Musty's a cool kid, and made his introductions, offered to play and shared his leftover bones with them all. No noise, no fuss.


He's a "two and a bit" year old farm-bred kelpie (no papers), medium sized and athletic, a handsome dark solid red. He has basic training as a yard dog (barks and works the outside of a race) and is castrated. He's a happy, friendly, active boy who loves people, gets along well with other dogs, has no issue with other dogs, and has been visiting other farms and feedlots since he was a pup, so he's pretty well socialised and takes strange places, noises, dogs and people in his stride.



I don't think Musty's particularly fussy about what sort of home he finds- he just wants something to do and someone to do it with. He's a clever energetic young dog who just wants to please his people.

Standing a little oddly because he's on a rock:


He would be a fantastic agility/obedience option for someone that wants to start training with a young adult, and with a little bit of basic education he'd make a great family dog for an active home. Or if anyone wants a great mate to give them a hand in the sheepyards, he's up for that too.



For any more information on Musty, just email me (nabudi@bigpond.com) or post in comments!

I should have been planting out lettuces...

but it was too beautiful a day. So instead, for the first time in months, we played with pups. Just for a very little while...

JJ:






Elvis:


Tom:








Sulking:


A little vid:

Binnaburra Utility Trial, 3rd-5th July 2009

Not a full report, because my telepathic powers weren't at full strength. BabyJ and I spent the weekend at home, making sure the horses didn't get loose and chase the sheep, the dogs didn't get colic and something about the bitches in season- either keeping them locked up or letting them loose... I can't remember.

My delegated reporter obviously had too much fun to make any actual notes, so all I have to work with are some incomplete results, and that "it was very, very cold", "not a very big entry, so a very relaxed trial", and "light sheep".

"Very, very cold"- R and Yarralonga Bella


He did take some photos though, bless him.

R and Boylee Fred


And thanks to Mad Mick for his photographic assistance, too!

M. Mick


The truck:


Fred backing in the truck:

Novice Utility
1st Andrew Gorton Boylee Ella (collie) 112 + ?
2nd Grant Cooke Pendalup Candy (collie) 110 + ?
3rd Rod Forsyth Binnaburra Milo (kelpie) 116 + ?
4th Ken Atherton Badgingarra Tony (kelpie) 107 + ?

Binnaburra Milo:

Novice Yard
1st Andrew Gorton Boylee Ella (collie) 59 + ?
2nd Hayden Harries Mac's Magic (collie) 58 + ?
=3rd Rod Forsyth Binnaburra Milo (kelpie) 55 + ?
=3rd Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Jessica (kelpie) 55 + ?

Mac's Magic:

Open Utility
1st Gordon Curtis Binnaburra Tuff (kelpie) 120 + 119 = 239
2nd Rod Forsyth Binnaburra Milo (kelpie) 125 + 113 = 238
3rd Ken Atherton Ramulam Gus (collie) 111 + 125 = 236
4th Richard McGuire Boylee Fred (collie) 117 + 102 = 219
5th Grant Cooke Grassvalley Tod (collie) 119 + 95 = 214
6th Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Delta (kelpie) 95 + 96 = 191
7th Andrew Gorton Boylee Ella (collie) 91 + 99 = 190
8th Gordon Curtis Binnaburra Sam (kelpie) 116 + 72 = 188
9th Karen Buller Badgingarra Barney (kelpie) 103 + 83 = 186
10th Grant Cooke Grassvalley Brook (collie) 94 + 90 = 184
11th Grant Cooke Pendalup Candy (collie) 95 + 89 = 184
12th Ken Atherton Badgingarra Tony (kelpie) 103 + ? - could have ranked higher, I don't know

Binnaburra Tuff:






Grassvalley Tod:

Open Yard
1st Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Blue (kelpie) 55 + 59 = 114
2nd Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Darkie (kelpie) 55 + 58 = 113
3rd Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Delta (kelpie) 59 + 53 = 112
4th Karen Buller Badgingarra Barney (kelpie) 59 + 52 = 111
5th Rod Forsyth Binnaburra Milo (kelpie) 58 + 52 = 110
=6th Nigel Armstrong Yarralonga Maggot (kelpie) 54 + 54 = 108
=6th Ken Atherton Ramulam Gus (collie) 59 + 49 = 108
8th Richard McGuire Boylee Fred (collie) 58 + 49 = 107
9th Gordon Curtis Binnaburra Tuff (kelpie) 55 + 47 = 102
10th Gordon Curtis Binnaburra Sam (kelpie) 51 + 47 = 98
11th Marianne Rogers Christies Cocoacina (collie) 51 + 46 = 97
12th Grant Cooke Grassvalley Tod (collie) 58 + Rtd = 58
13th Hayden Harries Mac's Magic (collie) 55 + LS = 55

Grassvalley Tod:


Pendalup Candy:





Particular congratulations to Andrew with Bell (Boylee Ella), for finally breaking their Novice spell, and Karen Buller with Barney for winning the Patron's Trophy.

Yarralong Delta:

Lambing

Hills and gullies and roadside paddocks brimful of new life, large eyes, spindly legs, kicks and frolicks and flickering tails as thousands of knobbly heads bunt their mothers' sides.

Sometimes, pale little shells where lambs should be, deflated and flat on the cold green grass. Perhaps a ewe standing guard, head high in futile defiance against some unseen force that has sucked the shape and life from her child. Time and hunger and an audience of black crows wait patiently for her capitulation.

And then there are the ones in-between, stumbling beside their mothers, flailing their tails at her flank but without the strength to raise their heads and feed. Backs arched, feet increasingly unsteady, their only joy in their mothers' nuzzling and a patch of warm sunshine when they can no longer stand, they move steadily away from here.

Oh dear.
I should know better than to leave the house today. Lambing and Jodi Picoult and pregnancy hormones are not a good mix.