A Good Shepherd

Scott and I stopped in Wyoming for a couple of days to work our dogs before the National Finals. We had an enjoyable stay at the home of Hope and Joe Dennis where they loaned us their flock of sheep to get some work on our dogs. When we first got there we got out to look around and walk the dogs and we realized we were being watched. Hope's guardian dog had come to check us out.
We must have made a curious sight walking all those dogs because her friends started creeping up to see what was going on and they brought their friends and so on and so on
and then suddenly, we realized we were boring them and they left.

Cutie Pie

We can all agree that lambs are adorable, but when they grow up the cuteness wears off. This is a good thing or we'd never send them to market and sheep would all be pets instead of edible livestock. People need to want to eat them because they are one of the ways Scott and I make a living.
However, if they all looked like this we'd have to go into the sheep as pets market. Her official breed is Navajo Churro but I just call her a cute muppet.

Running With The Big Dogs

June is only six months old but she worked sheep at her first trial today! No, she wasn't actually competing at the trial, she got to help Scott with the half time demo. We were at the Meeker Classic sheepdog trials this week in Meeker, Colorado. It's a huge trial with lots of spectators. The organizers asked Scott if he would do a demonstration on how to train a sheepdog.
He picked June and her father Don to help him.
First Daddy Don went out and showed June how to do it. Before her turn, he sat next to her and gave her advice while they both watched another dog try it. Then it was June's turn.
At first she wasn't sure what she should do, but then! then! it came to her! She was working sheep! They obeyed her every command!
Move, sheep, move!
Once she had to stop and catch her breath,but real working dogs can't stop for long. They have a job to do. Good girl, June. You're a big girl now.

Leave Them Alone And They'll Come Home...

For anyone who is still wondering where our missing sheep have gone (count us among them) they have been found! If you didn't know: we had some stray dogs attack our sheep and chase a bunch off last week. Kit stayed with the some of the flock that ran away and Togo, well... Togo stayed home and... ah... hmmm. Oh, give him a break! He's only 7 months old and it doesn't look like he did much of anything. Anyway, Scott found Kit and some of our sheep about 8 miles from our house and we doctored up those who needed it. We'd been missing about another 15. We couldn't figure out where they could be - the prairie is pretty flat.
Tonight we got a call from a neighbor (we are in Utah and heading to Colorado tomorrow) that he'd seen sheep booking down the road near his field. Another neighbor has some working border collies, would he help get the lost sheep home? YES! He walked them the 2 miles back to our place and put them away. What a relief! What heroes! Farm folk help each other and I am so grateful.

Man In The Mirror

Welllllll! Helloooo there.
Come here often?
Is heaven missing an angel?
How you doin'?