Monsters

We are away in our camper this week to the sheepherding National finals.
Just in case you were wondering,
there is still a monster under the camper's couch.

There is no mouse or bug or any kind of rodent.
It's a monster,
but I can sleep well at night 'cause Skid
(who is the only one who can see it),
has got it covered.

A Walk With Mikey

Mikey is still recovering from his knee injury.
Because he had to have two surgeries, he's a couple of months behind on his therapy so he and I are working hard to catch him up. 
Consequently, he is the dog I spend most of my time out walking with.  I decided to take my camera today and pose Mikey. 
He does a good job and should apply to be a catalog model.  

How Poe Plans To Take Over The World

Step one:
Learn how to open doors...

Exhibit A-
A door

Exhibit B-
Cat paws on the windows, 5 feet off the ground

Exhibit C -
A Cat face in the window, 5 feet off the ground

Exhibit D
A door opened by a cat's back feet

Thumbs?!  We don't need no stinkin' thumbs!

Growing

It may be the end of our hay growing year, but the young animals on the farm are continuing to get bigger.
Alice and Queen are 10 months old now and have already started a little bit of sheepdog training.

(my weeds are growing too, but try not to notice that)

The chicks I got just a few months ago almost look like hens now,

And Rabbit and her other 2 lamb friends get worked by the dogs just like the big girls do.

Then there are those who are fully grown, but still act like a child...

Alaska will be two in November. 
That's considered an adult guardian dog,
But no one told her that.

The Splash Dog

Laddie and I are at the prestigious Soldier Hollow Sheepdog Classic in Utah.
Most of the time, when Laddie is at a sheepdog trial, he's there to work sheep, and he is here too.
But Laddie's second love is water retrieving.
Since Soldier Hollow has a Splash Dogs competition (to see which dog can jump the farthest into a pool after a toy) in addition to the sheepdog competition,  Laddie decided to have some fun between his runs.
Remember, we've never done this before...
The launch,

The flying leap,

Come up for air:

Swim for the toy:

And The Exit:

I think this is the real reason it's called Splash Dogs!

Vacation Time!

While his owner (Scott) works his butt off on the road, Pleat is on a vacation!

photo by Sarah Novak

Read about Pleat's good times Here

For Sara...

My friend Sara (The Crazy Sheep Lady) down in Kentucky has had it rough this summer.  The heat and the drought have been hard on her flock.  Every one of her sheep has a name and a personality (they LOVE 'Nilla Wafers) and most have been hand raised by Sara.
They are her family.
But the drought has wreaked havoc on the grazing land for her sheep, changing the chemical make up of the grass and making some of her friends sick.
She lost Sherman the other day.
To cheer her up I thought I'd show her what we've been working on - it's her favorite thing in the whole world...
More lambs!

Yes, it's as much a surprise to me as it is to all of you, but we've never been known for a short lambing season.
We don't usually name our sheep but there have been the few who get names and never get sold such as, "Grandma", "The Cocker Spaniel", and "Chocolate And Vanilla Swirl".
Since we only have 3 lambs right now, they were bestowed with names.
You remember that The Cocker Spaniel lambed while we were gone?
Well, here she is with her new hair cut and her quick growing ewe lamb, "The Teddy Bear".

And then there was this surprise a couple of weeks ago.
The clever and self reliant, "Rabbit".
(she hops around like one)

Sorry.  She was too busy pretending to eat to smile for the camera.
Then, finally (we hope) there was the newest one born last Thursday, "The New Lamb Without A Name".

As always, they have 24 hour protection.

The lambs all send hugs, Sara.