Friday, September 11, 2009

Practice Time gone Array

I have been feverishly practicing up for the finals. This week Jerry (my trusty sheep setter) and I tried out a new field. My neighbour to the west moved his cows so the field is now available to work my dogs. the field is tough. Small rolling hills and a 600 yard out run proves challenging. I have heard from Lora that the sheep at the finals are going to be very light and a little crazy. So I had picked out five a my craziest sheep. In Hindsight I should have picked five slightly crazy not totally crazy. We were all set up. Isla did a beautiful outrun to the right and brought the sheep straight to me. she was being a little pushy but right now I prefer that over being hesitant. I turned the sheep around me and drove them halfway back for Jerry to pick them up and do it again. Jerry send Jed and the shenanigans ensured. Jed didn't see the sheep and in an effort to see them he actually bumped them down the field and in to neighbouring canola field. Jerry still being wet behind the ears herding wise. Sent Jed into the canola to retrieve the sheep. Waist high canola does not prove easy for a dog to spot the sheep. My crazy sheep split in three different directions. One with Jed hot on its heels straight west through the crop, Three back to the proper field and one into the nearest cattle herd. Long story short we lost Jed for 20 minutes. Isla held the single off the cattle. We finally found Jed and the single. I brought my single to the one Jed was chasing and the busted straight for the alfalfa field. By this point our dogs were cooked and I thought Jerry was going to pass out. I decided to leave the sheep and find them in the evening. I took some pics when I came back later that night. That brown sheep is going for dog food this fall. It was all Isla could do to keep her with the other sheep.


The craziest of the crazies


Isla is standing and can barely see them.


I brought some lazy dorpers as reinforcements





1 comment:

Judi said...

Absolutely hysterical! Good idea to go home and come back later. When you're too pooped to whistle and the canola looks like you were hired to construct a maze, it's time to call time.
Judi