More SHEEP!

Today Riffle and I went to the sheep ranch ML recommended to us.  So happy that a break in the weather allowed us to go - what a pretty sky!   Riff got a whole new look at sheep, and he seemed to enjoy it. 


Look, ma!  I can fly!


Of course the entire pasture was puddles, big and small....but the grass was green green green, and the little woolies were so clean they looked like they could be in a commercial.  Karen, the lady at the ranch, is an interesting character, and quite nice. Riff seemed to forget how "discriminating" he usually is, and walked right up to her to be petted.   We could tell she's been around a lot of border collies...she knew just what to do to make friends with him.  ML was nice enough to meet us there (Riff was happy to see her, too!), and stood by the fence and watched for a while.  :-)

K used her small female BC "Dickens" to bring in the sheep, penned up most of them, then kept about 10 head out for us.  She took Riff and I right out into their medium-sized pasture, since the smaller pens were way too muddy.   She used Dickens to keep the sheep fairly close to us while Riff, on a long-line held by K, sized-up the situation.   It didn't take K long to decide Riff would be fine without the lead.  When she let him loose, Riff was ready to chase some sheep around.  At that point, I just did my best to stay right next to Karen, and grab a few photos. 

Well...Riff was almost ready.  First he thought about chasing Dickens (but for only one half-hearted moment), then he thought he'd gobble up some sheep poop.  K said that eating poop is a stress-related behavior, and that we'd be working on building Riff's confidence.  She discouraged him from lingering over the poop, yelling "eh eh!"  and  "leave it!" and at one point threw the lead at him.  That action startled both Riff and I...but it did seem effective.   She said behavior like stopping to eat poop could get a dog run over by sheep. 

ML, the sheep, and Karen

Dickens holding the sheep

 

Riff checking it out



Riff ready to rock and roll!



Sometimes he veered away and ran around the whole little herd.
Sometimes he just chased a few.



...but he did actually make it all the way around them several times. 
Good boy!

Riff was a tired puppy when all was said and done. 

 

And the sheep were ready to get back to eating grass.

Afterwards, Karen asked if I had any questions - but my brain was out to lunch, so I didn't come up with much.  She said Riff "didn't do anything really wrong."  And - like most sheep people - she said the agility training will work against us a bit.  Ah, well....such is life. 

I noticed she didn't say he did anything really right, either...but progress is progress, and Riff definitely showed progress today.  So I was pleased. 

She invited Riff and I to come back tomorrow, if the weather is still good.  Of course the more often we get out there, the faster we'll learn.  Crikey, I need to start counting my pennies.  I need to figure out how to cram more activities into each day.  I need to find more energy. 

Tomorrow is packing-for-Reno day!

Anticipation

Getting excited about being a spectator at the AKC Nationals!  This weekend!!  So grateful I get to go.  So sorry to have to leave the pupsters behind.  But they get to stay home with their pops, which will be most excellent, for all three of them.  We'll be texting a few photos back and forth, I'm sure...

RENO!  It's been quite a few years since I've been to Reno.  My ex and I used to go to the Snaffle Bit Futurity there every year.  I loved riding horses at that facility - even though all I did was "warm up" and "cool down."  Our first trip to the Reno Futurity was made two weeks after our oldest son was born.  A trip to remember....

And now....AKC NATIONALS.  I hope to meet some "friends" from FB and/or this blog.  Please do walk up and say Howdy, if you see me there...!  

PLUS we'll get to watch some terrific agility.  And go shopping!  Okay, I'm not a shopper...but I look forward to shopping there.  Something about "all dogs, all the time" is appealing....

Might even go shopping today...because it's important to have the correct bag for an adventure.   Not too small...not too big.  Enough room for a camera, my phone, Advil, bandaids (why do I always need bandaids?), a hair brush, notebook and pens, Kleenex, a bottle of water, a paperback book...

Maybe this bag:

  (12x8x3...)

Or something similar.  But of course it all depends on what they have in the store.   For sure I don't want to carry my old canvas Safeway bag around in Reno. 

Anticipating the Nationals has me thinking about trialing again.  Is it time to enter Riff in another trial?  I can hardly believe the trial I got hurt at last season is being held again in two weeks.  It's been almost a full year since my injury!  We've always loved the USDAA Haute/TRACS trial in Dixon.  Bummer to miss it this year. 

So..yeah.  Maybe I should enter Riff in a trial.  What's coming up in April?  May?  Anything within a reasonably short driving distance?  (Sadly, driving is still a pain in the...back.)  Time to print a copy of Karey's Calendar, and check it out.

...
...

Getting Rid of the Chills

Took the pupsters out on a walk this early morning, to get some exercise before the next real rain.  Running the dogs up and down and around our backyard is fun...but it can get tedious after a couple of days.  Even though we love our yard, and we love the rain... 

...we needed to get out into the neighborhood!  Of course I wore my baseball cap and hoodie, as I always do when it's drizzling.


Suddenly noticed a guy, who was driving by in a pick-up truck, giving me a long slow stare, twisting back in the driver's seat to look.  Usually I assume folks are admiring my two beautiful dogs, which makes me smile.  (And sometimes I make sure my jacket isn't on inside out or something.)  But this morning, wearing my hoodie, I started thinking about Trayvon Martin and the folks in "Stand Your Ground" Florida, and I got the chills. 

I started thinking about an incident that happened here a couple of weeks ago.  I had been driving down the boulevard, on my way home from agility practice.  I came up to an SUV that had stopped to make a left turn onto my street.  There was plenty of time for both of us to turn left before the oncoming traffic got too close.  He made his turn very wide, and very slowly, while I made my turn on a more efficient line....suddenly in a bit of a hurry to get out of harm's way.  Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to turn.  I didn't realize his turn would be so slow!  This put my van directly behind his SUV when our turns were complete.   He immediately slowed even further, to less than 5mph.  I braked, of course, hoping not to get hit from behind, and wondering if he was going to turn into one of the driveways.  He swerved right, and then left, and then right again.  I thought "uh-oh" and slowed even further, nearly stopping.  He put on his right-turn signal and came to a complete stop, so I carefully went around him.  I heard him yelling, but I kept driving...easing up to 20, then 25mph...which is the speed I normally stick to on our street.   

He followed me.  I wasn't sure that's what he was doing, but because of his yelling I worried about leading him to my house.  So I turned at the next block.  He did too.  After several turns, taking trips around various blocks, it was absolutely clear that he was following me.  Made me nervous.  So I kept driving all around the neighborhood and he kept after me...until finally I pulled over and started frantically digging in my bag for my cellphone.  He pulled up next to me, and started yelling.  "I bet you live on the hill!  I bet you do!  You can't fool me, you b_____!  You hill people think you can do whatever the hell you want!  You think you're better than everybody else!  You can't tailgate me and get away with it!  You're gonna be sorry!"  etc. etc., while I called my husband...I was definitely frightened by then.  I held my phone up and told the guy, "Stop stalking me!  I'm calling the police!"  Actually, it was stupid of me to even talk to this person.  You never really know what out-of-control-angry people might do. 

In retrospect, since I couldn't find my phone while I was driving, I should have driven directly to a police station.  [Note to Self:  Keep cellphone within reach.]

The man started yelling again:  "Stalking?!! I'm not stalking you, you stupid b_____!  I'm protecting the neighborhood! I'm a protector!  It's my duty to protect our neighborhood from a__h____ people like you!!!" and, as I spoke to my husband (pretending he was the police - my voice shaking with fear), the guy quickly drove away.  Crazy vigilante nutbag.  My husband, who was very upset, did call the police (who basically did nothing). 

My point, however, is that something like this (being followed by a stranger who seems threatening) doesn't only happen in Florida.  And it doesn't only happen to young men wearing hoodies.  We ALL need to pay attention.   

With these kinds of thoughts crowding into my mind during our walk this morning, I was feeling some major chills...even though the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds, and budding daffodils lined the street.   

But, as you know, it's a huge mistake to live a life based on fear.  I suspect that it is actually fear - a twisted kind of weird, uneducated, unrelenting fear - that is the basis for the angry actions of people like Zimmerman, and that guy in the SUV.  I definitely don't want to live a life based on fear, so - to get rid of the chills - I petted my pups and started singing a little song under my breath.

A bit of singing (even as off-key as I am) always helps to lighten the mood.  It gets Riff rev'd up, for one thing.  He starts grinning and prancing and wagging his tail.  Keeper starts pushing her nose into my hand, and trotting faster.  And it helps me pick up the pace.  I try to choose a good upbeat song....this morning it was the Beatles' ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE.  And if you sing it at a good clip, you'll find yourself getting some really good exercise....a great stress reliever....

And I reminded myself to look around!  Learn from the past, but enjoy the present - look around and enjoy this day.  This is a very special day...a wonderful day to take a brisk walk in the fresh spring air.  

Giving thanks to the stars, my friends, and all the people I love...and hoping more people in the world will feel love - both the giving and the receiving....

and...wishing you the best....

♥♥♥♥♥

National Puppy Day...

Just found out today is National Puppy Day.     Sweet! 

Although....I'd bet money that just about every day is "National Something-or-other Day."  Didn't the Hallmark Card Company invent all kinds of "holidays" over the last fifty years?  Still - who can't get excited about a Puppy Day?  Okay, maybe cat people aren't too excited about it. 

Wait a sec...let me just....google....Kitty Day.....

Well, there you go!  Today is also "Cuddly Kitten Day"...."Kick Butts Day" (anti-smoking)...."National Chip and Dip Day"  (yum!)...."Melba Toast Day" (meh)....and "Near Miss Day" (which commemorates this same date in 1989 when an asteroid narrowly missed hitting the earth).   And there may be more. 

Are you tempted to google "National Holidays" for your birthday now?   

The holidays on my last birthday included  "Name Your Car Day," "World Farm Animals Day," "National Custodial Worker Day," and "National Fried Scallops Day"...

But let's get back to puppies!

Riff and I were excited to see LP's puppy Clever out at the practice field today.  What a beauty!  She is leggy...very nicely put together...and energetic!  Riff wanted to say "hello" but quickly remembered that Clever is the pup that likes to jump on his head.  So what did he do?  He scooted into the nearest open crate and continued saying "hello" while Clever jumped on the wire sides...    You always hear about how smart BCs are.  Believe it!   He was also smart enough to get back out of the crate before she joined him in it.  ;-)

These are iPhone pics, so the quality isn't great, but you'll see how pretty Clever is.

Riff sees the puppy coming to visit....

 

Clever was busy training LP how to give her treats for behaving on-leash.
:-)



Clever has the cutest little white chin.

 

Riff totally impressed me by laying down quietly to watch the puppy play with a tug toy.
He usually wants the toy too badly to stay calm and quiet.
I think he was tired after our practice time.
(We had a lot of fun, and he was a star!)



Clever tugs really well...even while she's checking out the camera.
Gr-r-r-reat puppy!

And two more photos, from Puppy files.  This is RIFF, taken when he was about 8 weeks old:

and KEEPER, when she was about 9 or 10-ish weeks (rescued from the county dogpound):

New Sheep

Sadly, this is not a video of Riff working sheep.  It does show part of the new flock out at the sheep ranch.  Aren't they pretty?  (for sheep?)



These are the lambs from last year, newly moved to the big pasture.  They are not "dogged" - not used to dogs, so ML wasn't sure we should let Riff give them a try.  She is generous and kind, and really wanted to give him a chance....if she were handling him.  Which was fine by me!  (The older ewes had been moved back to ML's place for lambing.) 

If you watched the video, you could hear Riff panting in the background.  He wouldn't leave the fence near where I was standing.  Even after I put the video camera in my pocket, told him to go play, and turned my back on him.  (Which feels sort of like turning your back on a crying child...awful!)

So, after a couple of minutes, ML brought me into the pen, and told me to hang onto her hand and move around with her.  Sounds easy, yes?  Not!  Especially considering the fact that, once Riff got the green light, he started chasing the sheep right away.  He lasted less than 30 seconds on the poor sweet things.  The pen turned into a staging ground for "sheep fireworks."  Sheep were bouncing off the walls of the pen and exploding into the air!   We sure didn't want to see any good, fresh sheep get hurt while trying to jump out of the pen, so we told Riff to 'lie down' (which he did, right away...good dog) and called it a day.   

Which means, pretty much, no more sheep at ML's place....at least for a while. 
:-(

But she gave me the name and number of a local lady who might be willing to work with us (not everyone will work with beginners).  She thought it would be good for Riff to go somewhere else for a few sessions with good "dogged" sheep.  Maybe, after that, we can get back to her place....or....?? 

I'm not sure where this adventure will take us next....but it sure is FUN. 

Ever onward!

Vernal Equinox!




 Although today was cloudy and chilly, it is officially spring, so YAY! 

Riff was pretty darn good during our agility class tonight.  I am proud of him.  The courses required us to get our dogs over some speedy / tricky jumps without letting them go over the "line of refusal" of nearby obstacles...and Riff collected and wrapped with the best of them.  These manuevers haven't been easy for this long-strided young fella....but he looked like he knew exactly what to do...AND he looked like he was having a lot of fun during our runs.  Wow...every once in a while, I almost feel like a dog trainer... 

Another fun thing:  my husband bought me a new DVD - "First Steps in Border Collie Sheepdog Training - From Chaos to Control."  Can't wait to watch it!  It's by someone named Andy Nickless.  I suppose sheepdog DVDs are like agility DVDs, in that you have to consider the source, take them with a grain of salt, etc etc.   But I'm sure, with a title like "chaos to control," we're bound to get at least a few useful words of advice. 

Happy St. Paddy's!

'tis a good day to have a wee bit o' the Irish.  We'll be wearin' the green, tellin' stories at Turner's annual 'friendamily' dinner, enjoyin' a touch of the whiskey or beer, soda bread and corned beef....and laughter!  laughter!  laughter! 

The red-headed Rifflet o' Hob Nob posed with a shamrock for me.  What a good young lad!