Collies

Echo

The border collies on our ranch are also a very important part of our enterprise. Eric and I have been working, training and breeding border collies for well over 25 years now.
In our younger days we were more fanatical about "proving" how good our dogs were.
We attended sheepdog trials all over the world.
We were actually pretty good at this.
However, with time constraints and our move to Canada we have taken a break from trials.
(We would like to get back into trialing some time...)
That does not mean that we do not work our dogs.
Our dogs get to do all the daily chores here on the ranch.

The dogs ahve to work the ewes with lambs, keep them away from the feeders, gather, sort, shepherd and all the types of jobs they love to do.

The winter is a quiet time for the dogs, the ewes are corraled and there is not that much work for them to do.

Every evening the collies are either taken for a walk, or run next to a vehicle (trike, gator or truck) or go riding with us.

These outings are fun times for the dogs.
The young dogs get to herd each other:



Solo and Echo ( the two brothers, from Lad)

They get to do fun things like make snow angels:
 

Streak, (half sister to Kim), our snow angel special.

and  pull funny faces:



Sheego ( half sister to the brothers)

Others like to stick there nose  into my camera lens:

Kim, sister to the snow angel Streak.

 Others like to strike a pose:

Sheila ( my "go to" dog when I need extra moving power with the sheep)

Some give me "that" look when my camera comes out: 



Zac, 10 years old and going strong.

And others, like my top dog Lad,

 manages to avoid this photo session altogether.