Sheep are such contrary things, especially if there's a dominant sheep in the flock. If she/it decides no, then the flock will follow indiscriminately. We have an expression 'There's always one...'
But working dogs are the most exceptional beings - they're born with the trait and have such eye. Our sadly departed Border Collie could do everything on his own - and lived to do it. Much harder though to trial through multiple obstacles than just round up, retrieve and return the mob to the boss.
In terms of dogs, let's just say our JRT is fed up to the back teeth with Mum and Dad STILL being in the city while Mum recuperates. Wastes no opportunity to bark at nothing because he's bored, despite two daily walks. He keeps racing downstairs to Dad's mud-covered ute to stand by it, looking longily at the car door - a true sign he's done with the city.
On summer and the island, you are far more placid than we would be. Husband and self get very antsy at the summer onslaught here on our own island. We retreat and map difficult-to-get-to coves - anything to avoid the influx. Heave an absolute sigh of relief after Easter when summer sinks and the tourists flock elsewhere.
I was thinking of you the entire time I was writing this one! You live this life and I am so impressed about that. Those working dogs are really incredible to watch. I love also to see them when they are sitting proud on the back of their ATV, surveying their domain, close to their boss, wind blowing through their hair. Just bliss.
I'm sorry your JRT is being tortured! 😉. He sounds like a total hoot! I love to see your photos of him and you walking the beaches. Our s-i-l's dog pouts when they take him back to the city after a weekend on the beaches here: she steals one each of their shoes and tucks them in her bed, and won't leave it to eat, or go for walks.
As to our patience, remember we are still newbies here, and maybe after this summer we will feel more like you do.
Thanks for sharing your sheep and many doggie stories! Hope you are still mending at the right rate ❤️
Let's see, I live 75 miles from Yellowstone NP. And here in Bozeman we either get them coming or going. We've got the busiest airport in the state, setting records year after year. The pandemic put us on the map as many fled the big cities, thus boosting our population to 53K. I think there were about 25K when I moved here in '82, and many of the roads outside of town were still gravel.
Rule #1: don't go to YNP between Memorial and Labor Days.
Rule #2: stay off the roads to YNP. Thus, we head for the backroads.
The saying here in Montana is "There's 2 seasons, Winter and Construction". Or "This year Summer will be on a Wednesday". We also have an additional season that's sandwiched somewhere between Winter and Summer running concurrently with Spring, called Mud Season.
The other day our rescue Bernese Mtn Dog, Jim, ate 2 entire (peels included) bananas off the counter. He also got into a plastic container of supplement powder to no ill effects. However, we waiting to see if any of the container will pass or stay in his gut. He does well for long periods and then we have a minor setback. He's our long term project.
We had two Bernese Mountain dogs. They were the best in terms of character but not the sharpest dogs in the group. That didn’t matter cuz looks and personality made up for any intellectual shortcomings.
I wouldn’t mind being relegated to the backroads at YNP.
That's pretty much what we say about the boy Berners. All looks, no brains. It's been quite a while since we've had a girl as all the boys have "fallen" into our laps when we've been thinking about another. Or a rescue comes along. My wife says the next one will be so that we can have some semblance of peace in the house.
I've heard about Mud season. I moved from a place with minimal mud season (compared to places with snow, although: heavy rain often turns into mud slides) to a place where mud is 'available' all year round. But again, nothing compared to places where there has been snow. Glad to hear about your rules for coping with tourists. And love hearing about and seeing your photos of the Berners; so impressed with your ability to train and socialise the rescue dogs. Big hearted thing to do; the rest of us appreciate your hard work!
Still laughing at these words: 'Pete has named these two seasons “Can’t drive” and “Shouldn’t drive”.'!!!
I love sheepdog trials - like giant woolly pinball! We kept sheep when I was small, and Indian Runner ducks. I remember trying to convince my parents that I needed a sheepdog so that I could train it to herd sheep using the ducks - that was a no-go - to my eventual relief, actually, once I realised that I'm afraid of them (of dogs, not sheep). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjUpwYkDTCs
Oh, thank you so much! This is my favourite of your comments: "Giant woolly pinball!' So true! Now I have to share with you the following video which I'm sure you have seen but which immediately popped into my mind when you said sheep=pinball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qniwI2hNhDs.
And I loved the video you shared of the dogs herding ducks! Never seen that before. I can see how you might be wary of those hard-driving dogs, but I'm sorry to hear you are a bit afraid of them!
JEN!!!! I just returned from Vashon Island, and they have sheepdog trials there!!! Not this year, sadly, but hopefully they will return next year! Much closer to home for you 🐑 🐕
Thanks Jen! It is lovely, although sometimes rain - but then you are used to that. Weather is not too different to Seattle. I'm such a luddite sometimes: I need to check out YouTube 🤦🏽♀️
Your Spanish friends would not chortle, but guffaw, at the idea of so much sun on the island.
I really enjoyed this piece, especially the descriptions of the trials, the roads, and the names for the different seasons.
We saw sheep dogs at work on one of our hikes in the Pyrenees. Three dogs herded hundreds of sheep around the hills and through the woods. A Great Pyrenees dog slept under a sheperd's trailer during the day while the others darted in and out because he was on night duty. While everyone slept, his job was to protect the animals from the few remaining bears and wolves in the range.
This sighting remains one of the stories we talk about most of all our trip because those sheep dogs were so skilled, alert, and smart. It was a joy to watch.
I'd love to see this festival for many reasons, including it might not be raining and gray. I'd enjoy basking in the cool sun watching these amazing animals at work. It gives one another thing to appreciate in the wonder of the world.
I love your story about the dogs in the Pyrenees. It must be so impressive to see in the wild. And yes, fingers crossed if you come to see the trials that we will be blessed with wonderful weather, again (unlike your recent visit)!
Love this.
Sheep are such contrary things, especially if there's a dominant sheep in the flock. If she/it decides no, then the flock will follow indiscriminately. We have an expression 'There's always one...'
But working dogs are the most exceptional beings - they're born with the trait and have such eye. Our sadly departed Border Collie could do everything on his own - and lived to do it. Much harder though to trial through multiple obstacles than just round up, retrieve and return the mob to the boss.
In terms of dogs, let's just say our JRT is fed up to the back teeth with Mum and Dad STILL being in the city while Mum recuperates. Wastes no opportunity to bark at nothing because he's bored, despite two daily walks. He keeps racing downstairs to Dad's mud-covered ute to stand by it, looking longily at the car door - a true sign he's done with the city.
On summer and the island, you are far more placid than we would be. Husband and self get very antsy at the summer onslaught here on our own island. We retreat and map difficult-to-get-to coves - anything to avoid the influx. Heave an absolute sigh of relief after Easter when summer sinks and the tourists flock elsewhere.
XXXX
I was thinking of you the entire time I was writing this one! You live this life and I am so impressed about that. Those working dogs are really incredible to watch. I love also to see them when they are sitting proud on the back of their ATV, surveying their domain, close to their boss, wind blowing through their hair. Just bliss.
I'm sorry your JRT is being tortured! 😉. He sounds like a total hoot! I love to see your photos of him and you walking the beaches. Our s-i-l's dog pouts when they take him back to the city after a weekend on the beaches here: she steals one each of their shoes and tucks them in her bed, and won't leave it to eat, or go for walks.
As to our patience, remember we are still newbies here, and maybe after this summer we will feel more like you do.
Thanks for sharing your sheep and many doggie stories! Hope you are still mending at the right rate ❤️
Oooh, was I the sheep person? Cool!
Let's see, I live 75 miles from Yellowstone NP. And here in Bozeman we either get them coming or going. We've got the busiest airport in the state, setting records year after year. The pandemic put us on the map as many fled the big cities, thus boosting our population to 53K. I think there were about 25K when I moved here in '82, and many of the roads outside of town were still gravel.
Rule #1: don't go to YNP between Memorial and Labor Days.
Rule #2: stay off the roads to YNP. Thus, we head for the backroads.
The saying here in Montana is "There's 2 seasons, Winter and Construction". Or "This year Summer will be on a Wednesday". We also have an additional season that's sandwiched somewhere between Winter and Summer running concurrently with Spring, called Mud Season.
The other day our rescue Bernese Mtn Dog, Jim, ate 2 entire (peels included) bananas off the counter. He also got into a plastic container of supplement powder to no ill effects. However, we waiting to see if any of the container will pass or stay in his gut. He does well for long periods and then we have a minor setback. He's our long term project.
We had two Bernese Mountain dogs. They were the best in terms of character but not the sharpest dogs in the group. That didn’t matter cuz looks and personality made up for any intellectual shortcomings.
I wouldn’t mind being relegated to the backroads at YNP.
That's pretty much what we say about the boy Berners. All looks, no brains. It's been quite a while since we've had a girl as all the boys have "fallen" into our laps when we've been thinking about another. Or a rescue comes along. My wife says the next one will be so that we can have some semblance of peace in the house.
Keep us posted with pictures, please.
I've heard about Mud season. I moved from a place with minimal mud season (compared to places with snow, although: heavy rain often turns into mud slides) to a place where mud is 'available' all year round. But again, nothing compared to places where there has been snow. Glad to hear about your rules for coping with tourists. And love hearing about and seeing your photos of the Berners; so impressed with your ability to train and socialise the rescue dogs. Big hearted thing to do; the rest of us appreciate your hard work!
What a BRILLIANT post! Loved it, Sabrina!
Still laughing at these words: 'Pete has named these two seasons “Can’t drive” and “Shouldn’t drive”.'!!!
I love sheepdog trials - like giant woolly pinball! We kept sheep when I was small, and Indian Runner ducks. I remember trying to convince my parents that I needed a sheepdog so that I could train it to herd sheep using the ducks - that was a no-go - to my eventual relief, actually, once I realised that I'm afraid of them (of dogs, not sheep). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjUpwYkDTCs
Oh, thank you so much! This is my favourite of your comments: "Giant woolly pinball!' So true! Now I have to share with you the following video which I'm sure you have seen but which immediately popped into my mind when you said sheep=pinball: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qniwI2hNhDs.
And I loved the video you shared of the dogs herding ducks! Never seen that before. I can see how you might be wary of those hard-driving dogs, but I'm sorry to hear you are a bit afraid of them!
That video is the BEST THING I’ve EVER SEEN on screen, Sabrina! 😍 Utterly baaaa-nanas but absolutely wonderful! 😍 Thank you so, so much for the link!
It's a good one. Worth watching every now and then-happy to have shared the joy!!!
Baaa-nanas: you are a master at word-craft. 🤣🤣🤣
😁🍌🐑🤣
I love to watch sheep dog trials on YouTube! The island sounds lovely. Would love to visit sometime.
JEN!!!! I just returned from Vashon Island, and they have sheepdog trials there!!! Not this year, sadly, but hopefully they will return next year! Much closer to home for you 🐑 🐕
Thanks Jen! It is lovely, although sometimes rain - but then you are used to that. Weather is not too different to Seattle. I'm such a luddite sometimes: I need to check out YouTube 🤦🏽♀️
Your Spanish friends would not chortle, but guffaw, at the idea of so much sun on the island.
I really enjoyed this piece, especially the descriptions of the trials, the roads, and the names for the different seasons.
We saw sheep dogs at work on one of our hikes in the Pyrenees. Three dogs herded hundreds of sheep around the hills and through the woods. A Great Pyrenees dog slept under a sheperd's trailer during the day while the others darted in and out because he was on night duty. While everyone slept, his job was to protect the animals from the few remaining bears and wolves in the range.
This sighting remains one of the stories we talk about most of all our trip because those sheep dogs were so skilled, alert, and smart. It was a joy to watch.
I'd love to see this festival for many reasons, including it might not be raining and gray. I'd enjoy basking in the cool sun watching these amazing animals at work. It gives one another thing to appreciate in the wonder of the world.
I love your story about the dogs in the Pyrenees. It must be so impressive to see in the wild. And yes, fingers crossed if you come to see the trials that we will be blessed with wonderful weather, again (unlike your recent visit)!