I would LOVE to see these trials. Maybe we should plan to visit you next year at the time of the dogs and sheep go round.
One of my best ever experiences, surprisingly so, was hiking around the bend in the Pyrenees to see hundreds of sheep, a few shepards, and several Australian sheepdogs hard at work moving the sheep in and out of the trees and down to the main pasture. Those dogs darted here and there quickly! I asked the shepard what the big dog asleep under the trailer was doing while all the others were hard at work. He explained that this dog (a Great Pyrenees of all breeds :) ) worked at night to guard against the bears.
I'm currently in dog heaven visiting some friends who have a Mastiff, an English breed. The dog weighs 70 kilos (154 pounds). The dog, Carla, is so sweet and she knows she's found a temporary friend. She lies on my feet so of course I cannot go anywhere. I have to pet her and get my face licked as much as possible before returning to dog-lessness.
Huge dog heaven indeed! Carla sounds like a very large dog! All the better for kisses and warmth. The Pyrenees experience sounds thrilling! You and Martin have had some up close sheep 🐑 experiences!
After I wrote that comment, I went outside to find Carla. It was only after she licked my face with her long fat tongue that Fabio told me she had just wolfed down a bird that the cat had caught. Oh well. What I don’t know won’t hurt me.
Yes, I did note and appreciate Martin’s experience 😊.
As think you know, I too have always been a dog person, and I still believe that my sweet Chula the Goggle-Eyed Ricochet Hound saved my life after Heather died. When I finally decided to leave Massachusetts and move back to San Francisco, I chose my apartment based on the needs of a senior dog - one level, elevator, etc. - only to have her die (at age seventeen; she had a good run) just before I moved. I still miss her terribly, but I have to admit I'm enjoying the freedom of being able to travel without having to make arrangements for her (sorry, Chula). And my girlfriend has a dog, so I still get regular doses of doggy love.
Also, while I've never attended a sheepdog trial, in September 2010 I was part of a group of hikers descending from Lining Crag to Grasmere in the Lake District when we heard an astonishing and indecipherable array of shouts and whistles from the hillside above us. We looked up and saw two shepherds striding along, bellowing in what we took to be Gaelic - it certainly wasn't English - and almost immediately we were engulfed by hundreds of galloping sheep who were thundering down the trail behind us, escorted by several black and white sheepdogs. We scrambled onto some convenient rocks to get out of the way and admire the stream of sheep flowing around us. At one point one of the dogs jumped up onto the rock beside me; I told him he was a good dog, but he was intent on his charges and completely ignored me. It was an amazing, and mesmerizing, experience.
I’m so sorry I never met Chula. She had a big heart. Your experience with the sheep sounds amazing! Quite an exceptional story! Thanks for sharing that. And Sonya’s dog is a sweetheart. ❤️
We have always been dog people, although I appreciate cats as well! Our current pup is more willful — or perhaps just more carefree or oblivious than our previous dogs — requiring constant monitoring. Interestingly, though, there is something about her that acts as a magnet for attention. Strangers are constantly coming up wanting to pet, praise and play with her. She’s always on her best behavior at those moments, offering no sign of the crazy pup we live with!
Loved this newsletter! You know I am a dog person and have always admired working dogs. How fun to attend the sheep trials! Something to add to my bucket list!
Yes, I think you would love it the whole sheep trials scene Patti! And I was so sorry to hear about lovely Murphy 💔. Hope he is enjoying a pain-free happy place now, with lots of good memories of those who cared for him here.
I'm with you, I'm a dog person, exclusively and can never imagine my life without a dog by my side. I also love watching working dogs - a well trained sheepdog is pure poetry in motion.
If you subscribe to Netflix, you may like https://www.netflix.com/title/81675373 which is about kelpies growing from puppyhood into full working dogs. Muster Dogs is an emotive series and was very high rating when it was first made here in Australia.
If you love dog stories - try Tom Ryan who wrote Following Atticus and Will's Red Coat. Stunning books both.
Oh Prue, thanks so much for that recommendation. One of my former colleagues and friends back in California has raised kelpies for managing her sheep, and they also did trials for a long time. They lived in Australia for a time and I'm pretty sure that is where they got hooked. I've always admired her kelpies. Looking forward to that show! And also, thanks for the reading recommendations. I'm gobbling up books as fast as I can these days 📖!
Jun 8, 2023·edited Jun 8, 2023Liked by Sabrina Simpson
Loved, loved, loved this post, Sabrina! Even more than I loved watching One Man and His Dog with my parents every Sunday night for forever when I was little! 😊
(Not a dog person, but I AM very much a sheep person! Still friends?)
Yes of course Rebecca! However I need to learn more about your sheep relationships, obviously 🙄. I’m still a bit jealous of the fact that you had chicken friends growing up! 🐓🐣
Love this account of the sheepdog trials Sabrina! I am definitely a dog person living in a dog family. I grew up with a much loved Golden Retriever named Dickens, and then after a gap of more than 20 years, filled with college, first jobs and apartments, and a non dog loving ex spouse, got my next dog in a series of wonderful dogs. We now have three dogs, my daughter and her partner who live in town have two dogs, so we frequently have all five dogs with us in our conveniently fenced in back yard. Dog joy indeed! 💙
I would LOVE to see these trials. Maybe we should plan to visit you next year at the time of the dogs and sheep go round.
One of my best ever experiences, surprisingly so, was hiking around the bend in the Pyrenees to see hundreds of sheep, a few shepards, and several Australian sheepdogs hard at work moving the sheep in and out of the trees and down to the main pasture. Those dogs darted here and there quickly! I asked the shepard what the big dog asleep under the trailer was doing while all the others were hard at work. He explained that this dog (a Great Pyrenees of all breeds :) ) worked at night to guard against the bears.
I'm currently in dog heaven visiting some friends who have a Mastiff, an English breed. The dog weighs 70 kilos (154 pounds). The dog, Carla, is so sweet and she knows she's found a temporary friend. She lies on my feet so of course I cannot go anywhere. I have to pet her and get my face licked as much as possible before returning to dog-lessness.
Huge dog heaven indeed! Carla sounds like a very large dog! All the better for kisses and warmth. The Pyrenees experience sounds thrilling! You and Martin have had some up close sheep 🐑 experiences!
After I wrote that comment, I went outside to find Carla. It was only after she licked my face with her long fat tongue that Fabio told me she had just wolfed down a bird that the cat had caught. Oh well. What I don’t know won’t hurt me.
Yes, I did note and appreciate Martin’s experience 😊.
As think you know, I too have always been a dog person, and I still believe that my sweet Chula the Goggle-Eyed Ricochet Hound saved my life after Heather died. When I finally decided to leave Massachusetts and move back to San Francisco, I chose my apartment based on the needs of a senior dog - one level, elevator, etc. - only to have her die (at age seventeen; she had a good run) just before I moved. I still miss her terribly, but I have to admit I'm enjoying the freedom of being able to travel without having to make arrangements for her (sorry, Chula). And my girlfriend has a dog, so I still get regular doses of doggy love.
Also, while I've never attended a sheepdog trial, in September 2010 I was part of a group of hikers descending from Lining Crag to Grasmere in the Lake District when we heard an astonishing and indecipherable array of shouts and whistles from the hillside above us. We looked up and saw two shepherds striding along, bellowing in what we took to be Gaelic - it certainly wasn't English - and almost immediately we were engulfed by hundreds of galloping sheep who were thundering down the trail behind us, escorted by several black and white sheepdogs. We scrambled onto some convenient rocks to get out of the way and admire the stream of sheep flowing around us. At one point one of the dogs jumped up onto the rock beside me; I told him he was a good dog, but he was intent on his charges and completely ignored me. It was an amazing, and mesmerizing, experience.
I’m so sorry I never met Chula. She had a big heart. Your experience with the sheep sounds amazing! Quite an exceptional story! Thanks for sharing that. And Sonya’s dog is a sweetheart. ❤️
We have always been dog people, although I appreciate cats as well! Our current pup is more willful — or perhaps just more carefree or oblivious than our previous dogs — requiring constant monitoring. Interestingly, though, there is something about her that acts as a magnet for attention. Strangers are constantly coming up wanting to pet, praise and play with her. She’s always on her best behavior at those moments, offering no sign of the crazy pup we live with!
So interesting the variable personalities each dog has! This one sounds smart and people pleasing. Looking forward to meeting her!
Oooh, it sounds like any one of our Jack Russells reincarnated!!!
Thank you Sabrina. He was such a good boy!
Loved this newsletter! You know I am a dog person and have always admired working dogs. How fun to attend the sheep trials! Something to add to my bucket list!
Yes, I think you would love it the whole sheep trials scene Patti! And I was so sorry to hear about lovely Murphy 💔. Hope he is enjoying a pain-free happy place now, with lots of good memories of those who cared for him here.
I'm with you, I'm a dog person, exclusively and can never imagine my life without a dog by my side. I also love watching working dogs - a well trained sheepdog is pure poetry in motion.
If you subscribe to Netflix, you may like https://www.netflix.com/title/81675373 which is about kelpies growing from puppyhood into full working dogs. Muster Dogs is an emotive series and was very high rating when it was first made here in Australia.
If you love dog stories - try Tom Ryan who wrote Following Atticus and Will's Red Coat. Stunning books both.
Thank you for a lovely K9 post and cheers.
Oh Prue, thanks so much for that recommendation. One of my former colleagues and friends back in California has raised kelpies for managing her sheep, and they also did trials for a long time. They lived in Australia for a time and I'm pretty sure that is where they got hooked. I've always admired her kelpies. Looking forward to that show! And also, thanks for the reading recommendations. I'm gobbling up books as fast as I can these days 📖!
Loved, loved, loved this post, Sabrina! Even more than I loved watching One Man and His Dog with my parents every Sunday night for forever when I was little! 😊
(Not a dog person, but I AM very much a sheep person! Still friends?)
Yes of course Rebecca! However I need to learn more about your sheep relationships, obviously 🙄. I’m still a bit jealous of the fact that you had chicken friends growing up! 🐓🐣
We grew up feeding warm milk to orphan lambs from San Miguel beer bottles... Happy happy happy child. 😊
I’m happy you remember him too!
Love this account of the sheepdog trials Sabrina! I am definitely a dog person living in a dog family. I grew up with a much loved Golden Retriever named Dickens, and then after a gap of more than 20 years, filled with college, first jobs and apartments, and a non dog loving ex spouse, got my next dog in a series of wonderful dogs. We now have three dogs, my daughter and her partner who live in town have two dogs, so we frequently have all five dogs with us in our conveniently fenced in back yard. Dog joy indeed! 💙
Thanks Martha! Dogs bring so much joy to our lives. I can just imagine the hilarity when you have all five! And Dickens was a treat! ❤️