September 10, 2007

An outrun of sheepdogs, a flanking of trials



A flock (down, drift, drove, fold, herd, meinie, mob, parcel, trip) of sheep.

(What would the best collective nouns be? A gather of sheepdogs? A fetch of trials? A sunburn of set-out workers? A whistle of handlers?)

For the second year in a row, Tommy Wilson and his Sly are the Meeker champions. Not that I called it or anything [sprains arm patting self on back]. My fave Rye made the double lift finals and placed seventh. Only three dogs finished the course..! (Eleven year old Pippa is a marvel.) The Meeker sheep are famously tough --- handler Alberto Stern from Switzerland was "very impressed" with the western range ewes.

Re Soldier Hollow: more terrific photos from the trial are scattered throughout this Border Collie Boards thread, and Jan's excellent photo collection can be viewed here.

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Glyn Jones of Lanarmon, Denbighshire and his Ben are the 2007 Welsh National Champions. The Welsh team is listed here, and full coverage of the Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh Nationals can be found on the ISDS site here. The International begins this Friday, September 14 in Burnchurch, Kilkenny, Ireland, and for your viewing pleasure, here is a video of English team member Kim Gibson and Rob.

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The 2007 Western States Regional Championship Sheepdog Trial was held the same weekend as Soldier Hollow this year -- strong competition at both trials. Ellen Skillings and Midge from Tulelake, California are the 2007 Western States Regional Champions. Complete results on the WSRC web site.

And last but not least, best wishes to everyone in our own National Finals. If you happen to be anywhere near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania next week, take the opportunity to see some of the finest working dogs in the country in a beautiful and historic setting. Good luck to all dogs and handlers!

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