On The Lighter Side

Just so it’s understood that I also had fun in dogs it’s time to recall some dinosaur games.  Some were not so funny at the time, but have aged well over the years.  My time at the dog shows themselves were mostly dead serious, but after or before or at club meetings or seminars was open season on laughs.

Some folks could help create a zany time without trying very hard.  Noel Denton had a great sense of humor, Larry Leonard carried an endless collection on jokes, and the Two-Jays (Fredrickson/Noe) could light up any gathering.  I’m still trying to decide whether they corrupted the Central States club or vice-versa.  One night I went to speak at one of their meetings and ended up at a local watering hole with about half the club.  When I left to drive back to Michigan it was only good fortune that got me home in one piece.

Brian Carabine of Erin’s Own Collies could be very funny and his Irish brogue added to the effect.  He had a story that he used to tell about “an ass race” in Ireland that he was part of in days gone by.  At one seminar he was reciting the details of the race and two elderly ladies were sitting in the front row knitting.  The more Brian talked about “his good little ass” and how “he beat his ass” the faster the knitting needles went.  It reminded me of visiting Van Dyck and how his wife would sit knitting while he held court.  As he stretched the facts further and farther her needles would go faster.  Finally she’s drop her knitting and say, “Bill Van Dyck, you know that’s a damn lie!”

Edith Levine of Glen Knolls was another who could bring down the house with her wit.  She was also a very talented breeder who bred and finished champions in all four colors.  Our relationship became very friendly over time, but didn’t start out quite so well.

When we first met Edith was showing a blue male named Glen Knolls Knightswood Sky and I was showing the blue who would become my first champion, Windsong Dealer’s Choice.  The judge was Connie Hubbart of Astolat Sheltie fame who had also bred some good collies including Bob Wills Ch Astolat Peerless who won the CC of A Futurity.  Edith and I were both awaiting the open blue class and Mrs. Hubbard had judged shelties just prior to her collie classes.  Edith looked down at my dog and said very kindly “ My, what a nice big blue dog!”  AS I was blowing up with youthful pride she pointed to her dog and said,” and this is a correct sized blue dog!”  Needless to say I was stung and with a lack of good judgment that went with my age said,” but Mrs. Levine the judge is done with shelties now!”  You may rest assured that Edith wasn’t pleased.

In spite of the rough start we developed a growing friendship over the years and as my grooming skills increased Edith would often seek me out to help her groom when her bursitis acted up in her shoulder. I noticed the better I got at grooming the worse her bursitis became.  It gave me a chance to groom the grand sable bitch who became Ch. Glen Knolls Spun Gold, one of my all time favorites.

Edith had the ability to get people’s attention and she showed no hesitation in doing so.  She had been successful for some time including winning at the national level when she was invited to speak at Acconeus Collie College in Connecticut.  This was the heart of Gaylord-Brandwyne country and the Mangels were doing quite well.  Edith’s opening statement was one I’ve never forgotten, as she walked to the podium she looked out at the gathering and said, “I want to make it clear – Trudy Mangels did not invent the damn collie!”  You could have heard a pin drop for a moment and then the laughter took over.

One of my other memories of Edith’s wit was not as funny at the time but improves with time.  At the CC of A in Rochester, NY, in the lobby of the host hotel, I was checking in with my dogs and my youngest son in tow.  Seeing me standing there looking relatively off guard, Edith said in her loudest voice for the whole crown to hear, “George I hear you’re getting divorced and if it’s true I want you to know I’m available!”  Again you could have heard the pin drop and then the laughter saved me.

I really miss Edith.  We never bred to each other’s dogs, but we liked the best of what we each bred.  I loved Spun Gold and Edith loved Breezalong and she told me something I’ve never forgotten.  “The Great ones all look alike!”

John Buddie has for years kept people laughing with his jokes and impersonations.  He also caught me by surprise in the specials class at the CC of A.  I don’t remember what  dog John had that day, but I was showing Ch. Gingeor’s indelibly Blue, whose call name ws “Hair.”  The long specials class was going on and on and my sprayer was left at the grooming table.  John was merrily keeping his dog dampened and since I used only water on my dogs, I asked him, “whats in your sprayer?”  Without batting an eye John answered, “Hair remover!”  It broke me up.

My favorite prank of all time wasn’t so funny at the time, but it’s gotten better with age.  I was showing Ch. Bellbrooke’s Choice in the classes at the big Harrisburg show.  He hated indoor shows and, in fact, we later realized he never took a point inside.  He was groomed and ready and my plan was to be first in open sable because his showing deteriorated as the class progressed.  To keep him from mussing his coat I had him at arm’s length while I watched the judging of the open blues.  As the blues left the ring I hasted toward the entrance only to have a funny feeling after a few steps.  The reason was soon clear as I glanced back to see a short piece of lead in my hand.  My dog and the rest of the lead were about twenty feet away with my “friend” Carl Andrews who had cut the lead very gently while I was intently watching the blues.  By the time I got the lead knotted and got in the ring we were last in line and I was wishing for a gun.  It has gotten funny over time. 

Many other funny things happen over time to dog people.  The day I judged after the CC of A and was annoyed at the pieces of liver that had been tossed about the ring where I was about to judge specials.  As I bent to pick up the liver and throw it out some laughter cut thru my sense of good housekeeping.  Only then did I realize that all those little brown morsels were not liver.  Since that day my liver removal has been left to the clean up crew.  We live and learn.  I seem to remember giving Barbara Schwartz Reserve Dog that day.  She may have had her dog leave me a message about not getting Winners!

Think About It!

More On The Standard

Standard

Last time we touched on the standard and we’ll look a bit further just for fun.  It’s not my intent to dissect the whole standard, but rather to comment about some issues as I see them.  Just for the record I do recognize the importance of head qualities to having a good Collie, but don’t think that more important than the whole dog.  I remember back when I was starting in Collies hearing “give me a good head and I can get the rest from mutts!”  That sentiment is as full of holes as a piece of Swiss cheese.  When we’re actively breeding the difficulty of maintaining many head qualities may make them more weighty than when we become a judge.

As mentioned before the first paragraph on general character carries many worthwhile hints to what a correct Collie should seem.  First sentence shows the word “responsive” and it’s hard to equate that with a dog that doesn’t show.  Standing “naturally” straight and firm certainly makes me question the practice of setting Collies up like pointers.  The paragraph on legs plainly specifies letting a dog come to a natural stop and also that excessive posing is undesirable.  On what planet do we expect junior handlers to show as we teach them to stack their dogs.

Dorothy Long of Noranda was a master at teaching her Collies to show on a loose lead out in front of her.  I’ve been told she was one of the first Collie people to use this technique.  Whether or not that is accurate no one did it better and few as well as she.  I remember her showing a bitch named Ch. Noranda Discretion (I believe the dam of CC of A winner Daily Double) and I’m sure Mrs. Long could have taken a nap without the bitch missing a beat.

Understanding our standard and having a picture of the animal it paints in ones head is a labor of love to be undertaken over time with many examples, both correct and incorrect, being observed.  It is not enough to look up the words in Webster’s Dictionary and say “aha, I know what the standard means!”  As the skills and knowledge of a budding fancier increase the hazy picture should become more and more clear.  Admittedly for some it never seems to, but we all learn at a different pace so be patient.  If Collies become too frustrating, one can always switch one’s efforts to guppies where you can flush the failures away. 

As you work to get a clear picture of what the standard means in flesh and blood, be sure to pick up on key words.  There are the ones that have real impact and are not just fillers hooking the sentences together.  They are the ones that are very descriptive and tell the true story of the dog we wish to portray.  As mentioned earlier in the first paragraph one could point to “responsive” as such a key word.  Certainly there are many others.  Scattered throughout the standard are references to things that one might relate to Collie temperament or character.  Because of this sometimes we forget its importance to what we wish to create.

I’ve often thought a paragraph on correct temperament in the standard might serve the breed well.  The Collie stems from a shepherd’s helper who had enormous contact with people.  He might herd during the day, play with the children in the evening, and guard the house and yard at night.  He was tuned to the needs of his whole family and dedicated to doing their wishes.  This temperament and Collie character resulted in many people remembering a Collie in their childhood.  All this can also certainly affect our picture of a show dog.

We have all seen dogs which stand and pose with ears up like a statue and that’s much better than one who doesn’t want to show.  I have a picture in my old dinosaur memory of the most “responsive” dog I ever showed and it wasn’t Ch. Jadene’s Breezalong or Ch. Gingeor’s Indelibly Blue, who both went BB at the CC of A.

Years ago I bought a tricolor male puppy by Breezalong out of a daughter of Crescent Bright Image (by Bold Venture) who came from the Soellner’s breeding.  His name was Wayside Bodee Night Breeze and he lived to show.  From the time his feet hit the floor after grooming his tail was wagging and his head was up and his “natural” ears on top of his head.  Oh sure he had faults, but he made you want to forget them, because he was such a joy to be around.

He finished without great difficulty and along the way I showed him under Stella Richardson from Virginia who was judging a major at the National Capital show.  His sire Breezalong was entered in specials and Peter Knoop who liked Breezy was doing the group.  Zorro (Nite Breeze) took the major and BW and I sent him in with friend Carl Andrews for the breed where I had Breezy ready to go.

Unfortunately for Carl he ran out of bait before the judging for BB was over.  Zorro stood in front of him and barked and fairly vibrated with anticipation and I was embarrassed trying to slip Carl some more bait while the judge was convulsed at Zorro’s antics.  To make a long story short Zorro took BB over his sire and didn’t place in the group.  Was he responsive?  Did he want to please?  He was everything good Collie temperament should reflect.  At the time I had three good young tri males and couldn’t keep them all.  Zorro went to live with the Bells in Pittsburgh where he sired a grand blue bitch Ch. Regaline’s Blue Intuition.  He was a Collie to me.

I always tell people that when building a solid breeding program you must have good health and good temperament.  To that obviously you wish to add correct type, but health and temperament are the building blocks that all your puppies need.  That includes show prospects and pets as well.  If you’re one of those breeders who doesn’t produce any pets then you’re not only extremely fortunate, but also a first class phony who can’t admit the truth.

Think About It!

Oh, That Darn Standard!

The written and associated illustrated standard are the guidelines for people involved in Collies whether as breeders, exhibitors or judges.  Merely being able to read what is said or complete an open book test is no indication that a person remotely understands the intent of the standard.  Far too often it seems that the only interest some folks exhibit in this guideline is to change it to  conform to their breeding ideas rather than to breed toward what the standard defines as correct.

Over the years there have been changes made, some which were designed to clarify and others, which may have muddied the waters.  My intent is not to separate these two categories.  Indeed we shall only view some “tips of the iceberg” and explore further at another time.

Each new administration in the CC of A creates a standard committee along with many other such groups.  They will review our standard and make recommendations as to the need for change or clarification.  Some of these committees feel honor bound to change things or feel they have accomplished nothing.  Obviously the makeup of the committee and personal interpretations of the standard will strongly influence their direction.

Some years age, when Doris Werdermann was president of the CC of A, I chaired the standard committee.  We didn’t make any changes in spite of one member who seemed convinced that we should do so.  The rest of the committee, myself included, felt no change was warranted and opted instead for a booklet which simplified some things into a format we felt was an improvement.  After it’s completion and printing in sank into the black hole of CC of A “lost stuff” to be seen no more.

Some of the things noted in our booklet were items which I had gleaned from my early mentor Bill Van Dyck of Honeybrook.  Things such as the resemblance to a can of evaporated milk that the properly rounded muzzle presents.  It is straight on the top, but smooth and without indentation on the sides.  The Collie with proper eye size, shape, and associated chiseling must point it’s nose at what is wishes to see.  Recently I received a similar booklet from the Doberman Pinscher Club of America with the same intent of clarifying the standard and procedure for examining the mouth.

When I was president of the South Jersey Collie Club we devoted one meeting each year to a round table discussion of the Collie Standard.  While its goal may have been to help newcomers, everyone learned from a comparison of various points of view.  Much as a Bible-Study group in church can give us some food for thought even if we think of ourselves as theologians, so can a discussion of the standard  bring some fresh thinking to the mind of even the most experienced fancier.  Knowledge is where you find it and is not limited to dinosaurs.

I remember well lamenting a dog I owned who loved to play in his water bucket and spill same every day.  Many means of securing the buckets had failed when a novice gave me the solution.  Take an old bucket (galvanized) that leaks and can’t be used, secure it in the corner, and set the water bucket in it.  Problem solved!  Knowledge is where you find it .  I’ve known people in dogs for years who couldn’t compare with some who were relative newcomers, but who had the gift.

A background in other animals can be very helpful to one who wants to interpret the standard.  Horse people and breeders of other livestock can unlock some of the keys.  Be honest with yourself and remember that real understanding of the standard is a combination of many things.  Watching puppies develop and observing and handling different dogs are all part of the prerequisites to being comfortable with the Collie Bible.  (I don’t mean to blaspheme but it is just that ( Van Dyck used to ask when I would apply for a judges license and my reply was “when I’m completely comfortable with the task”!  I had been some years in Collies and won my first BB at the National before I filled out an application.

One last note before the dinosaur says “until next time”, we have a bred which many describe as a “head breed.”  Indeed our standard devotes much importance to the head and its various parts.  While I in no way wish to detract from the importance of proper head qualities to a good Collie, there is an observation that seems apropos to this discussion .  The first paragraph of the standard on “general character” paints a picture of the whole dog and it’s hard for me to accept any one part, head or otherwise, as more important than the whole to which it belongs.

Any judge will tell you that before they touch a dog in a class they know which one they like best.  It’s a matter of how all the parts including head, expression, coat, etc., etc.  fit together.  The dogs are examined so that “your hands verify what your eyes think they see.”  (clever grooming tricks abound)  You check movement as a test of structure and condition of muscles, but it’s the whole dog that draws your eyes.

Many moons ago I sat with another dinosaur named Steve Field looking at some puppies.  Two ladies had come to see them as well and were leaning over the fence feeling their heads.  Steve and I were sitting on two bales of straw just watching the pups do their thing.  Later after the gals went on to see some other dogs Steve said, “the way to judge puppies is to just watch!”  Steve was a great observer and a very gifted person in many ways.  His reputation as a breeder and judge was such that when he spoke you listened.

We’ll talk more about the standard, I’m sure.  It does need to be understood not just read.  Meanwhile don’t become so infatuated with any one portion that you fail to remember the significance of the whole dog. 

Think About It!!!

See You Later

Phyllis and I lost a dear friend on Tuesday, we’d known him for fourteen years and shared many good times together.  His name was Sam and he was a mutt.

Now why does a collie person write about a mutt and mourn his loss so greatly?  If you don’t know perhaps you don’t know the responsibilities of dog ownership.  It’s often been said that if you keep animals you should be committed to keeping them well.  That includes knowing when to say, “goodbye.”

Terhune wrote once about a dog that had to be put down.  He didn’t want to put him thru going to the vet and having a stranger in strange surroundings end his life.  He gave the dog his favorite treat, a piece of steak, and while he ate, shot him in the head.  The logic is plain, but the will to follow such a plan does not exist in most of us.

One of the most difficult things about keeping any kind of animal is knowing that you are going to outlive them unless you happen to be a really old dinosaur.  Over the years I can remember saying goodbye to many friends and very few obliged by passing away on their own.  When discussing this topic the gentleman who used to announce for Westminster said, “better a week too soon, than a day too late!”  Basically we don’t wait for animals to suffer serious pain or discomfort to say goodbye. 

In my strange way of thinking I’ve found its much more satisfactory when you lose an animal friend or a human, for that matter, to dwell on the good memories rather than the loss.  We all will feel some sadness at such a time, but a celebration of life is much more satisfying than the mourning of a loss.

Years ago when judging in California Murray Drucker, who published dog magazines, including The Collie Review came to my ringside.  It was obvious that Murray was gravely ill and he told me his doctor had advised him not to come.  In spite of that he came to apologize for not being able to attend the dinner after the show.  The Collie Review was awarding me its outstanding service award and someone else would have to present it.  I was the last recipient of an award that numbered Rudd Weatherwax, Steve Field, Florence Ilch, and Dr. McCain as honorees.  The plaque is one of only two awards that I’ve kept over the years and it means a great deal to me because of the names that I share it with and the man who came to my ring that day to say farewell.

When Murray passed away shortly there after I heard that he left a letter for his wife and daughters.  The reported contents may or may not be accurate.  But they sound like something Murray would write.  It was basically entitled “Don’t Cry For Me” and listed many of the successes and enjoyable things that had been part of his life including the family that he didn’t want to sink into sadness.  True or not the sentiment has stayed with me over the years and become part of what I firmly believe.

Back to Sam, who started this whole thing.  He was about nine months old when we adopted him from the local shelter.  He’d been living near a grocery store and dining on handouts from the employees.  He was a streetwise pup and knew nothing of proper behavior.  I told Phyllis that he must be part collie because of his color and markings (red sable, white collar and feet).  Either she believed me or more likely just liked Sam too.

The first years were a learning experience for Sam and for us.  He chewed anything he could put in his mouth.  He teased the other dogs unmercifully because he was extremely quick and would nip and run.  He had no idea of walking on a lead and would yank and pull until your arm was tired.  The good news was that he was very smart and could be taught.

Over the years Sam did learn a lot and so did we.  Our daughter, Alexandra, loved to deck him out in silly outfits, like some old sneakers and Sam thought that was fine.  When he moved up to be our house dog he quickly learned to jump up on the grooming table to have his feet wiped before he came indoors.  On trips to the vet he jumped onto the counter to get a biscuit that he knew he deserved.

Sam joins a host of others over the years who remain in my memory as pleasant thoughts.  Most are collies with peerless pedigrees, but none were more loved that Sam.  You can be a breeder, exhibitor, writer, or judge, but if you don’t just plain love dogs you’ve missed the whole point.  Each of these old friends are in Heaven  wagging their tails and having a great time as they say, “Don’t Cry For Me!”

Think About It!

Father's Day

Today I celebrated Father’s Day and it’s been a very good day.  I got calls from all three boys and a nifty email card from Alexandra.  Phyllis and I enjoyed lunch at Outback and with discounts and gift cards felt almost as if we robbed them of our meal.

Whenever I think of Father’s Day it makes me recall Ch. Gingeor Bellbrooke’s Choice R.O.M.   “Patrick” as he was called earned the nickname “Daddy of them all” at the kennel because he was a fine sire and many of our winners were his children and grandchildren.

The story of how I bought him for $150 with time payments has been told enough to not need repeating, but the big break he got as a sire is a series of events that were connected in an interesting fashion.

When Patrick came to live at my kennel from John and Ada Giuliano’s Bellbrook Collies he was nine months with very little training.  In those days many clubs had several match shows each year to train puppies and also to raise money to put on an annual point show. The matches also provided a grand training ground for prospective judges.

My first chance to judge Collies came at the Burlington Co. match in New Jersey.  My best Collie puppy was a blond coated bitch with a lovely lean head and beautiful outline.  She belonged to Barbara Woodmancy and would go on to finish with four majors (when majors were tough to get) and took the eastern Collie world by storm  She could have been bred to any dog in the area and his owners would have felt honored.  All this before I acquired Patrick.

Because he was a quality pup, but one who needed some training, Patrick went to his first match soon after I got him at the South Jersey C.C.  He not only took Best In Match, but caught the eye of Barbara Woodmancy who owned The Glamour Girl, Ch. Gregshire’s Little Honeycomb.  Barbara decided to gamble on the quality and pedigree of the young pup and asked me to whelp the litter since her job made puppy care nearly impossible. 

The resulting litter of ten puppies were all sable as the dam was pure sable.  Nine pups would charge to the fence to greet visitors, but the tenth would wait for the commotion to die down, then walk out at his own speed.  Barbara took two puppies and I got the rest and eventually she gave me Honeycomb as well since she was moving to Florida which in those days was very tough on Collies.

I knew she’d take the dignified pup who was drop dead gorgeous and she did.  At about five months she asked me to come see him and asked if I would like to show him since she didn’t want him going to Florida either.  The pup took several all breed Best in Matches and finished before his sire who didn’t like dog shows.  That puppy became Ch. Jadene’s Breezalong B.O.B. at the 1967 CC of A, winner of nine working groups and a B.I.S. all breeds under Alva Rosenberg, arguably the greatest all breed judge who ever lived.

Breezalong launched Patrick’s siring career and was a great winner in east coast competition which was a very competitive area .  The whole situation of how Patrick started down the road to an R.O.M. designation ties in to the lovely winner at the first match I ever judged.

Now the R.O.M. behind a dog or bitch’s name is arbitrary at best.  It was a whole different world when Patrick sired thirty champions than it is now.  You could have top stud dog of the year with four or five champions and breeder of the year with three or four.  We have many more shows now and a much different playing field.

Likewise the approach to licensing judges has changed as well.  We used to list the matches and/or sweepstakes we judged on our applications.  Those stats and how long we’d been breeding and what we’d accomplished went past Len Brumby, AKC Exec. Vice President, who seemed to know all there was to know about everyone.  Today attending a national specialty and taking an open book test seem to be the big requirements.

I’ll let you decide which system produced judges who know their job best.

 Think about it!

p.s.  For those of you who belong to the CC of A you might send an email to Michelle Esch-Brooks who has produced two yearbooks on time when this is unheard of in the CC of A.  She’s made a wonderful transition from talented junior handler to talented young lady.  The apple definitely didn’t fall far from the tree!

Too Much of a Good (??) Thing

Too Much of a Good (??) Thing

How many dog shows are too many?  After increasing the number of show giving clubs to bolster a sagging income, the AKC now allows clubs to band together to make mega-events.  Our local Apple Blossom Cluster is just one example.  It has now increased to five shows on Thursday thru Monday of Memorial Day weekend. All we need to do is add some evening specialties to make it perfect.  God forbid we worry about the dogs!

Back in the days of the dinosaurs when I showed Collies my dogs never saw more than two shows per weekend.  The rest of the time they got to rest up, play and be quite comfortable at home.  Our record was quite competitive and the dogs didn’t get too stressed.  I worried about showing puppies because I guessed that every day at a show was one when they missed growing.  How selfish!

Besides being a strain on the dogs all these shows are breeding other problems.  Specialty shows are fighting hard to stay alive for many reasons.  Finding an affordable site is becoming tougher and many people find showing under all breed judges to their advantage.  When your only acquaintance with a Collie is to take an open book test and attend a national specialty, strange things can happen.

The point scale has gone to heck in a hand basket for many reasons and you can now have a major with a handful of Collies.  In the old dinosaur days a major was a real feat and to be treasured.  Depending on where you showed it took 20 or so dogs and in California it was ridiculous.  Now we have majors with 7 or 8 dogs in some cases and read ads where dogs finished with “all majors!”  Please get a life!

One of my other favorites and another money-making scheme is the Grand Champion.  It helped me decide I no longer needed to judge these things we now call dog shows.  It seems there are various degrees of Grand Champion.  I recently saw a dog advertised as the only Platinum Grand Chump (oops!) in its breed.  Can Diamond Encrusted Grand Champions be far behind?  Anything to get more dogs shown and shown and shown.

When I started to show seriously, Bill Van Dyck told me one day that Reserve Winners meant Best of the Losers.  He promptly gave me reserve when first I showed under him!  Today in addition to Grand Champs the judge has to worry about select, awards of merit (or lack thereof) and, at larger shows, who makes the cut.  People do advertise making the first, second or ad infinitum cuts at the national.  Please get a life?  It’s only a bloody dog show not a nuclear disarmament treaty. 

I might as well get one more pet peeve off my chest while on the subject of shows.    The pictures I see of Collies (and Shelties) at shows often with professional handlers sometimes cause me much anguish.  When I showed dogs grooming was a thing I prided myself on and worked at constantly.  The grooming of a Collie was an effort to make the animal resemble as closely as possible what the standard describes Yes, I did say “standard”, that oft maligned and apparently seldom read document.

The Collie is to be trimmed for showing in a subtle, but definite manner.  Forgive me if I quote that confusing old standard again.  “The forelegs are smooth and well feathered to the back of the pastern.  “(Not to the floor)”  The hind legs are smooth below the hock joints.  Any feathering below the hocks is removed for the show ring.”  If you don’t know how to groom, please learn particularly if you’re paid for your efforts, oh yes, “excessive posing is undesirable. (Had to get that in)

Collies are herding dogs and should appear as though they can do the job whether or not they ever saw a sheep.  In breeding and grooming we should strive for an animal that looks like they could drive livestock to market not pull them in a blasted wagon!  “Cumbersome appearance” is not desirable.  On what planet should a Collie look like a clumsy clod? 

Think About It!!  Please!!

Welcome Sweet Springtime!

I love Springtime when you can see things springing to life all around you.  Birds come back north and do their courting and nesting.  Flowers and trees blossom and grow their leaves.  Of course, you also get to start mowing, trimming edges, and caring for the strawberries.  Here in Michigan Spring, like Fall, is an unfortunately short season sandwiched between a short summer and a seemingly endless winter.

When I still bred Collies I knew that Spring pups were whelped at the most natural time of year.  They grew the best and were ready to show at the best specialties the following year.  Now I look for substitutes because I still love to watch young things grow and guess what they’ll be like at maturity.  My Miniature Silver Appleyard ducks hatched a brood in April and we’re now watching three breeds of baby chicks grow.  Most will go to new homes, but the ones we like best will stay for a while and provide fresh eggs in numbers that allow us to give most away.

I’ve been asked why a Collie person would talk about breed specific legislation.  The answer is quite simple.  Breed specific issues like puppy mill issues reflect on the whole world of dog breeding.  That means all of us and it gives the public a really bad view of the sport.  One of the nice things about this blog is that I write about what interests me and there are no deadlines or censorship to deal with at all.  You get my opinion on what interest me, and also what I think should be thought over by others.

Phyllis and I don’t spend much time on cruises or vacations because we have too many “critters” to care for and can’t seem to train and keep house and livestock watchers.  In addition to the already mentioned chickens and ducks, we have dogs, cats, cage birds and two horses that we board at a stable.  It does keep you busy but that’s okay because we enjoy them all.

Many of my Collie friends have had interests in other types of animals.  Al Forthal was a real master at breeding and racing Homing Pigeons.  Steve Field bred shorthorn cattle and also kept chickens which would fly into the dog pens to pick up leftover feed.  He told me “the ones who fly out fastest, live the longest.”  It was survival of the fittest (or fastest) for sure.

Glen Twiford of Windcall fame, in addition to fine Collies kept a number of exotic birds and bred them in aviaries at his home.  Glen also had livestock on the family ranches which he helped work before moving to California.  The videos of his Collies working sheep, that he showed at one of the CC of A symposiums was a real pleasure to see. This was Collies doing what they were meant to do before it became a “fashionable” thing at herding trials as part of the dog show game.  The Collies were a plus because they found that Border Collies, while fine herders, were too small to intimidate Coyotes.

One of the tings we sometimes forget to do in the dog game and possibly life in general is to give special people an “attaboy” while they’re still here.  As I get older and many old friends are gone, it becomes more of a reality than ever before.  So my hat’s off to Glen Twiford, who I know has been under the weather a bit lately.  A man of many talents over and above Collies , and a very special person.  He judged at the highest level and won at the highest level and did it all with class.

I’ll keep the blog going in spite of mowing, trimming, gardening, and dog grooming but at my pace and about my interests.  Some topics may raise some eyebrows, but that’s ok.  Those muscles need some work.

Think About It!