National Sheepdog Finals Blog
2013 National Sheepdog Finals - Watch an experienced dog handler team walk calmly to the post, begin their run with complete composure, manage their sheep quietly and competently, and close their work with a soft “that’ll do”. The road to that run ran through struggles and successes and more struggles, humble beginnings where managing stock could seem like trying to control birds in flight. The National Finals has a tradition of excellent blogs showcasing how top handlers train and prepare for the event, using their skills to come down the home stretch tuned for perfection. In recognition of the miles travelled to get to that final lap, of tenacity and hard work and the fact that our travails can be a source of inspiration, education and humor, we are dedicating the 2013 Finals blog to the beginnings and the lessons learned along the way.
Dave Young - The Great Rabbit Muster of '68
Dogs, more accurately a Border Collie, helped open up the world of
agriculture to me. My first one, Lassie, hum...wonder where that name came
from, was a natural. Although not directly from Alex McKinven, I believe she
was more than likely from his very early lines. I should have asked him. As 14 year old part time urban rabbit
farmers, a friend of mine and I were deep in the production heavy carcass
rabbits, yeah...right. A dream of financial freedom and an excuse to skip
school, one in a very long list, was driving force behind this endeavor. Soon though, subsidies from not so
understanding family members began to dry up. An action plan was needed. What
to do... oh what to do? Gardens could free us! Not our gardens though, the
neighbors’ gardens. The Mizner's garden was right next door. Well weeded and
packed with all kinds of rabbit fodder plus, we schemed,( heh, heh, heh) that
the natural occurring rabbit tracks could be a possible alibi, not that 14 year
olds ever needed one. A short muster from their warrens, the garden was
surrounded by trees and hedges providing the much needed cover and nutrition
for both the rabbits and their wary keepers. How do we get them there? Lassie could help do this. We should have
thought of this sooner! The initial drive worked well. Unlike sheep, hungry
rabbits seem to drive easier. We got them to the garden unnoticed. After a
short while of foraging, both species were full. The return drive is where
things really fell apart. Rabbits everywhere.
Kids, rabbits and one really happy Border Collie all stomping through the
Mizner’s garden. Much to the satisfaction of Lassie, the gather took a couple
of days. In the end poor hutch construction was the excuse... coccidiosis, our
eventual downfall.
What an image! My guess is that herding rabbits is much like herding cats... :) Great post!
ReplyDelete