Gopher or Sheep?

apparently it is a hard decision to make if you are Wicca. The gophers are just coming out and are everywhere out there- the chirping was loud and constant. All she wanted was to get the critters...She was hardly interested in the sheep at all- which was a bit dissapointing- previously she has LOVED herding, but has been getting more and more uninterested. Today was the worst she's been- she was completely enthralled with the chirping of the gophers, and only chased (not herd) the sheep after we made her jealous with Pixel's turns. Even then she took time out to visit with Kit the guardian dog, eat poop, sniff, have a drink...


Geesh. What a dog. I guess she's a city girl through and through! The thing with Wicca is once she makes up her mind it is very diccult to change it- and with sheep herding it's not like you can really make her have fun. She either does- or she doesn't. Oh well. There are lots of things she does like to do- I won't be giving up on her herding quite yet, but she won't get to play for a while- just lots and lots of torture...having to watch Pixel play almost killed her I am sure!

Pixel however wants to move to Scott and Jenny's- the smells, the poop, the chickens, and OH MY GOD THE SHEEP! She was SO excited. Right off the bat she was curious and alert to what the dog and sheep were doing in the pen. When it was finally her turn I thought her head was going to explode!

She had three short turns and was completely focused on the sheep- she was on a short line at first, and then graduated to the longer line. At 7 months she is too young to ask for much- but it is very good experience for her to get to "play" with the sheep and have fun. Scott is a big believer in making the dog confident- before insisting on perfection.


Pixel showed a lot of interest, and had a great time chasing them around- but she wasn't frantic or wild- just excited and set to work right away. She is a very "herdy" dog at home and in real life- always circling and herding the playing dogs at work, and it is in her genes too which helps. Her sire is a herding champion- and one of the first Cardigans to get to that level. Pixels two littermates have been on sheep already too and are showing great promise. The pups certainly got his work ethic!




Pixel was very brave and was only a little unsure once, when she dove in at a ewe and it jumped over her- thankfully- not landing on her. Otherwise she had LOTS of fun- and was quite sassy at them- barking and such. Cute, Cute, Cute.
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Oh- you want to know what else is cute??? Baby Border Collies. Jenny let us in to see Megan's pups- utter cuteness. They are just about 10 days old and don't have eyes open or anything- but they are still pretty cute. Jenny said she'd post some pictures...soon! You'll have to check out the Alta-Pete blog- the link is on the right.

Sarah had her new camera there and took all the photos that I've posted. The head shot of Pixel is my absolute favorite photos of all time. Wowsers. Thanks Sarah!!!