baaaaa baaaaa....agility sheep ??

Isn't it funny how sheep like people can be, you know when one runs and the others follow, even though they arent sure what they are running from???
i've noticed agility people can be like that too you know, one person has a thought on something - funny how the agility community can follow that thought, without any consideration of FACT!!

Now I'm well aware of who makes comments about Harrjaks, there are actually only 2 major contributors to the rumour mills, one of which i have had a word with, another i havent seen to be able to, but her idea of Harrjaks are based on an experience, once, with one dog, several years ago, with a young, and at the time inexperienced handler. Just incase you read this, and know I'm talking about you.... please find me at a show, I'm doing Gillingham, I'm SURE you will be there, I'd like you to meet some Harrjaks you havent met before, and then would like to hear that you still have the same opinion!! There are 27 Harrjak Border collies out there, not many in the great scheme of things, but please, before you make harsh judgments, meet some!! All the owners of my pups are lovely, and all are very approachable, and all will tell you what they honestly think of their dogs! ( although ignore the name trog from pam & karen lol) you have Graeme Macgregor & Rib, Claire Dell & Wren, Patricia Britton and Zephyr, and Simon Chandler with Bob, Pam Young & Trinnie, Lolly Scott and Tigger, Lynne & Amy Bennett with Java, FInd them and meet any of them... they are all at shows around the country, and that is just a few!

Harrjak owners, you are all lovely, and I love how much you all love your dogs, and I'm VERY proud of all of you, no matter what level you work, or don't work, you have given one of my precious puppies a lifetime loving home, which is very meaningful to me, and to my family, as we worry about every puppy after they leave, we get so attached to them its hard for us to see them go, which is why I'm glad you all keep in touch so much :-)

I'm not having a moan to get you all responding, I want to make you all aware, that not all people share our views on Harrjaks, I'm learning to be thicker skinned, and let it all wash off when I hear the comments, but to hear people think they are all sharp and nasty etc does wind me up a treat, as clearly they have not met many Harrjak's and therefore can only base their opinions on hearsay

Some brilliant results coming in at the moment, Mr Rave has Won his first ever class!!! Flynn (out of tigger) went grade 4 this weekend, and came 3rd at the DIN finals, seen some fab photos thanks to Graeme with Rib, from KC festival and DIN

Tigger has a litter cooking right now, one I'm VERY excited about, Geena is a lovely big strong bitch , the biggest Tigs has gone to, so I'm hoping for nice big boned girls from this combination :-) She was confirmed in pup by a scan, and saw at least 5!! <3 This litter is due 29th September.
He went to Jay this week too, not a mating by the book i can tell you!!! lol! but it happened in the end, so pups hoped for around the end of October 2011.

Love your dogs :-)

Love my dogs so much :-) I've had a nightmare few days helping find a very frightened collie, who went missing on Thursday, and we finally caught him today!!! Definitely makes me appreciate what I have, as well as what I have lost recently :-(
My guys mean the world to me, I don't like the term really, but they are my fur- kids!!!
They get along so well as a group, always being able to do anything together, they eat, sleep, play ,walk, travel and just generally live together, for that I'm very grateful as so many people with multi dog households just can't have that :-)

I'm still grieving for Holly, I've no idea how long I will feel so empty without her, and jak, in my life every day, they leave a great legacy in Harv and he is so special :-) I hope they are looking down on him feeling very proud, as he is missing them so much it's hard to see him sad too :-(
I won't go into how Harry feels, as he has had jak and Holly as part of his life since he was born, he is obviously as devastated as me :-(

Be grateful for the great dogs you have, appreciate them always, love them forever x

Sweet dreams my princess x

I cannot put into words how devasted i am about the loss of holly, given sleep on 11th August, too weak to fight any more, sleep well hols, always my princess, forever in my heart, go find jak at the bridge x

Swat summer show, Tamisje Uka, Holly & anything else i throw in for good measure while i waffle!!

I think i have come to the conclusion i am simply not lucky in life!!! As soon as something good happens, along comes something to bring it back down again!!! why me!!
Last weekend we had SWAT show, at the most local venue i think i could ever have! Westpoint arena is only 10 mins away from me, so was lovely to be able to get up late and still get there on time!!! Monday James was Judging, he had large 1&2,as well as smalls and mediums. all jumping classes, he likes doing things unusual and really tested people by putting weaves as number 1... now some could cope with it, others could not comprehend the idea! The day went well, and after the ring was finished we set up for my day judging the following day!! arrgh scarey! Pat was my ring maanger, and i had lots of my lovely friends come and help on my ring too, karen, sharon, selena, narz & lydia, pete & vicky too, another lady scrimed for a while, sorry i dont know your name? elaine i think it was, anyway, thankyou to you all, you did a great job!!!! My courses i was undecided if were slightly easy for the grades, but when they ran i had a good mix of clears, faults and Eliminations, so i think i gauged it about right, i had no negative comments, and several comments to say they liked the courses, so i was pleased with that :O) I had grade 3 jumping, veterans, and small 1-7 jumping. I decided to leave the veterans as the same course as grade 3, just removing the tyre and long jump and replacing with ordinary jumps, the course was then reversed for the 1-7 small with the tyre being added for the straight along the end. i was trying to keep away from the straight 'up and down' style courses, which seemed to work really well.

My large G3 jumping:My small 1-7 jumping:


zig and meg worked well on the days i didnt judge, well meg only ran on monday, as she bent her dew claw right out, and wasnt looking pretty! so she was off of running unril it was healed over at not at risk of opening up, she wasnt in pain with it after the initial cut off! :-0
The bad bits from here were getting a bug :( and meggies dew claw!


UKA Tamisje
I love uka shows.
The Standard height works so much better for the girls, it also means i enjoy it more! Ok so meg only managed one clear, and it wasnt even with me!! but still, we had some fab runs, and several places on tricky courses as we only picked up the odd 5f :) so was very pleased with that, altho we do need some weave work (@ laura chudleigh you are meant to remember to send me something on that!;-) Zig picked up i think 3 x 1st places ( nov jumping and senior schase, nov snooker) aswell as 6? second places!!) she was a star!!! On the saturday i ran her again, she was lovely, we came second in our jumping after a pull around a jump went awry, and a second place with her first clear in senior steeplechase! best bit of that one was, it was the second run of it as the timing failed, we had to run for time, and luckily i also managed another clear :)

The only down side to the show, was Holly took a bad turn, and her temp flew up to 106 again, she hasnt eaten ( still) since saturday evening, but is drinking fine. the onsite vets were really helpful, and today she has also seen my own vet, her temp is down a little to 103, but she is still refusing food, so we have changed her medication slightly to see if that will help. I realise she is no spring chicken, she is my baby and i love her so so much i just cant see her deteriorate like this, she has always been so strong, so naughty, and so funny, so to see her laying helpless is heartbreaking for me, and im hoping i dont have to make the descision im dreading, i will only do what is best for all of my dogs, if that means living on toast and pot noodles so be it :) so lots of healing thoughts this way if anyone has any spare for a soppy smelly bear dog :) thank you x

We have had such a busy few weeks, we have had time off from training really, so im hoping now to get back to it! we have Kernow UKA this weekend which im hoping holly will be well enough to come along to, we may do the trade tent, or we may not, we are undecided, as it will be nice to have a weekend with just us and dogs enjoying ourselves... we shall see.