What They Remember (Gael Returns to Herding Sheep)

I was more anxious than the dog.

Last week, Gael, my 2-year-old Border collie, returned to working sheep after a 13-month layoff.

A freak accident (hitting a board fence while playing with other dogs) caused a broken femur and torn ACL late in 2018. After two surgeries and months of rehabilitation she was deemed ready to go back to herding.

Before her accident, Gael had about 6 weeks of herding training. She'd been introduced to sheep in a calm and quiet manner and learned how to do balance work and some small outruns.

Would she remember that training? Or, would she be wild and crazed about working sheep?

My friend, Kay, who had started Gael on sheep, put Gael on a long line, walked her toward the sheep and asked for a lie down. Gael faced the sheep and dropped.

I held my breath, and then relaxed as Gael thoughtfully circled the sheep and did some balance work. Later, in the big field, when the sheep escaped to the barn, she quietly gathered them and brought them back. She hadn't forgotten her training.

During my time working dogs in Texas and the long drive home, I thought a lot about what dogs remember.

Bubba, my open dog, was raised, trained and trialed by Kay. I've been working him since May--and he's working well for me. However, when I sent him on a long outrun to gather a group of sheep near Kay, his muscle memory said, "bring the sheep to Kay." When a friend visits, Bubba remembers all the treats that friend fed him as a puppy. He sits in front of her and awaits a treat. When it's dinner time, he runs to his old crate in Kay's kennel and awaits his meal.

When I train dogs later today and in the coming days, I will be more conscious of what I'm teaching the dogs and making sure those are memories I want them to keep for weeks and years to come.

Meanwhile on the farm:
While I was away in Texas, it rained and rained. The cracks in the pasture from this summer's drought are almost gone and we have the dreaded winter mud. If given the choice between 30 or 40-degree days, I'll choose the 30-degree days, frozen ground and no mud. However, since there is no snow covering the ground, the sheep are happily grazing the pastures. So, for now, I'm keeping the slogging through the mud to a minimum.

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Because You're Never Too Old to...

Gael looking at the sheep. Some day, girl, some day.

Nearly a year ago, I was 2,250 miles from home, at the U.S. National Sheepdog Finals in California, and reflecting on the year behind and the year ahead.

My run had gone poorly, but I had no regrets about going. The coming year was going to be a rebuilding year.

Jack, the dog that ran in the Finals, was retiring. Emma, my other Open dog, needed more training to be competitive. I hoped to get Niki, my 4-year-old, progressing and completing courses; and Gael, my 1-year-old, was just starting her sheepdog journey. Maybe, by the fall of 2019, she'd be ready to start trialing in the nursery classes.

In sheepdog trialing and in life, things don't always go as planned.

Which explains why I've taken up jogging.

Gael, sweet Gael, broke her femur and tore her ACL during play time. (She plays hard).

She had surgery to repair the femur in late November. In mid-February, she had TPLO surgery to repair the knee.

By March, when she was supposed to start walking on the leg, she'd become quite adept at running on three legs, and the muscle mass in that leg was gone.

Border collies are clever and practical. Why use that leg when it was easier and faster to run on three?

And so the walking began.

At first, it was slower than an amble. I'd stop when she picked up and held her bad leg, and only go forward when she used it.

Eventually we picked up the pace, from 1 mph, to 2 mph, to 3 mph. But she only used that leg when on leash.

In June, when the summer temperatures were really heating up and the humidity was rising, we went to a canine physical therapist.

"You need to start jogging with her," she said. Just jog for 30 seconds and walk for a minute.

And so I did. I started slow and slowed more when she picked up and held that leg or tried to lope.

Border collies are clever and practical.

Gael was tired of being crated and walking slowly. She wanted to go.

She started putting that leg down and trotting. And, she's trotting faster and faster.

The heat hasn't subsided, and neither has the humidity. But I'm keeping up.

Maybe, just maybe, she'll return to working sheep by late fall.

Gael and Bubba on the evening dog walk.

Square Meals and Round Bowls

The dogs that run get the round bowls; the one on crate rest gets the square mat.

Sometimes this sheepdog thing doesn't go as planned. Sometimes a fence gets in the way of a very fast dog.

Over Thanksgiving, Gael, the young dog hit a fence during playtime and broke her femur and tore a knee ligament. After undergoing surgery for the broken femur, she had knee surgery last month. So, I've spent most of this winter rehabbing a dog, going on many long, slow dog walks, and acutely feeling the wind, the rain, the mud and the bitter cold.

But, if there is a bright side, it's that Gael may be the best patient ever. She's rather patient and compliant about heating, icing and massage, and seldom complains about her confinement.

Maybe it's because she can't read, and doesn't know that she has at least six more weeks of rehab.

Or maybe, she's quite happy about being fed out of Kongs and snuffle mats, rather than bowls.