Sheepdogging brings me the only really lyrical side of my life, with dogs and sheep affording moments of beauty, confused with a dream. So many things go awry, dwelling upon the beauty can be difficult. This year, both my dogs have made it easy.

They both ran better after Roddy MacDiarmid was here. He marched along behind me every morning for a week with suggestions, reprimands and a fresh eye for things I had let go. While I went to work during the day, he remained my coach, developing solutions for things that had become problematic in my dog running. He was full of ideas, the next day. I hope he’ll come back next year.

Thereafter, my running slowly improved. Ethel’s qualifying runs at Grass Creek were lack luster. But I will never forget the moment of perfect tension, the convergence of faith and confidence, where we left our final single shed sheep at the edge of the shedding ring, and proceeded to a good pen. I loved that. Ethel continued to run well out west, struggling at Soldier Hollow which is understandable—it is 7000 feet above sea. But that trial warmed her up for Meeker (6400 feet), where she lead the qualifying and her final double lift was very good, only a point behind Scot Glen’s winning score.

Bart was always running as her clear younger brother. I cannot deny I was disappointed not to be running Ethel on the final day of the US National Championships—she was running so wonderfully well. Some one asked me what I thought of my chances the night before and I said "Well, my dog is a good gatherer and his way with his sheep is good. Maybe gathering will win it." Over the three years the finals were held in Sturgis, no one ever penned on the final day. I am shakey on this detail but maybe no one ever shed, too. In effect, gathering has won it. Thirty minutes was allocated to each run at the finals. No one came to the ring with more than six minutes remaining, making it very difficult for them to finish shedding. The exception was Bart. He gathered and drove in fifteen minutes, his good way with his sheep and efficient outrunning gave us a luxuriant fifteen minutes in the ring and his shed was extremely good. I run with a crowd of sheep dog hands who all aspire to winning the US National Championships. I am lucky to be me.

Ontario Championships lead the way there. Our community of triallists provides a setting where hands and dogs can cut their sport teeth in an environment of excellence. Our difficult sheep, our big fields, our good judges, our lively competitions engender the sort of hand who can be successfully exported, with an eye to win. Running with good handlers raises the bar and schools us in detail. While I am proud to have won the US National Championships, I am more proud of my dogs and I being brought there, by twenty years of Ontario Border Collie Club activity.