By Dave Young
Dave Young and Mia - Photo credit Kate Davidson
It has always amazed me how over the 30+ years of running dogs, the cycle of new hands comes around. Just about the time we wonder who will be fit enough to spot sheep or push me to the post in my wheel chair, there's a new influx of eager hands. Over the past few years Quebec has helped fill that void. I am proud of the keen interest here. At the moment there is close to 15 new hands. Several you already know from their open and novice class runs. Just recently the fairly new organization, ABCQ, held a fun trial near Quebec city. I was not there but it sure looked like a class event from the videos I saw. There will be a formal NN and PN judged trial at that site in late August.
I suppose that, as it is in all regions, the availability of land to have training facilities is one of the biggest problems facing these new hands. They need a place where they can go on a regular basis.
A few of us in the province are trying to help by giving lessons or renting our sheep and land. My hat is off to those who put in the millage.
I can say with confidence that handlers from the province of Quebec will be well entrenched in the trialing world for years to come.
Meet longtime OBCC member Dave Young
My first NN trial was in July 1990. I was hooked in the fall before and have never really looked back. We were fortunate enough to have land available and were able to buy a small, 48 acre farm.
I can't quite remember the exact year we held our first trial but it was somewhere around '93. It moved twice before getting a foothold at Bishops University. There, under the conference department, we negotiated a contract that allowed us the aid of the B&G department. This helped with getting the city of Sherbrooke involved. A huge help. Cash, labour and advertising took so much pressure off us. We had over the years many great judges. We filled our dog limit every year. After my retirement from BU in 2009, we may have run one trial. The University was in a huge growth spurt and there is an expansion to the sports complex and a parking lot where that trial was held.
If there was a hole left by the cancellation of our trial, the Kingston trial - for as many years as we have been going - has filled the gap. It is without a doubt the best trial I have ever been to. My antics may seem, shall we say, a bit odd, but they are all in my way of showing appreciation.
The last couple of years has put a dent in all of our travels. Slowly, I believe, with the right dogs we will roll again.
The Mountie, seen at the Kingston trial, built by Dave.
Photo credit Dave Young