Thursday

Just another day like Tuesday; sunny but quite cool. I had the farm pretty much to myself as Nancy had already left when I got there. Rose served me a coffee & then had to leave for her physio. appointment. Her knee is coming along pretty good; yesterday we met at Costco after her specialist appointment where she was told to get rid of the heavy-duty brace.
I picked up 3 very nice crate pads for $15/ea. - they are bathtub mats with memory foam. 100% perfect fit for Blair's wire crate in the living room and although a tad wide for the topper holes for Dusty & Owen. They will make be cozy & give nice cushion for riding in the truck. As well, the tight fit will hopefully prevent the boys from mussing them up. Dusty will still have his 'chew' blankie to relieve his anxiety/stress when I am working the other dogs.....and keeping fingers crossed that he doesn't ever ingest enough to cause a blockage.
I worked Blair again today and he was pretty good. I know I should have cleaned up his flanking a bit but....I am very lame at that. Then I brought Jayne out and took my lawn chair into the field. I hung onto Blair's collar and worked her a bit. Had her push them into a corner and then lie down in the pressure of close quarters. Then called her off and had both her & Blair just hang out by my chair with sheep in the field. They rarely get that kind of exposure so I took advantage of no one else there to work sheep. I should also mention about how much I like working Jayne these days too. Big brother Blair will always be my 'heart' dog but Jayne is probably the better dog. She hasn't had the same opportunities, varied exposure, big spaces many more trial miles but...I think I am a bit better handler now than with Blair's first years and Jayne is a bit better dog. Her feel and ability to hold a line is nicer. Blair was all about 'pedal to the metal' and I never have been able to get a really good pace out of him; he had it but I lost it. When I have a hold on Jayne, she is pretty awesome.
Maureen stopped by on her way home to loan me a pass to the BIG(biggest in Canada) dog show at the Tradex this weekend; Lynn has a booth for her Downriver Herding Facility and some other friends will be competing in obedience & rally. As well as checking out the Barbie Collies in conformation....;-) And maybe picking up a few deals from the vendors. And does this 'support' of the Kennel Club corporate business make me uneasy...yes.
My lower back is feeling a bit sore tonite. I stopped on the way home to load up a few buckets of gravel at Karen's(thank you very much). Spread it behind my kennels and then laid my rubber perforated mats on top - hoping to prevent some of the worst mud & lawn chewing up as the dogs run off the deck each morning this rainy season. I had a hell of a time yanking up the mats from where the grass/weeds had grown thru them all summer....grrrr....which is probably what strained my back.