Amanda: sometimes bad stuff happens to good dogs

Things went wrong for a few of us at the tail end of the qualifying running. The sheep were extra obstreperous late in the day. Hot and grumpy and hungry. Ron didn’t finish. Dorey ran like a pro for Barbara under trying circumstances. She fought them all the way around the course to be called for popping them ten feet from the shedding ring. The judge was over heard to say to Faansie Basson, “Aren’t you glad you are not running this afternoon?”. I suppose he could have been glad.

Barbara Ray ran a 94 first thing in the morning on Saturday. A couple of scores caught her later from the two Scotsmen Tommy Wilson and jack Knox.

On Sunday, Monty drew up tenth, second after lunch. The temperature fluctuations in Meeker are radical. Forty degrees when we start the trial, an eight five by noon. I had a painful run around the course with combative sheep. Twenty five minutes. With only five minutes to shed, I had at it and got down to two uncollared sheep. I went for them with twenty seconds to go. A collared broke and Monty stopped it. DQ’D.

I am headed to California. I was proud of my dog.