BevLive: Sundance with sheepdogs instead of pretentious cinephiles

Editor’s Note: Welcome back, Bev!


Days of driving, best forgotten if I’m ever to make the trip again, have finally brought me to my friend’s home in Sundance, Wyoming. Dennis and Marlene Edwards have kindly put me up for the day to allow my dogs and me to adjust to both the increased altitude and the western sheep before we arrive at Soldier Hollow for the first competition of this adventure.

I’ve brought four dogs with me. I have Nan and Joe entered in all of the Open trials. My very young, 17 months, nursery dog Lee is along as well for some learning and a try at the nursery finals. The fourth dog on the trip is River, my third Open dog, an emergency back up in case something awful happens and I can’t run one of my principle dogs.

Dennis kindly rounded up some sheep for us in the morning, and we worked dogs for a couple of hours. Dennis has some great dogs, well accustomed to western sheep and able to handle any old ewe who comes their way. As an easterner, I much admire both his skill and his dog’s nonchalant approach to the western range ewes. I love working these big challenging sheep, but every time I come out here my dogs and I need a refresh on dog trailing western style. So lucky for us that Dennis offered one.

I was last here in May when Lee was running in her first trials. We stopped here and along with other friends all worked our young dogs. It was wonderful to see how much Lee has learned in the intervening three months. She’s still making mistakes but now looks like a real dog.

I love how I can drive 2,000 miles and my dogs still make the same mistakes! Oh well, I’ll work them again tomorrow before we go on to Utah and hope that in the night all their shortcomings miraculously disappeared.

Lee

Dennis and Roy bringing the practice sheep