|
WANNABE STUFF
|
|
APPRENTICE STUFF
|
|
|
|
MASTER STUFF
|
And for our former harrowing adventures, there's always the archives
Friday, June 24, 2005
In which we continue to wait
6 comments. Add yours!
I took Phyl to the vet yesterday for an X-ray: it looks as if there are five (possibly six, but probably five) pups inside her. That's a smaller litter than I'd thought, based on the ultrasound (in my experience, whatever they manage to see on the ultrasound is usually doubled in actual pups). But five or six is a good number: I have pretty definite homes for all those pups, and it should be enough so I'll have a choice in what I end up keeping. And, of course, a smaller litter will be easier on Phyl, which is really more important than anything else. She's due around July 4. I can't believe how close it's getting. I'm getting very impatient to see these new little creatures!
Sunday, June 19, 2005
In which we apologize for tardiness and report on adventures to come
1 comments. Add yours!
Yes, I realize that I never reported on the Bluegrass. I didn't do that because it didn't go well at all--we lost our sheep at the top both days and thus never even got to have a real run--and it's not fun to talk about depressing trials. But briefly--very briefly, because the runs were brief--here's what happened for those who engage in rubbernecking at highway pileups. I sent left the first day, and Phyl seemed quite confused and hesitant, even though (a) I had been absolutely certain that these lingering outrun problems were fixed forever, and (b) she'd done longer and seemingly trickier outruns without incident over the past year. I had to give at least three whistles to get her to the top, and by that time she didn't come in decisively enough to cover. The sheep at the Bluegrass this year were very squirrely and challenging, and they lost no time in retreating to the setout pen if they thought that the dog wasn't going to do anything about it. The second day was slightly better: I sent right, and (although she needed an additional whistle or two to complete the outrun), she got behind her sheep more quickly than she had the day before. But again, she came in flat (I assume), and she didn't cover quickly enough to prevent them from going back to the setout pen. *Sigh*. So I guess I have to conclude that the Bluegrass, at least when it's run on this particular field, just isn't our trial. I also realized that Phyl's habit of coming in flat at the top and hooking around to scoop them on her lift just can't work in situations with intense pressure and close setout pens at the top: a dog who isn't properly deep just isn't going to be in a position to lift the sheep. If this happened to her more often, she might teach herself that deeper is better. She's on hold until after the puppies are born, but once I resume working her I plan to work again on tweaking the top of her outrun.
Ah, yes . . . the puppies. I had Phyl ultrasounded a couple of weeks ago, and there be pups there! She's starting to show, although she's certainly not enormous. I plan to have her x-rayed on Friday (she's due around July 3), and I'll report on the findings. Naturally, I'm very curious about how many pups we're talking about. I'm kind of hoping for six, which is a nice number: big enough for a choice, but small enough so I can ensure good homes to all puppies. But there are some things in life that I just don't get to choose!
