Dog Days

I returned to a busy schedule; the Texas Herding Association, of which I am a member, was holding a Fun Day on the weekend for dogs and their people.  Involved were runs on the agility course, and other activities including participation in a new sport called “Barn Hunt.”  Barn Hunt is a competition to see which dog can most quickly find a rat hidden in a special dog-proof tube secreted under bales of hay.  

The day before the event, a number of us got together at the Shertom kennels property to build the “course.”  As we assembled the hay bales, our dogs took great delight in climbing over them.  

Here,  Nickie, Kota and Colt, along with several of Sheryl McDonald’s collies, play “king of the hill” on the hay bales.

The next day, Kota and I practiced on the agility course, and she even achieved her AKC Canine Good Citizen title.

And Colt had his photo made with his “First Mom,”  Sheryl McDonald, and the championship “Iron Dog” buckle they won before his retirement.

Nickie was fixated on the rats!  I think she would have watched them all afternoon without moving.

When it came her time to “hunt," Nickie quickly found the tube that held the rat.  

John and I also took advantage of the opportunity to take photos in the bluebonnets with the Bagley Pack.  These are especially precious to us because these were the last photos we took of Nickie before her death.  

It was a very special day!

Meanwhile, back in Austin new life was just beginning in the owl house.  While Owliver kept watch from a nearby tree, Owlivia was tending owlets.  They are Eastern Screech Owls and nest in our back yard every year.

There is also now new life in the Bagley Pack.  Colt and Kota have a new little sister.  On May 31, we adopted a ten-month-old Border Collie named Rue through All Border Collie Rescue.  We think the date of her adoption is very significant because it was seven years to the day from the date Nickie and Feathers joined our family and the Bagley Pack was formed.

Rue was found running loose on the streets of Tulsa, with a large gash above her right eye.  She was treated by a vet and fostered for almost two months before she was made available for adoption.  We think her name was chosen because it is the French word for "street."  We hope it's not because we will rue the day we adopted her!  So far she is getting along well with Colt and Kota, and we're so glad she's a member of our family.