Beck Off to his New Home

Beck (Max x Meg) left today (13-Oct-2025) with Julie and David for his new home in Upstate New York. Julie is a retired professor of history. David is retiring next year. Young Beck will travel the country with them in retirement brightening their lives.

Julie and Beck melted into one as she held him. Beck will help replace a hole in Julie & David’s hearts, recently losing their beloved border collie mix, Lucy.

Maeve x Peter Pups

10-October-2025

Joy for Nicholas, who sent along a video of 6 pups [3F/3M] delivered early this AM out of his Maeve from one of my liters (Martin Feeney’s Meg x Dean McAuley’s Joe), by my Peter (James McCloskey’s Nel x Dewi Jenkins’ Clwyd Bob). He tells me the pups are healthy, loud and fighting for the best (lower) teats …as befits both parents.

Nicholas is a very serious breeder and trainer. This prized litter is sheepdog royalty, uniting my McCloskey-Jenkins and Feeney-McAuley lines …each line very strong and talented on its own right! ALL four grandsires appeared multiple times in the sweet-16 International Supreme Championship, including Clwyd Bob who won it this year. Nicholas told me he took my Peter at stud because after an exhaustive 2 year search across the continent, he believes, “Peter is the best working sheepdog stud in North America.” I’ll take that. Peter is certainly ‘perfect‘ for me.

Next up, Nel x Blu, on 28-October. Tough meets TOUGHER. Blu is Maeve’s littermate.

MAGAt Visitors …please find another site

I find it hard to hide my contempt for the Americans who voted for a modern-day Caligula. You KNEW what you / we were getting: a corrupt would-be autocrat and his party of government saboteurs. He / they told you so. Whatever the failings of the Democrats –immigration and progressive overreach– they were/are a responsible political party. Trump and his MAGAts are destroying our constitutional democracy, rule of law, and collective welfare. Your vote was not just errant. It was unconscionable. How can you love a dog if you don’t love other people?

Supporting ridiculous, cruel MAGAt politicians and their empty, ruinous, ill-conceived agenda is unforgivable.

“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They are not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to, quietly and quickly, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DJT”

Josie Earns Her Keep

Cathy wrote today with an update on her Josie (Meg x Joe), named after her sire, Dean McAuley’s Joe.

Just wanted to send a couple of pictures of Josie after she returned 36 escaped lambs to their rightful paddock this morning. Not sure what sent them through the fence but they tore a section in half and were scattered over the hillside. Josie made the job look easy and after repairs they were back in within minutes. She is an amazing dog.

Josie is a fast learner and an exceptional herding dog. I saw that Clwyd Bob won the International and his dad was third and Joe was 4th.

Couldn’t have asked for a better first collie. She is everything we could have hoped for and so much like her mom, even though I see a lot of her dad in her when we’re herding too.

I don’t remember what we paid for Josie but I know she is worth that and so much more. I use her skills everyday and she enjoys her farm life as well as her home and family. She fits in with all that we do, has quite a few fans online and people who come to our Saturday Farmers Market just to see her. She spends hours in the tractor with me without complaint and even gets the occasional creamy down the road after a hard days work. Best dog we’ve ever owned and it’s a long list.

The Future

Daughters of Mirk (4 out of 5 on the power-intensity scale) and Peter (5 out of 5). That means the Mirk daughter will be a pleasure …and Peter’s daughter will be a trial.

Subaru Outback

Subaru Outback (unofficial Vermont state car) used as an alternate to a farm truck: an amazingly versatile vehicle in its basic trim. Careful positioning and few lengths of chain, resulted in no commercial wrecker & winch needed to extricate a 1 ton, 32 hp diesel mower from deck-deep mud. Varroom!

If only the Subies had a PTO, I could hook a brush hog to it and forget the Kubota tractor!