Sue x Ormond Mirk – 10 Pups
Sue is the physically strongest female I have bred (or owned). The product of James McCloskey’s Nel (by Sweep) and Dewi Jenkins’ reigning International Champion, Clywd Bob, Sue is an absolute bull on the field, with the talent and style to back up her physical presence.
Ormond Mirk, purchased from Dewi Jenkins as a pup, is the son of Dewi’s other International Champion, Jock, the sire of Clwyd Bob. Mirk is a supremely athletic and instinctive dog, with passion and energy. He is Clwyd Bob with 25% more intensity.
This is a line breeding of Dewi Jenkins’ Mirk to my Sue, with a 6.25% co-effficient of inbreeding around Dewi’s International Champion, Jock. The late (and dearly missed) Teun van den Dool, the unofficial Sheep Dog Society geneticist, also weighed in, giving this match his blessing. Dogs I like are present throughout the pedigree of this mating of Sue to Ormond Mirk
A sheep and cattle farm owner in New England who is using her pup from the last Sue x Ormond Mirk litter to manage an entire farm wrote:
“She is strikingly intelligent, even for a collie. She weighs everything carefully before taking any action or accepting anything. Her intelligence is very human-like. She is cooperative and affectionate as well as independent. She’s definitely one of “those”, with a strong herding instinct. I am so grateful to whoever I should be grateful to that I saw her picture and wrote to you, and I am so grateful to you for breeding this amazing girl. She is different and quirky, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she’s going to be a fantastic dog. I’m enjoying each day with her and also looking forward to every day to come.”
Born on 25-April-2026 to very strong parents, the 10 pups looked healthy from the start.
Mirk is an IGS carrier and Sue are both 100% clear of genetic diseases on their full breed DNA profile. .
Some pups will be available to new homes at 12 weeks, vaccinated, chipped and registered with the ABCA. Others may be retain for longer. More photos information on individual puppies to follow.
Please contact me if interested in being on the puppy list. Also listed on: Working Stock Dogs.
10-May-2026: Two Week Birthday
Puppies have their eyes open and look healthy and happy in their warm puppy den. Sue was out cooling off in the wee hours of the morning. She doe not like to stay long in the puppy room. Too warm. She had been outside for a couple ours and I let her back in to fee the brood. First thing is to clean up any messes –she tries to keep a clean puppy den. Then, down to the business of feeding 10 puppies. Even with Sue’s cleaning, I change the bedding daily.
This week the puppies start to get interesting. Vision changes everything. Their ears will open up this week and they will start real walking, not just paddling around on their tummies. This week is probably their last inside before the go out to the wood shavings in the barn. They need more room and the ‘mess’ exceeds my ability to keep the den clean. The week after this, week 4, they start eating wet puppy food as well as nursing. As they grow, the demands on Sue are too great to rely only on mother’s milk.
…and for those wondering what 2 week old puppies look like up close…
Just days after opening thier eyes, at 2 weeks and 3 days, the puppies are an active bunch: mobile with full vision and at least partial hearing. They are exploring each other and their world. I used to be able to walk in without being noticed. Now, I am an object of curiosity.
14-May: Puppies Move to the Barn
At 18 days, I was fed up with mama going in and out full or wet and dirt and refusing to stay with the pups and the puppy daily cleaning got …well… overwhelming. So, out of the househod incubator they went, to the barn, to the puppy kennel under the lights and to their lives as working collies.
[the big attraction was the ground beef juices and cottage cheese in with the kibble
Mama had to scold them for taking her portion …and to teach them manners]
Week 4 begins – enjoying solid food
The puppies turned 3 weeks over the weekend. I put a plate of food out today when mama was out with the gang. They went right for it!