PAST ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

Below are some past results of competing with my dogs. The most recent will be at the top of the page.

The Western Classic Sheepdog and Cattledog Trials Apr. 10, 11, & 12 Snyder, Tx--In the sheep Angie won 3rd in the first Open with Mitch coming in 5th and Jiggs won 2nd in the first Open Ranch. Mitch won 1st in the second Open. In the cattledog trial, Rose won 4th in the first Pro-Novice trial and in the second trial Angie won 1st in the Pro-Novice with Oreo coming in 3rd.

The Slate River Ranch Cattledog Trial Mar. 28th Perrin, Tx--Mitch won 1st in the first Open trial and Jiggs won 1st in the 2nd Pro-Novice Trial.

The Trail to the Cross Cattledog Trial Mar. 21st Hillsboro--Mitch won 2nd in the Open for both trials. Oreo won 1st in the first Pro-Novice trial and Jiggs won 1st in the 2nd Pro-Novice trial with Oreo coming in 2nd.

The Star of Texas Stock Show Sheepdog Trial Mar. 15th, Austin--Mitch won 2nd in the Open.

Houston Livestock Show Sheepdog Trial Mar. 14th--Another good sheepdog trial in Houston. Mitch finished 4th in the Open and Banjo was 5th in the Open Ranch.

San Antonio Stock Show Sheepdog Trial Feb. 15th--Another good sheepdog trial in San Antonio. Mitch and Angie got checks in the Open, changing positions from the Ft. Worth Stock Show with Mitch coming in 1st and Angie 2nd.

Ft. Worth Stock Show Sheepdog Trial Feb. 7th and 8th--Angie, Mitch, Rose and Oreo all got checks. Angie won 1st in the Open on Saturday and 5th on Sunday. Her combined times for both day were the fastest to be the Overall Open Champion for the 2009 Stock Show. Mitch won 2nd behind Angie on Saturday and 1st on Sunday but his combined times were a little slower which made him the Reserver Open Champion. Rose, belonging to Cam Brandon of Weatherford won 2nd in the Nursery on Saturday. I decided to move her to the Open Ranch on Sunday and she won 3rd in a very large class of 27 entries. Oreo, belonging to Preston Carter of Weatherford, won 4th in the Nursery on Saturday and 2nd on Sunday to become the Reserve Nursery Champion.

The new trial year for the cattledogs started off in Santa Anna on Sunday January 25th. Bill won the 2nd Open trial but the big winner in my kennel was Jiggs who belongs to Rusty Fleming of Weatherford. Jiggs won both Pro-Novice classes. In the picture above, Jiggs and I are standing with Miles Allen, organizer of the trial and his Uncle James Allen who furnished the cattle.

A Summary of Fall 2008

After returning from our annual Wyoming trip, we had about a month off and then hosted a sheepdog trial here at the house. In that trial, Mitch won 2nd in the Open and Angie won 3rd. The next day we moved to Chris and Sally Thomson's for another sheepdog trial. Angie won 1st in the Open, Mitch won 3rd and Oreo(Preston Carter of Weatherfor-owner), won 3rd in the Nursery.

The next weekend we went to Crawford where Jerry Lynch hosts her annual cattledog trial in the Crawford City Arena. In the first trial, Bill won 1st in the Open. In the 2nd trial, Mitch won 1st in the Open and Oreo won 3rd in the Pro-Novice.

The following weekend we went to Temple for a two day sheepdog trial. On the firt day first trial, Angie won 1st in the Open and Mitch won 4th in the Open. Banjo, my new dog I bought in Canada this past summer, won 1st in the Open Ranch. On Sunday, Mitch won 1st in the Open and Angie was 5th.

Two weeks later, Wayne Elmore and the Trail to the Cross Cowboy Church hosted a cattledog trial here in Hillsboro. In the first trial Oreo won 1st in the Pro-Novice and Angie was 3rd. In the second trial, Bill won 2nd in the Open, Angie was 4th in the Pro-Novice and Rose(belonging to Cam Brandon of Weatherford) won 5th in the Pro-Novice.

Back to Crawford for Jerry Lynch's sheepdog trial. With two trials in one day, I just took Mitch and Angie. Mitch was off his game that day but Angie won 1st in the Open for both trials.

Next came the Texas Cattledog Finals. Besides being the end of the year get together and a trial with more enties and more money in the pot, the End of the Year Champions are crowned for the dogs accumulating the most points in each class. Bill was in 2nd place in the Open going into the Finals. In the first go-round of Open, Mitch came in 3rd and Bill finished 6th. In the Pro-Novice, Oreo won 2nd. For the 2nd go-round, Bill won 1st in the Open, Angie won 1st in the Pro-Novice, and Oreo won 3rd in the Pro-Novice. For the Average, in the Open, Bill won 2nd and Mitch won 3rd. Oreo won 1st in the Average in the Pro-Novice for her owner Preston Carter, and Angie won 2nd in the Average. Bill's success at the Finals vaulted him to the top of the point standings so he was crowned the 2008 TEXAS OPEN CATTLEDOG CHAMPION.

Our fall ended up in Calera, Oklahoma for the Sundowners Stockdog Association Fall Futurity and Jackpot Challenge. I didn't have a Futurity dog but ran Bill and Mitch in the Open Challenge and Angie, Oreo, and Rose in the Non-Open Challenge. Bill and Mitch had no luck in the first go of the Open but Mitch came back to win 3rd in the 2nd go. Neither one made the finals. In the Non-Open, Angie won 1st place in the second go-round but her combined wasn't high enough to make the finals either. The big winners for my kennels were Oreo and Rose. Remember Oreo belongs to Preston Carter of Weatherford and Rose belongs to Cam Brandon of Weatherford. Oreo and Rose happen to be litter mates. In the first go of the Non-Open, Oreo won 1st and Rose won 3rd. Neither placed in the 2nd go but both made the Finals and when the final go-round was over, Oreo was the CHAMPION and Rose was the RESERVE CHAMPION. That ended our fall run for 2008.

Summer 2008-Wyoming to Canada and back to Wyoming

We started our 2008 summer by going to the Sheepherders Fair in Powder River, Wyoming. Two go-rounds on fresh yearling range ewes in a timed arena trial. Angie and Bill(my 2 entries) both made it back to the finals but neither were fast enough to get checks in the average. That was a fun trial with different courses than we run here in Texas. The first course had a sorting gate and you had to sort 6 head 3 ways. Something different is always more fun.

Then on to the Calgary Stampede. The sheep were tough again this year and a lot of luck was needed to make the finals. Luck wasn't with us so we watched the finals from the grandstand but look out next year. I feel like I'm in pretty good company having been one of the 12 winners in the event's history.

Back to Wyoming for the cattledog trials and the State Fair sheepdog trial. We actually started in Morrill, Nebraska. Last year Morrill was a good trial for us but this year we came up empty. Not a good way to start a long trip. On to Rock Springs, Wyoming. The tide turned for us as Mitch won the Open, Bill was 3rd, Angie won the Open Ranch and Rose(belonging to Cam Brandon of Weatherford), won the Nursery. Cam's husband, Rueben Parton won the Ranch Class with his dog Toby. Texas won all the classes.

Next came Wheatland at the ranch of Juan and Joni Reyes. Bill won 2nd in the Open(getting beat by the very last dog) and Angie won 2nd in the Open Ranch.

Rawlins was next and Rawlins hasn't been real good to us the last few years. Angie did manage a 2nd in the Open Ranch and Rose won 2nd in the Nursery Class.

In Torrington, Angie won the Open Ranch. Mitch was 7th in the Open.

Next came an added field cattledog trial at the home of Tim Gifford in Harrisburg, Nebraska. In this trial Bill won the Open, Angie won the Open Ranch, and Banjo(my new dog I bought from Dave Claypool of Cranbrook,British Columbia Canada), won 3rd in the Open Ranch.

To Douglas and the Wyoming State Fair. Saturday was the sheepdog trial and Angie won 1st in the combined Open/Open Ranch Class.

Last on the travel plans was the State Fair Cattledog Trial. Here the top Open Handlers can run their top qualifying Open dog for the State Fair Championship. Mitch won it last year but Bill was my high qualifier this year. Bill did his best but it didn't get us into the top 5 finals so look out next year.

Bill wins Open in Sundowner Futurity Jackpot

The Sundowner Stockdog Association held it's Spring Futurity. My entry this year was Oreo belonging to Preston Carter of Weatherford. We didn't have a great run in the first go but was 2nd in the second go to make the Finals in 2nd place. Our Finals run didn't go in our favor and Oreo ended up 5th overall. I might add that she was the youngest dog competing. They have an Open and Non-Open Jackpot along with the Futurity. Each of these has 2 go-rounds and a Finals. In the first go, Bill won first in the Open and Mitch won 2nd in the Open. Angie won 1st in the Non-Open. In the second go, Bill won 2nd in the go and Mitch and Bill both qualified for the Finals. When it was all said and done, Bill won the Average and Mitch was 3rd. Angie didn't make the Non-Open Finals.

Recent Trial Results in Brief

Highland Games in Helotes, Tx. A fun judged arena sheep trial. Ben was 3rd in the first Open Class and then came back to win 1st in the second Open. Mitch was 5th in the first Open and 3rd in the second run. Angie won the Nursery in both trials.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had a very good sheepdog trial. Mitch and Ben couldn't get any of the Open money but Angie finished 2nd in the Open Ranch.

At the Spring Fling Sheepdog Trial hosted but Mike and Stephanie Goracke, Angie won 1st in the Open Ranch and 3rd in the Nursery.

At my cattledog trial here in Hillsboro, Bill won 1st in the Open.

At the Star of Texas Sheepdog Trial in Austin, Ben won 1st in the Open and Mitch won 3rd in the Open. Angie won 3rd in the Open Ranch.

Everybody gets a check at the Ft. Worth Stock Show

Ft. Worth Stock Show Sheepdog Trial is always a lot of fun. I get to meet a lot of local people and we, the handlers, get to show off our dogs to people who live in my area. The trial runs for 2 days and is 2 separate trials. The first day was a little tough for us. Ben won the first go-round of the Open but you have to put 2 runs together to get a check and our 2nd run was too slow to keep us in the top 5 or 6. Mitch had a good second run but gripped out in the first go so had nothing to show for it. Angie however, put together 2 good runs to finish 3rd out of 25 Open Ranch entries. On the second day we came back with a little more luck running our way. Mitch won 2nd in the Open, Ben won 4th in the Open and Angie won 1st in the Open Ranch.

Santa Anna Cattledog Trials

The family combo of Miles Allen, James Allen and Guy Allen put together two cattledog trials on one day in the Santa Anna City Arena. The cattle were tough as we were using roping steers who are certainly at home in an arena. In the first trial, Bill won 1st in the Open. In the second trial, Bill again won 1st in the Open and Angie won 1st in the Pro-Novice.

Texas Sheepdog and Cattledog Association State Finals

Angie Wins in Both Sheep and Cattle

The sheep started on Friday. Angie and Mitch were entered in the sheep and cattle. Mitch won 5th in the 1st go-round of the Open with 28 dogs running. Angie won 3rd in the 1st go of the Open Ranch. Saturday we started the cattle so that put me running back and forth from the sheep fields to the cattle arena. Mitch had a really tough bunch of sheep and didn't place very high in the 2nd go. His 2 scores put him 12th overall and the top 11 went back to the Double Lift Finals. He did manage a 5th in the first go of cattle. Angie didn't place as high in the 2nd go-round of Open Ranch Sheep but it was high enough so that her 2 score total put her 2nd in the Average. She went over and won a 3rd in the first go of Pro-Novice Cattle. Bill had his first run in the cattle and placed 8th. In the second go of cattle, Bill won 3rd and that secured him 4th in the Average. Angie won the 2nd go of Pro-Novice Cattle which clinched for her, 1st in the Average.

Hillsboro Cattledog Trial

I decided to have a cattledog trial here at the house on the Sunday after the Wild Bunch Trial. In the Open, Mitch won 1st and Bill was 3rd with 12 dogs running. Angie was 5th in the Pro-Novice in a class of 9 dogs.

Wild Bunch Cattledog Trial

The Wild Bunch, lead by Jerry Lynch of Crawford, held their annual cattledog trial at the Crawford city arena. Two trials were held on the same day. In the first trial Bill won 3rd in the Open and Angie won 3rd in the Pro-Novice. In the second trial, Bill won 4th in the Open and Angie was again, 3rd in the Pro-Novice.

Bluebonnett Sheepdog Trial

The Bluebonnett Sheepdog Trial is an annual spring event hosted by the Raleys and Lynchs of Crawford, Tx. This year it got rained out so was postponed until October. Two separate trials on 2 days. On the 1st day Mitch finished in the middle of the pack in the Open and Angie won 4th in the Open Ranch with 16 entries. On Sunday, Mitch won 1st in the Open with 16 dogs and Angie won 3rd in the Open Ranch.

Bryan County Invitational Cattledog Trial

This is a first time trial that was an invitational cattledog trial hosted by Dave Mollenhour and held in Durant, Oklahoma. Ten handlers each with 2 dogs, one of their own and one belonging to someone else, competed in 1 go-round with the top 5 handlers coming back for a finals. I ran Angie and Kirby Elenburg's Slick. Slick and I won the first go-round to make it back to the finals. However, we didn't draw too well and finished 5th out of the 5 finalist.

Temple Sheepdog Trial

A new sheepdog trial was held in Temple during the Antique Tractor Association annual fall exhibit. Though not a big course, the uneven terrain and a Maltese Cross made for challenging runs. We ran 2 separate trials that day. In the first trial, Angie won 2nd in the Open Ranch and in the 2nd trial, Mitch won 4th in the Open.

WYOMING SUMMER CATTLEDOG SERIES AND FINALS

Our annual tour in Wyoming actually began in Morrill, Nebraska at Brian Rice's feedlot. The course was a pasture course set up like the National Finals. There were 24 Open dogs entered and Mitch finished 1st and Bill finished 5th. Brian had some nice work jackets embroidered with the name of the trial on it for the winners of each class. In the picture below, Brian is giving me the jacket that Mitch won.

From Morrill, we went to Rock Springs, Wyoming for the Sweetwater County Fair Cattledog Trial. The Open had 28 entries. Mitch finished 4th and Bill finished 5th.

After Rock Springs we traveled to Wheatland, Wy for the Platte County Fair. The best we could do in the Open was 7th out of 34 dogs however, Angie, who had fought some tough draws in the first 2 trials, got a draw that fit her style and she won the Open Ranch/Nursery class of about 15 dogs. The picture below is of Juan Reyes presenting us the champion buckle.

On to Rawlins,Wy for the Carbon County Fair. The Open class was not good to us at all so Angie stepped up to support the cause and won the Open Ranch/Nursery again. Below, Clyde Johnson of the TA Ranches, sponsor of the buckle, is giving us our award.

Now to Torrington, Wy for the last of the Wyoming Cattledog Series. Again the Open wasn't good to us so again Angie stepped up and was the highest placing Open Ranch dog to win the buckle. Below, Stephanie Lofink, Goshen County Fairgrounds Manager, is giving me Angie's awards during a special awards supper.

The next day Torrington sponsored another USBCHA sanctioned Open Class. Seventeen dogs entered and Bill finished 3rd and Mitch finished 5th.

From Torrington we went to Douglas where the Wyoming State Fair was sponsoring a Sheepdog Trial. Bill and Mitch ran in the Open with Bill winning 3rd and Angie competed in the Open Ranch and won 2nd. Below is a picture of the Open winners, Open Ranch winners and a picture of me with Marianne Warn who made the beautiful pillow covered with border collies. This was one of the awards for winning 2nd in the Open Ranch.

Two days later, we had the Finals of the Cattledog Series. The top 15 Open handlers from the 4 trials in the series, Rock Springs, Wheatland, Rawlins, and Torrington, brought their best dogs for one long go-round and a top 5 finals to determine the winner of the Finals. Mitch was my entry and we finished 4th in the long go to make it back to the finals. We put together another run in the short-go good enough to win first in the short go and win the Cattledog Finals of the Wyoming State Fair. An interesting fact about the top 5 is that we are all from different states. The finalist were myself, Juan Reyes of Wheatland, Wy, Pete Carmichael of Timber Lake, South Dakota, Kenneth Beasley of Atoka, Oklahoma and Bill Halligan of Alliance, Nebraska. In the photo below I'm with Mr. and Mrs. Gene Litton , superintendents of the cattledog trial receiving my awards.

My friend, Tim Gifford, of Harrisburg, Nebraska came to help at the finals with his T-shirt that said "Don't mess with Texas". How's that for a good friend? And it helped too.

2007 CALGARY STAMPEDE

Nothing to report this year. This trial is a lot of fun. We had a great time but didn't make the finals. The top 15 make the finals. Mitch finished 19th just missing the Finals. Ben, in the 2nd go-round, had a lamb showing no respect for a dog so Ben bit him on the nose to teach him a little respect. Biting is not allowed so Ben was disqualified and therefore didn't make the Finals for a 3rd time.

SUNDOWNER JUNE TRIAL

The Sundowner Stockdog Association had it's June trial in Caney, Ok. On Saturday Mitch won the Open and Angie won the Novice Class. Sunday they skunked us and nobody got a check.

Sheep Arena Trial

We had a timed arena Sheepdog trial here at the house to try out some new courses for the stock shows. Each dog had 2 go-rounds with a different course for each go. When it was added up, Mitch won 3rd in the Open and Angie won 3rd in the Open Ranch.

SUNDOWNER MAY TRIAL

The Sundowner Stockdog Association had it's May trial on the 19th and 20th. On Saturday, Angie showed the older dogs how by winning 2nd in the Novice Class. Sunday, Mitch came back for a 3rd in the Open with Bill finishing 6th. Angie stepped it up a notch and won 1st in the Novice on Sunday.

ANGIE WINS SUNDOWNER FUTURITY

The Sundowner Futurity brings in young dogs that have never competed in a trial. This year, 18 such dogs paid $400 each to go head to head in 2 go-rounds and a 2 go-round finals. My young dog Angie worked great but came up short on points in the first round finishing 12th. In the 2nd go however, the stars lined up in her favor as she was 1st to go and posted a 4:26 time which held on to win the go-round and propel her into the finals. The finals is a clean slate with 2 go-rounds. The top 5 came back on Sunday and when it was added up, Angie had the most points to win the 2007 Sundowner Stockdog Association Futurity. She was following in the footsteps of her brother, Mitch who won it last year. Both Mitch and Angie are sired by Ben.

Mitch Wins Open Finals at Futurity

Each year at the Futurity they have an Open Jackpot and a Non-Open Jackpot. This year I had 2 entries in the Open Jackpot, Mitch and Bill. Twenty one dogs competed in the Open Jackpot. In the first go-round, Bill won 3rd and Mitch was 8th. In the 2nd go round, Mitch was 2nd and Bill was 8th. Both qualified for the 2 go-round finals on Sunday by finishing in the top 5. After the finals was completed, Mitch finished 1st and Bill 3rd.

MUDDY PAWS SHEEPDOG TRIAL

Gail McDonald and Jane Harrell put on a great sheepdog trial in Quinlan, Tx. The ranch is called the Muddy Paws Ranch and because of the Friday night weather, we all had muddy paws. On Saturday, Ben finish 5th in the Open which ran 20 dogs. Mitch finished 1st in an Open Ranch Class that saw 15 dogs. On Sunday neither dog fared as well with the best placing being Mitch's 4th place finish in the Open Ranch.

STAR OF TEXAS IN AUSTIN HOSTS CATTLE AND SHEEP TRIALS

The Star of Texas Fair in Austin hosted 2 cattledog trials one day and a 2 go-round sheepdog trial the next day. In the first cattledog trial, Mitch came in first in the Open and Bill came in 3rd. In the second trial, Mitch came in 3rd and Bill came in 4th. The next day in the sheepdog trial, Ben won the average in the Open and Mitch won 3rd in the Open Ranch. On Sunday, we went up to Ardmore for the Sundowner's March trial and with 27 dogs entered in the Open, Bill came in 3rd.

Bill Finishes 2nd in Houston Stock Show Open Sheepdog Trial. Mitch Finishes 5th in the Open Ranch.

Bill and Mitch Compete in Sundowner's First '07 Trial

The Sundowner Stockdog Association couldn't start in January because of bad weather so when February rolled around, 26 Open dogs showed up on Saturday and 19 on Sunday. Bill put together the best run on Saturday to win first with Mitch(moving to the Open) winning 4th. On Sunday it was Mitch's turn as he had the best run to win 1st. Bill finished 5th.

MITCH WINS OPEN RANCH AT FT. WORTH STOCK SHOW

The sheepdog trial at the Ft. Worth Stock Show is always challenging. Mitch was the leading hitter on the team with a 2nd in the Open Ranch on Saturday and 1st in the Open Ranch on Sunday. This gave him the blue ribbon for the average win for both days. Ben was unsuccessful in Saturday's Open but came back Sunday to win 3rd.

TEXAS CATTLEDOG FINALS

Bill Wins the Open at the Finals and Ties for the 2006 Open Cattledog of the Year

Bill drew 4 black steers in a very tough first round and was the only dog to finish the course. This gave him a 40 point lead going into the second round. We were working 4 head with 4 obstacles. We finished with a solid time in the second round, giving Bill 2 complete scores and the average buckle. Winning the average gave him enough points to come from behind and tie Ricky Kennedy of Tatum, New Mexico and his good dog Bill for the 2006 Open Cattledog of the Year.

Mitch Wins the Pro-Novice at the Texas Cattledog Finals

It was Mitch's weekend. He won 2nd in the 1st go-round, getting beat by just 3 seconds. The second go-round got tough, but Mitch drew 3 black steers and put 'em through the course faster than the others to win the 2nd go-round and clinch the average.

Mitch Wins 3rd at Shootout

The Sundowner Shootout is the trial that everyone looks forward to all year. It's a bigger payback trial with 2 go-rounds and this year, 2 go-rounds in the Finals. This was Mitch's last Novice Trial(dogs under 30 months). It was a clean slate Finals. Mitch won the first go of the Finals by 15 points but a certain Shorthorn heifer we drew in the 2nd round made up her mind that Mitch was not going to win the Novice and so it was. We had a great time anyway. Bill made the Finals in the Open and was tied for 2nd after the first round of the Finals but he had the same heifer in his 2nd go and had the same success with her that Mitch had. I guess you'd call her an 'Eliminator'. Bill finished 6th.

Kirby and Reno Take 2nd in Shootout Ranch Class

My friend Kirby Elenburg took his dog Reno, that I trained and trialed for him for a little while, and fought his way to 2nd in the Ranch Class. The Ranch Class in Oklahoma is for dogs too old for the Novice but have not yet run in the Open. CONGRATULATIONS KIRBY AND RENO!!!!

West Fork Invitational Challenge

Kirby and Sylvia Elenburg hosted the West Fork Invitational Challenge at the Salt Creek Arena in Boyd, Tx. Twelve Open and 12 Non-Open dogs competed in 2 classes. Each got one run with the top 5 coming back to a finals to determine the winners using combined scores. Bill made the Open finals and finished 4th and Mitch made the Non-Open finals and finished 2nd. Sylvia Elenburg passed out the checks.

Summer Time in Wyoming

We went on an abbreviated trial tour in Wyoming this summer missing the first 2 trials at Rock Springs and Wheatland so we could be in Minnesota when our first grandbaby was born.

Calob H.D. Walker was born in the wee hours of July 27th and he's still staying up in the wee hours. Or so say his mom and dad. We did get to go to Rawlins, Torrington, Cheyenne and Morrill, Nebraska and here's how we did:

Rawlins, Wy--Open Cattle--42 entries--Bill wins 2nd

Open Ranch Cattle--19 entries--Mitch wins 7th

Torrington, Wy--Open Cattle--50 entries--Lee wins 1st

Nursery Cattle--20 entries--Mitch wins 2nd

Cheyenne, Wy--Open Cattle(long go)--34 entries--Bill wins 2nd

Sudden Death Open Cattle Finals--Bill wins 1st

Intermediate Cattle--15 entries--Mitch wins 3rd

Intermediate Sheep--15 entries--Mitch wins 2nd

Morrill, Neb.--Open Cattle--50 entries--Bill wins 9th

Nursery Cattle--18 entries--Mitch ties for 3rd

Calgary Stampede

We didn't repeat as last year's winners but we had our shot. This year we started with 78 dogs. After 2 go-rounds, Ben was 4th in the combined scores. The finals is a clean slate winner take all so our earlier scores only gave us the advantage of running later in the running order of the top 15. When I sent Ben on his outrun, the sheep waited until he got to about 10 o'clock and then broke for the exhaust gate. We couldn't get them stopped before they broke the pattern. We had to get them back on course which, in timing the video, cost us about 20 seconds. Those 20 seconds wouldn't have made us 1st but it would have made us 2nd. Second pays $4000. I've already worked out a plan to keep that from happening next year. I just wish next year would hurry up and get here. In the picture above, I'm standing with my friend Dennis Edwards of Sundance, Wyoming. Dennis finished 6th with Maggie and won the Sportsmanship award.

When the Stampede was over, we went up to Milton Scott's at Airdrie, Alberta for a cattledog trial. With about 18 Open dogs entered, Bill won 2nd.

May Sundowner Trial

The May trial for the Sundowner Stockdog Association in Ardmore, Oklahoma had a lot of interest as places to go seem to thin down this time of year. I ran Bill in the Open and Mitch in the Novice on Saturday. Bill didn't place but Mitch won 2nd in his class. On Sunday, Bill came back to win the Open and Mitch took 2nd again in the Novice.

Reno wins average at the West Fork Challenge

The 2nd West Fork Challenge offered something different with an outside gather into a smaller trap with obstacles set up. Reno(Kirby's dog), placed 3rd in the first round and 2nd in the 2nd round to win the average in the Pro-Novice Class. The top 5 dogs went back for a sudden death challenge to determine how to split up a side pot of money that most of the handlers got into. Reno finished 3rd in the sudden death. Bill failed to place in the Open but Joy, who was only entered on Sunday, won the second round of the Pro-Novice on Sunday.

MITCH WINS SUNDOWNER FUTURITY

Twenty three, never competed before, young dogs paid $400 each to go head to head in 2 go-rounds and a final for a nearly $3000 first prize. Several dogs tied in the first go round with none finishing a tough course on fresh cattle. Mitch was in the middle of the leaders pack. The second go again had fresh cattle, some more challenging than the fresh cattle of the first go. Mitch was able to finish the course and win the 2nd go. This put him in the lead going into the finals. The finals was run in reverse order so Mitch and I ran last. Luck was on our side as the cattle we drew were very cooperative and allowed us to push them through the course to clinch the win. Futurity dogs can't compete before the Futurity trial so now Mitch will hit the road with Bill and Ben.

2006 National Cattledog Finals

Reno wins 3rd in the Nursery

Bill wins 4th in the Open

Lee wins 6th in the Open

The National Finals started out with 57 Open dogs and 16 qualified Nursery dogs coming from coast to coast. Each class ran 2 go rounds to come up with the top 20 Open dogs and the top 10 Nursery dogs for a clean slate finals. In the go-rounds, Lee was 4th in the 1st go and Bill was 4th in the 2nd go of the Open. Reno was 5th in the 1st go of the Nursery. Bill and Lee made the Open finals coming back in 3rd and 4th respectively and Reno came back in the Nursery in 7th. The finals is clean slate where everyone is at zero and the best dog that day is the winner. The Nursery ran first. Reno posted a 98 of a possible 105 to take the lead for a little while but eventually got bumped twice to finish 3rd. The Reserve National Champion only beat him by 1 point. Bill and Lee both had good runs. The possible score was 220 with the Open finals being a double lift. That meant 2 outruns and 6 head of cattle to move around the course. Both dogs missed a few on the panels which kept them from placing a little higher but both did very good.

BILL AND RENO WIN OVERALL AT THE 72 RANCH IN WEATHERFORD, TX

The 72 Ranch has as good a place to have a trial as you would ever want. Covered enclosed arena, good sand, ladies of the community serving hot meals, and all black cattle make you say, "It doesn't get any better than this". A lot of folks took advantage of this with 16 entries in the Open and 19 in the Pro-Novice. In the first trial, Bill was 5th in the Open and Reno won the Pro-Novice. In the second trial, Bill won the Open with only 2 seconds separating us from Scott Mayfield with Duke and Chester Williams and Raggs. Reno won 3rd in the Pro-Novice. When the 2 scores were added together, Bill won the combined in the Open and Reno won the combined in the Pro-Novice. Next we go to Royce City for a first time trial hosted by Thomas and Rita Crane.

2006 FT. WORTH STOCK SHOW SHEEPDOG TRIAL

Once again we worked sheep to a great audience at the Ft. Worth Stock Show. This is a timed course using Dorper cross ewes and ewe lambs mixed. On Saturday, Bill finished 2nd in the Open and Lee finished 2nd in the Open Ranch. Sunday started off good for Bill with him winning the 1st go but a tougher draw in the 2nd go caused him to finish 6th for the day. He ended up 4th overall for the 2 day average. Reno,in the Open Ranch, had one slow run on Saturday but came back with 2 good runs on Sunday to finish 2nd for the day and 4th overall. In two weeks we go back to Ardmore for a Sundowner Cattledog trial.

Lamesa, Texas Cattledog Trial Dec. 30th & 31st

A last minute addition to the trial schedule was a great trial hosted by Joe Raines in Lamesa, Texas. On the first day Lee won the Open and Bill was 2nd. Reno won the Pro-Novice and Joy, in her first trial, was 6th. On the second day, Bill was again 2nd in the Open with Lee coming in 4th. In the Pro-Novice, Joy came in 3rd and was the highest placing Nursery dog qualifying her for National Cattledog Finals being held in Big Lake in late March.

Bill and Reno Place in the Average at the State Finals

I've taken a while reporting on the results of the Texas Cattledog Finals. The reason being, we didn't do real well and I wanted to let the Sundowner results be the headlines for a while. Bill started the finals off well by winning 2nd in the first go-round behind Tommy Blessing's Bud(handled by Chris Thomson) but drew a tougher run in the 2nd round causing him to drop to 5th in the average in the Open. Reno wasn't able to put together a great run in either round but stayed consistent in both rounds and when it was added up he finished 4th in the average in the Pro-Novice. Ben had liagment surgery on his elbow on the 13th of December and will be out of competition for a couple of months at least. Lee will be filling in for him at the Sundowner and the Ft. Worth Stock Show. We'll just have to see after that. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Sundowner Shootout Pays $2400

Lee Wins 1st

Bill Wins 3rd

The Sundowner Stockdog Association held it's 3rd Shootout Cattledog Trial November 11th-13th in Coleman, Oklahoma. Each entry paid $400 to compete for the first place prize of $2400. Lee substituted for a crippled Ben to be my second Open entry along with Bill. Reno, Kirby's dog, was my entry for the started dog class they call the Novice Class. Bill won the first go-round with Lee in 5th. Reno was 5th also in the 1st go. In the second go Lee held on to 5th while Bill was 8th and Reno was 6th. The combined scores put Lee in 2nd place behind Dave Nicholson of Miami, Texas and Bill in 4th behind Keith Gilleon of Ethel, Louisiana. Good runs in the Finals scooted each dog up one slot. Lee won the Finals go-round. Reno had a tough run in the Finals and remained 5th overall for the trial. Next we go to Big Lake, Texas for the end of the year trial for the Texas Cattledog Association.

'05 TRIALS IN WYOMING

Ben wins the buckle at Rawlins

Rock Springs wasn't kind to us again this year. At Rawlins, Ben was 4th in the Open and Reno won the Open Ranch Class. That evening they brought back the top 8 Open dogs in a sudden death run for the buckle. Ben and I were the fastest taking the Carbon County Fair Cattledog Trial buckle. (Lately Ben and I are liking the 'Sudden Death' format.) I'm receiving the buckle in the picture above from Clyde Johnson, manager of the TA Ranch in Saratoga, Wyoming. The TA was the sponsor of the buckle.

Bill wins the Open Sheep at Cheyenne

Torrington, Wyoming treated us just a little better than Rock Springs did by letting Ben and I win 7th in the Open. Cheyenne was much kinder to us. In the picture above, Anne Larsen, trial director, is awarding me the buckle for winning the Open Sheep with Bill. Bill also won 3rd in the Open Cattle. Lee, in her only trial, won 2nd in the Open Cattle and Ben won 3rd in the Open Sheep.

From Cheyenne we went to the State Finals in Douglas. The top 19 handlers, each with one dog competed in one go-round. The top 5 went back for a final go to place the winners. Ben and I had a good run but yours truly let a cow slip out the wrong exit on one obstacle. That cost us 5 points and one of the top 5 positions because our time was low enough to get us in had we had those 5 points. Ben's telling everyone how I 'blew it'.

BEN WINS THE RICHEST SHEEPDOG TRIAL IN NORTH AMERICA--$10,000 AT THE CALGARY STAMPEDE

What a great time we had at the World Stockdog Championship at the Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Seventy seven dogs went 2 go-rounds to make the top 15 finals. This is an arena sheepdog timed trial where everyone runs the designed course and the fastest one wins. In the finals, they only pay 2 places. First place gets $10,000 and 2nd gets $4000. Ben and Bill were my 2 entries. Bill finish 27th in the 1st go and in trying to make up some time, gripped at the pen in the 2nd go and was disqualified. Ben was behind Bill in the 1st go finishing 32nd with a 3:58 time in the 4 minutes they allowed. He also needed to make up some time and did so by winning 4th in the 2nd go-round with a 1:55. This put Ben and I twelveth in the top 15. The Finals is a clean slate finals where your first 2 times are dropped and the fastest time in the finals wins. We drew good sheep that would let us push on them without fighting. I shut the gate with 1:19 on the clock. Before my run, there had been a 1:37 from Gerald Bunny of Aladdin, Wyoming. Gerald came back with his second dog in the finals and tied himself with another 1:37. Last to go was Elvin Kopp of Alberta. Elvin had the fastest time of the entire trial with a 1:13 in the 2nd go-round so I knew with this dog he could beat me but I was at least 2nd. Elvin had a great run but shut the gate at 1:35 giving me the 1st place check and him 2nd. The Stampede treated all of the finalist to a very nice winter coat provided by their sponsors and I'll also receive a nice leather coat with some embroidering on it. We're going next to Wyoming for 7 cattledog trials sponsored by the Wyoming Stockdog Association.

Click here for the press release from the Calgary Stampede.
CALGARY STAMPEDE PRESS RELEASE

GULF COAST COWDOG ASSOCIATION TRIAL, MAY 21 and 22, 2005, SOUR LAKE, TEXAS.--This one wasn't on our orginal schedule but our schedule worked out where we could go. They had 19 or 20 Open dogs each day and 10 Novice dogs on Saturday. On Saturday, Lee won the Open and Ben was 5th while Reno won the Novice. On Sunday, Bill won the Open with Lee coming in 3rd and Ben was again 5th. We didn't enter Reno in the Novice so we could come on home Sunday afternoon.

Ben Wins Average at 72 Ranch

The 72 Ranch, owned by Billy Martin and managed by Kris Larsen, hosted another great cattledog trial in their beautiful indoor cutting horse training arena. All black heifers made for challenging runs in all classes. On Saturday, with 19 dogs in the Open, Lee won 1st with Ben coming in 2nd. Lee beat Ben by 1 second. On Sunday, with 20 dogs competing in the Open, Ben won 1st and Bill won 2nd. Ben beat Bill by 1 second. That gave Ben the best 2 day combined score and made us the winner of an embroidered Carhart jacket, caps and dog food. We go back to Coleman, Oklahoma in 3 weeks.

Lee Goes 2 For 2 in Oklahoma

It was time for the April trial of the Sundowner Stockdog Association. This month's trial was held at the Gary Shipman Ranch in Armstrong, Oklahoma. Saturday and Sunday were separate trials. Lee went 2 for 2 by winning the Open on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday had 18 Open dogs and Sunday had 17. On Saturday, Jodi won second in the Novice class(dogs 30 months and under) coming in behind Paul Gilbert and Boomer. On Sunday, Reno had the high score to win the Novice class. We have a couple of weeks off before going to the 72 Ranch Cattledog Trial in Milsap, Texas.

2005

NATIONAL CATTLEDOG FINALS

BIG LAKE, TEXAS

Welllll, they knew we were there for a little while. Ben was 12th in the first go-round but drew a tough bunch of cattle in the 2nd go and scored very low. It wasn't enough for him to get in the finals. However, it was Bill's turn to shine. In the first go, he scored a 93 of a possible 105 to win the go-round. He came back with an 86 for an 8th in the 2nd go. This put Bill and I at the head of the pack going into the finals with a 13 point lead over the 2nd place team. Unfortunately for us, the finals is a clean slate format. Everyone starts even. We finished the course but with some bumps along the way. There were several very good runs so in the top 20 we finished 14th. In the pictures above, the one on the left is for the first 3 places in the first go-round. I'm standing with Pete Carmichael of Timber Lake, South Dakota and Chester Williams of Kountz, Texas. The picture in the center is of Bill and I receiving the revolving award for the highest qualifying team going into the finals. I'm receiving the award from USBCHA President Herbert Holmes. In the picture on the right I'm standing with Wayne Butler of Alabama, sponsor of the award. Though we didn't have a good finals go-round run, I like to think that for 24 hours, Bill was the best cattledog in the United States. Ha Ha !!! On to the next one.

Star of Texas Sheepdog Trial and Cattledog Trial

A great trial at the Star of Texas Fair in Austin, Texas. On Saturday in the sheepdog trial, Ben won 3rd in the Open and Slick won 1st in the Open Ranch. On Sunday in the cattledog trials, Bill was fourth in the Open in the first trial(we had 2 trials on Sunday) and Reno was 1st in the Pro-Novice. In the second trial, Ben was third in the Open and Slick was 3rd in the Pro-Novice with Reno finishing 5th. In 2 1/2 weeks Ben and Bill will be running in the National Cattledog Finals in Big Lake, Texas.

72 Ranch Cattledog Trial

Millsap, Texas. A very nice indoor facility was very appreciated on a rainy day. It allowed us dog people to play in the rain. On Saturday, Bill won the Open and Reno won the Pro-Novice. That also made Reno the highest placing Nursery dog and qualified him for the 2006 National Cattledog Finals in the Nursery Class(dogs under 36 months of age as of Jan. 1st, 2006). On Sunday, Lee won the Open with her daddy, Ben, coming in second. Ben is also Reno's sire. In the Pro-Novice, Reno came in 2nd and Slick came in 3rd. In 2 weeks we're going to Austin to work sheep on Saturday and Cattle on Sunday.

Ben, Slick and Reno Place at San Antonio

A smaller arena in San Antonio makes for some quick decisions and some near misses. The competiton was keen and the sheep tried to be difficult but when it was all done, Ben finished 3rd in the Open, Slick finished 2nd in the Open Ranch and Reno finished 4th in the Open Ranch. Now it's back to cattle as we go to the 72 Ranch Cattledog Trial in Weatherford on the 26th and 27th of this month.

RENO AND SLICK WIN AT FT. WORTH

The Ft. Worth Stock Show Sheepdog Trials are in the history books now. On Saturday, Reno and Slick did their thing in the Open Ranch with Reno winning 1st and Slick winning 2nd with 21 dogs competing. On Sunday, neither one placed in the top 5 but their 2 day total placed Reno 1st overall for both days and Slick was 3rd with his 2 day total. Reno belongs to Kirby Elenburg and Carl Smith, both of Jacksboro and Slick belongs to Kirby. Reno is by Ben and Dick Kyser's Roux and Slick is by Sis and Kenneth Beasley's Jess. Ben and Bill didn't fare as well in their Open Class. Neither placed on Saturday but Ben came back to win a 5th on Sunday. There were 25 dogs competing in the Open. Now we go to San Antonio.

BEN WINS 2004 STATE CATTLEDOG FINALS

Twenty four Open dogs made a run at it but Ben came out on top as the winner of the Open Class at the Texas Cattledog Finals in Big Lake, Texas. He did it by winning 3rd in the 1st go-round and 2nd in the 2nd go-round. In the picture, I'm receiving the buckle for 1st place from the Association President, Richard Belvin. In the Pro-Novice Class, Slick(Kirby's dog) won the first go-round. In the second go, Jodi was second which slid her up to 3rd in the average in the Pro-Novice Class.

2004 SUNDOWNER SHOOTOUT

COLEMAN, OKLAHOMA

SLICK WINS 2ND IN 42 DOG FIELD

BILL HOLDS ON FOR 5TH

Slick, owned by Kirby Elenburg of Jacksboro, Texas had 2 strong go-round runs and a solid finals run to slide into 2nd place at the Fall Shootout sponsored by the Sundowner Stockdog Association in Coleman, Oklahoma. Forty two dogs from as far away as Kentucky put up $400 each for 2 go-rounds and a chance to run in the Top Ten Finals where every dog gets a check. Bill put together one perfect run and two near perfect to hold on to 5th place overall. Our next stop is the Texas Cattledog Finals in Big Lake, Texas.

2004 LONE STAR CATTLE DOG FUTURITY AND MATURITY

2004 LSCDF MATURITY FINALIST

BEN AND I WIN 4TH IN THE MATURITY

What a great 2004 Futurity and Maturity it was. We were a little disappointed not making the finals in the Futurity but we came close with Ty(owned by Kirby Elenburg) and Queen(owned by Bryan and Brad Elenburg and Mike Thornton) tying for 13th and 14th after 2 go-rounds and 63 dogs competing. We almost got in. Our good fortune came in the Maturity where Ben won 2nd in the long go-round competing against 51 dogs. We were 4th in the finals to finish 4th overall. Our next stop is back to Coleman, Oklahoma with Ben, Bill, and Slick(Kirby's dog) for the Sundowner Shootout on Nov. 12th-14th.

SUNDOWNER STOCKDOG ASSOCIATION TRIAL, OCT. 16, 2004.--We went to the October Sundowner trial which was the last one counting for points for the end of the year awards. In the Open, Bill was 5th. In the Novice(under 30 months as of January 1st), Slick, owned by Kirby Elenburg, won the class and Bill was 3rd. When the points for the Dog of the Year were added up, Bill was 3rd for the year in the Novice Class. Now we head for the Lone Star Cattle Dog Futurity and Maturity in Nacogdoches, Texas. There's 63 dogs in the Futurity. We'll be taking 4. Ty and Bo owned by Kirby, Reno owned by Carl Smith and Kirby, and Queen owned by the cartel of Bryan and Brad Elenburg and their friend Mike Thornton. Ben, Bill and Slick will compete in the Maturity on Saturday morning that should have over 50 dogs entered. Some or all of the Futurity dogs may run in the Maturity as well.

COLEMAN, OKLAHOMA--9/11/04--SUNDOWNER STOCKDOG ASSOCIATION TRIAL--We went for one day of the monthly weekend trial. The trial this month was held at the Gary Shipman ranch with an outrun and fetch into a pen to work some obstacles. The cattle were fresh black heifers. Ben won 1st in the Open with 33 dogs entered and Bill won 4th in the class of 20 for dogs 30 months and under(as of Jan. 1st.) They call this the Novice Class. Slick and Jodi both did well and ended up in a tie with several dogs for the last few placings but were bumped on the tie-breaker. Nothing for a month until we go back to the Sundowner.

WHEATLAND, WYOMING August '04--We started our Wyoming summer tour in Wheatland at the Platte County Fair Cattledog Trial. We had a good showing with Bill finishing 2nd in the Open and Ben finishing 7th. There were 35 dogs in the Open. Slick, owned by Kirby Elenburg of Jacksboro, Tx, finished 5th out of 15 dogs in the Open Ranch Class. I'm shown here being congratulated by Juan Reyes of Wheatland, trial director. Next,on to Rock Springs.

ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING August '04--We had a 'bad day at Black Rock' so to speak. They skunked us at Rock Springs and we didn't place in anything. So it goes. I'll take this opportunity to Congratulate my friend Red Oliver and his dog Luke. Luke was born and trained here. Red bought Luke from me a couple of years ago and they hit the 'Mother Load' this summer. Red is shown in the picture receiving the first place prizes for winning the West Fork Challenge in Boyd. Kirby Elenburg, the trial sponsor, is shown giving Red his prizes of a Tri-Tronics training collar, a belt buckle, and $10,000 cash. Quite a haul. Red and Luke went on to win 1st at Wheatland, Wyoming, 2nd in the long go at Rock Springs, Wy., 1st in the finals at Rocksprings, and 1st at Rawlins. CONGRATULATIONS RED AND LUKE!!!! Luke and my Bill are half brothers, both out of Chris Thomson's Tag. On to Kimball, Nebraska.

KIMBALL, NEBRASKA August '04--The Kimball-Banner Fair hosted their first cattledog trial. Bill finished 3rd in the Open and Slick, Kirby's dog, won 1st in the Open Ranch. Now back to Rawlins, Wyoming.

We had a few days layover between Kimball and Rawlins. We were invited to camp out at the TA Ranch north of Saratoga. The ranch is 100,000 acres and runs 3000 cows. We were able to relax and tune on our dogs for a few days. THANKS CLYDE AND BOBBI JOHNSON!!!!! We really appreciated your hospitality.

RAWLINS, WYOMING August '04--Rawlins went well. In the Open, Bill was again 2nd to Red and Luke and Ben was 5th. Lori, who was trying to adjust to the hauling and going different places and working different cattle, stepped up and won 3rd out of 9 Open Ranch dogs. I'm shown here with Jim Chant, the trial director. Our last stop, Cheyenne.
CHEYENNE, WYOMING August '04--Cheyenne ran both Sheep and Cattle. Of 25 Open Sheepdogs, Bill made the finals finishing 5th in the long round. He got a little too aggressive in the finals and we were unable to place. In the Open Cattle, Ben finished 3rd and Bill 4th in the long round. Six went back for a sudden death finals that evening with a winner take all. Ben finished 2nd missing 1st by 20 seconds. Bill finished 4th. In the photo, I'm receiving checks for Ben and Bill's cattle trial placing from Ann Larson, trial director.

THE WEST FORK CHALLENGE BOYD, TEXAS '04--The West Fork Challenge offered $10,000 to the first place dog. Ben made the top ten finals in 3rd place. We were drawn to run last. When we went out there, based on what had been done by the first 9, we could finish anywhere from 1st to last depending on if we could finish the course and how fast. As fate would have it, it wasn't our turn. We had a tough fetch, some trouble on the obstacles and we weren't able to complete the course. We ended up 7th and I was still very proud of Ben. He worked great. In the photo above, Kirby Elenburg, trial coordinator is congratulating us for our placing as we receive our check.

THE SUMMER GATHER SHEEPDOG TRIAL AND CATTLE DOG TRIAL--HILLSBORO, TX--We hosted a sheepdog trial and a cattledog trial here in Hillsboro. A lot of entries in both the sheep and the cattle. In the sheepdog trial, Ben won 1st in the Open and Lori, a new addition to the kennels, won 1st in the Nursery. In the first cattledog trial(we had 2), Ben won 2nd in the Open and Lee was 4th. Bill won 1st in the Pro-Novice and Jodi(Ben x Kyser's Roux) was 3rd. Jodi was the 2nd highest placing Nursery dog and qualified for the 2005 National Cattledog Finals in the Nursery class. In the second trial, Slick(owned by Kirby Elenburg) won 2nd in the Pro-Novice Class.

SUNDOWNER STOCKDOG ASSOCIATION CATTLEDOG TRIAL--COLEMAN, OKLAHOMA--Monthly trials at the Sundowner Arena help us keep our dogs sharp. Ben won 5th in the Open with 27 dogs competing. Bill was the fastest in the young dog class with Slick coming in second. Now to Seguin for a new trial for the Texas Cattledog Association. NATIONAL CATTLEDOG FINALS--GREEN FOREST, ARKANSAS--Well you win a few, lose a few, and some get rained out. All 3 happened to us at the National Cattledog Finals. Rudy, Ben, and Bill were all able to get scores in the first go-round. After the 2nd go, Rudy was sitting 8th in the Open and Ben 24th. The top 20 go to the finals. Bill finished 2nd after 2 rounds in the Nursery. To the finals we go with Rudy and Bill. Bill ran first in the pouring rain. Because of an unintentional miscue, he got a rerun. During the rerun, the judge ruled that I stepped over a line the handlers were supposed to stay behind and I was disqualified. Bill finished 9th in the Nursery. Rudy was first to run in the Open. It had a double lift and when we ran, was still raining. The second bunch couldn't be lifted from the setout pen so we had to retire early. Rudy finished 20th out of a total of 60 dogs. Now we'll start trying to qualify for next year's National Finals and try again.

THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO SHEEPDOG TRIAL--HOUSTON, TX--A good sheepdog trial with a good crowd. Ben finished 2nd in the Open. Bill got 2 checks by finishing 3rd in the Open Ranch and 1st in the Nursery. The picture on the left is the Open placings with Wayne Elmore and Juce winning the Open. In the middle is the Open Ranch placers with Eleno Montemayor and Cooper winning 1st and the picture on the right is for the Nursery placings. Now to the USBCHA NATIONAL CATTLEDOG FINALS in Green Forest, Arkansas.

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LSCDF ASSOCIATION SUPER FUTURITY AND DERBY--HOUSTON, TX. --What a great trial it was. Rudy finished 4th in the Derby and Slick was in the middle of the pack in the Super Futurity.
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Cortez, Co--We went to Colorado to visit our son and ran Rudy and Ben in the Open Class at the Four States Ag Expo in Cortez. Rudy strained a ligament on his first run on Friday so I scratched him from the rest of his runs. Ben was 1st on Friday and 2nd on Saturday to win the average. In the picture above, we are receiving the first place buckle from Carolyn Watson, the trial director. Now on to Houston on Saturday for the Lone Star Cattledog Futurity Super Futurity and Derby with Rudy and Slick and then on Sunday we'll run in the sheepdog trial with Ben, Rudy, Lee, and Bill. We'll leave on Wednesday for the NATIONAL CATTLEDOG FINALS in Green Forest, Arkansas.

THE SUNDOWNER SHOOTOUT--COLEMAN, OKLAHOMA--It was our turn. Ben won the first go-round and was 4th in the second go-round to go into the finals with a good lead. We had the fastest time in the finals to win first place in the first ever Sundowner Shootout. Lee was a late entry and she had two good runs to get into the finals in 8th place and after a good run in the finals, finished seventh. In the photo on the left, I'm receiving a buckle and Tritronics training collar(Tritronics was a major sponsor for the Shootout) for winning first with Ben. Standing with me is Darrell Cook, director for the Sundowner Stockdog Association. On the right is Lee being recognized for finishing 7th overall. There were 60 dogs total in this trial. Next stop is Cortez, Colorado for the Four States Ag Expo Cattle Dog Trial.

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STAR, TEXAS--CARL LARSEN'S--Good challenging cattle and tough competition made for a good trial at Carl and Peggy Larsen's house in Star, Texas. We had some good runs and some not so good runs. Saturday was our best day. Ben won 1st in the Open, Lee won 1st in the Pro-Novice(this pointed her out of the Pro-Novice class and she had to move up to the Open on Sunday) and Slick(owned by Kirby Elenburg of Bridgeport, Texas) came in 4th in the Pro-Novice. This was Slick's first trial since the Lone Star Cattle Dog Futurity where he won the first go-round. Slick was also the highest placing Nursery dog which qualifies him for the 2005 National Cattledog Finals held by the USBCHA. Sunday the cattle weren't as kind to us in the Open with none of my dogs placing. Bill made a comeback from Saturday to win the Pro-Novice Class and Slick was again fourth. Next stop is Coleman, Oklahoma for the Sundowner Shootout. Sixty dogs at $400 entry fees should make for a good payout and Ben and Rudy will be trying to get some of it. **************************************************************************************

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SAN ANTONIO STOCK SHOW--A good day at San Antonio. Ben won 1st in the Open, Lee won first in the Open Ranch and Bill won 2nd in the Open Ranch. In the Nursery, Bill was 3rd and Bree was 4th. Next stop is Star, Texas at Carl Larsen's house for a cattledog trial on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 28th and 29th. You can see all of the San Antonio results by going to the bottom of this page and clicking on the link for the Texas Sheepdog/Cattledog Association and then clicking on SHEEP/CATTLE RESULTS. While you are there also click on 'UPCOMING EVENTS' to find out more about a cattledog trial or sheepdog trial in your area. **************************************************************************************

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FT. WORTH STOCK SHOW--We had a good run at Ft. Worth. Two days, each being a separate sheepdog trial. On Saturday Ben was 4th in the Open, Bill was 1st in the Open Ranch and 1st in the Nursery. Lee was 2nd in the Open Ranch and Bree( owned by Alicia Ward of Plano, Tx) was 2nd in the Nursery. Sunday was another good day with Ben winning 5th in the Open. Bill won 2nd in the Open Ranch and 1st in the Nursery. Lee won 5th in the Open Ranch and Bree won 3rd in the Nursery. Learn more about Bree by visiting Alicia's website, Red-Dawn Border Collies. Rudy didn't place either day but won the 2nd go-round of the Open both days and had the fastest time of the entire show with a 1:13 on Sunday. In the COMBINED TIMES for both days, Ben finished 3rd in the Open. Bill finished 1st in both the Open Ranch and the Nursery. Lee finished 3rd in the Open Ranch and Bree finished 2nd in the Nursery. Next stop is San Antonio on Sunday Feb. 15th. You can see all of the Ft. Worth results by going to the bottom of this page and clicking on the link for the Texas Sheepdog/Cattledog Association and then clicking on SHEEP/CATTLE RESULTS. **************************************************************************************

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Coleman, Oklahoma----Rudy won the Open both days and Ben was 4th and 7th. Bill was the Novice winner on Saturday and was 3rd on Sunday. Lee stayed home.
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ABILENE, TEXAS--TEXAS CATTLEDOG FINALS--RUDY, OPEN DOG OF THE YEAR----LEE, PRO-NOVICE DOG OF THE YEAR----The state finals brings everyone together for the end of the year trial and wrap up a year of campaigning our dogs. Ben and Rudy didn't place in the first go round of the open but Rudy came back to win the second go and kept enough points to win Dog of the Year. In the picture above, I'm receiving the buckle and sign from Texas Cattledog Association President, Richard Belvin. Lee and Bill had a good finals with Bill winning the first go and Lee was second. In the second go, Lee was first and Bill was fourth. Lee won the average and Bill was second in the average. Lee edged out the competition to win Dog of the Year in the Pro-Novice class.

LONE STAR CATTLE DOG FUTURITY--NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS--After winning the first go-round with Slick(by Sis and Kenneth Beasley's Jess and owned by Kirby Elenburg of Jacksboro, Texas) it went downhill from there. The 3 steers that Slick drew in the second round had to of come from where is stays hot a lot because they were too hot to handle and I don't mean Australia. Slick finished 14th(the top 10 go to the finals). Pete his littermate brother finished 19th. CONGRATUATIONS to my friend Chris Thomson. He took two littermate brothers to Pete and Slick and finished 2nd and 9th. WAY TO GO CHRIS!!! All 4 are out of Sis. Four in the top 20, out of 60 dogs. WAY TO GO SIS!!!!

Nothing doing in the Maturity for Ben, Bill and Rudy. Chester Williams and a few others should have bought a lottery ticket that day with the kind of cattle they were drawing. They did a good job of handling them and they got the money. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

ODESSA, TEXAS--We went to the Permian Basin Fair and Exposition on September 10th and 11th. On the first day Ben won third in the Open and Rudy was fifth. Lee won 2nd in the Pro-Novice and Bill won 5th. On the second day, Rudy won 2nd in the Open and won the belt buckle for the combined score. Bill won the Pro-Novice class and Lee was fifth. Bill won the belt buckle for the combined score and Lee was second. I'm seen in the picture above with Johnny Ramsey of the Permian Basin Fair receiving one of the belt buckles.

ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING August '03--We had a good run at Rock Springs. Ben won 1st in the Open and I'm seen here in the picture with Mrs. Celia Slagowski of the Wyoming Stock Dog Association receiving a belt buckle and desk pen set for winning the Open. Rudy won 2nd in the Open, Bill won 2nd in the Nursery, and Lee won 3rd in the Nursery.
RAWLINS, WYOMING August '03--They didn't let us win anything in the Open at Rawlins but Lee won 1st in the Nursery. The top 5 Open handlers came back before the rodeo to run for the belt buckle and Ben finished 2nd for the belt buckle.

CHEYENNE, WYOMING August '03--We ran in the Frontier Days Arena, a beautiful facility. Rudy won 2nd in the Open and Bill won 2nd in the Nursery. I'm seen in the picture here with Bert Macy, a Laramie County Fair Board Member and Bonnie Mitts of the Wyoming Stock Dog Association.

'Ben', Open Champion at the Top of Texas Cattle Dog Trial in Pampa, Texas

With 25 open dogs both days, Ben was in an 8 way tie for first on Saturday and placed 3rd on Sunday to win the average and the belt buckle being presented here by George Wallace of Pampa. Lee won 2nd in the first go of the Pro-Novice and finished 2nd for the average buckle. Bill was 5th in the Pro-Novice on Sunday and Rudy was 7th in the Open on Sunday.

We're back from the RED RIVER CATTLEDOG CLASSIC in Healdton, Oklahoma. Sixty dogs competed in 2 go-rounds with the top 15 going back to the finals. Ben and Rudy made it to the Finals and when it was all said and done, Ben finished 10th and Rudy finished 11th. Rudy won the first go-round and Ben was 8th. Ben was 3rd in the second go-round.

The finalists at the Red River Classic receiving our finalists jackets. Four of us qualified 2 dogs.
To see all the results of the RED RIVER CATTLE DOG CLASSIC, go to the bottom of the page and click on the link for the Red River Cattle Dog Association.

WE WENT TO THE NATIONAL CATTLE DOG FINALS IN RED BLUFF, CALIFORNIA AND HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED:

'RUDY', RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION OPEN CATTLE DOG

Here Rudy and I are standing with Mike Canaday, President of the United States Border Collie Handler's Association and Leslie Scruggs, Cattledog Committee Chairperson for the American Border Collie Association.

To see scores and other standings for the National Finals, go down the page and click on the link for the United States Border Collie Handlers Association. Then click on the Cattledog page.

This my friend and traveling partner, Chris Thomson, Robin Nuffer of Emmett, Idaho and myself. We all made the finals and Robin's dog Sue that she finished 7th with is a daughter of Runt owned by Gina Perkins of Baker City, Oregon. Runt goes back to my Sam as do Rudy and Ben by way of Chris's Tag and Russell McCord's Stetson. Three of the 15 dogs in the finals(20%) go back to Sam and Tag.

'RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION OPEN CATTLE DOG' Rudy also won 3rd in the Nursery Class.(Dogs under 3 years of age)

Jimmy and Scott Here I'm with Scott Mayfield and Duke of Amarillo, a fellow Texan. Scott won the Reserve National Champion Nursery Cattle Dog with Duke. CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT. Texas won both Reserve National Championships. Ben's accomplishments have been overshadowed by Rudy's success. After a tough first round, Ben came back to win 2nd in the 2nd go-round and qualified for the finals. He had a good run with some tricky cattle and finished 7th in the top 20. I'm very proud of Ben also.

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'SPLASH' Splash won 1st in the Open Ranch at Houston and was 2nd to my Lee in the Nursery. Next stop will be Austin's Star of Texas Fair on March 28th. UPDATE--At Austin, Splash won second in the Open Ranch. Ben won 1st in the Open Ranch and Lee won 1st in the Nursery. That ends our Stock Show arena timed trials until 2004.

'COWCREW'

From left to right is Rudy, Bill, Ben and Lee waiting their turn at the Mullin Cattle Dog Trial March 8th and 9th at the Rodney Carlisle Ranch in Mullin, Texas. On Saturday Rudy won 2nd in the Open and Ben was 7th out of 19 dogs. This was Bill's first trial and he acted a little lost. Lee had one jump through the fence so was disqualified. On Sunday, Ben won 2nd in the Open and Rudy was third. Bill was really sharp to what was going on but unfortunely drew the 'Killer Cow' and did the best he could but it wasn't enough. I was really proud of him. Lee did well and if it hadn't been for a slight handler error, might have won the Pro-Novice Class but as it was, she ended up third.

'SPLASH' Splash belongs to Alicia Barrett of Plano. She brought Splash to me this summer to train. We've entered her in all of the Stock Show Sheep Dog Trials and so far Splash was Champion Nursery Dog at Ft. Worth and San Antonio and was also 2nd in the Open Ranch at San Antonio.

LOOK WHAT WE DID AT THE TEXAS CATTLE DOG FINALS WITH 'RUDY', BY SIS AND MCCORD'S STETSON. RUDY WAS BORN, RAISED AND TRAINED HERE BUT HE NOW BELONGS TO BUD WILMOTH(helping hold the sign)OF PARADISE, TEXAS.

HOME THE KEEPERS DOGS FOR SALE BORDER COLLIE TRAINING CONTACT ME

	'RUDY', RESERVE NATIONAL CHAMPION OPEN CATTLE DOG
Here Rudy and I are standing with Mike Canaday, President of the United States Border Collie Handler's Association and Leslie Scruggs, Cattledog Committee Chairperson for the American Border Collie Association.