Against all advice and common wisdom I ran Piper at the San Diego Highland Games at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, California this weekend. The trial is infamously difficult for a small trial due to the unique layout of the field and the local knowledge that the sheep possess of the field. It is - as some say - a trial set up for the sheep to win. Knowing this we have not entered in the past. This year, however, Jennifer Clark Ewers was holding a 50th birthday party for hubby Ron and our regular Saturday training was not available. (We went to the party Saturday night between trial runs). So reasoning that even tricky sheep work was better than no sheep work I decided to enter Piper.
General consensus of opinion going in was that this would not be Piper's type of trial - tight field and sheep that want to escape. A bad combination which has defeated many dogs and even caused injury to at least one of Jennifer's dogs a few years ago when the sheep decided to escape through the woods.
Saturday ran pretty much true to form. Piper did a nice outrun but in my view came in a little tight (although in fairness there really isn't much room at the top) and lifted nicely. The sheep wanted to break for the escape slightly on the fetch but she held the line reasonably well. The drive away was going well until we over adjusted at the first panel and missed.
Then on to a Maltese Cross in the middle of the cross drive. Piper's sheep simply did not want to go in and it took a great deal of persuasion to convince them. Then they exited from the Maltese Cross and made a break for the exhaust behind the cross drive panel. Initially we got them back and then they broke again and this time they were making the right hand turn intent on escaping up the hill. This was a favorite sheep tactic over the weekend and once they made the turn to go up the hill they were pretty much history. Only a handful of dogs managed to retrieve them from this point.
Piper was one (actually two) of the handful. She was off like a shot with announcer Joe Williams ready to proclaim the run over but asking the crowd "can she get them ! Can she get them !". Sure enough - after only a few out of sight seconds three sheep heads came back around the corner their escape plans obviously thwarted and Piper in pursuit.
Then it was on to the pen and these three ewes simply did not want to go in. Finally one ewe gave Piper two foot stomps and tried a feint to escape. Piper had had enough and she gave it a well deserved grip for a DQ.
Sunday, the sheep were, if anything, even more difficult. Piper gave me what a I thought was a nicer outrun and took the lie down whistle right at 11:30 at the top. Exactly where I wanted her given the heavy draw to that side. She lifted well but one black sheep decided to break off on its own away from the normal draw side. Piper went to regroup them and it gave them a chance to make a mad dash for the escape to my left and attempt to round the hill. An away flank and some Piper speed and that attempt was successfully thwarted.
Then they fought Piper all the way down the fetch line but she was very responsive to my commands and we got them down. More points off than Saturday but better work
The drive away just missed the panel to the right and then the sheep tried another mad dash. Piper was equal to the task turning them before the reached true sheep freedom and brought them down to the Maltese Cross. Although she had to stay way off we learned our lessons from Saturday and navigated the cross.
Then the great escape was on again and the sheep were truly determined to make it to freedom this time. Again - as few other dogs were able to do over the weekend - Piper managed to cut off the escape attempt and bring them back but in the effort we missed the cross drive panels.
So it was onto penning and although they gave one or two objections Piper moved herself perfectly and we penned with a loss of only 1 point.
Sunday's run had a whole different feel to it as Piper seemed very responsive. Although she does little to calm sheep I don't think she created the problems Sunday - at least not mostly. Sometimes you just get tough sheep and they are a true test. Piper passed the test on Sunday.
Meanwhile Piper was a true crowd favorite as the crowd watched multiple groups of sheep beat dogs to the escape around the corner and up the hill. Possibly the largest cheer form the crowd on both days occurred when Piper brought the sheep back down from around the corner after they had reached apparent escape velocity. The crowd loved it. And while I did not love that they escaped I was very proud that I had one of the only dogs that was able to handle it when it happened.
The picture is of Piper in front of a Piper at the Highland Games. Just seemed appropriate somehow.
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