Hi!
I am Maple Grove Farm’s Rimrock Drover. I am 2 years old and I live and work on my owner’s small farm in rural North Carolina. I was born in Wyoming .
I go everywhere with Kay, my owner…Well really she is more than that to me. I live eat and breath to be with her, to please her to help her! She is mine and I am hers! She calls me her “Ruff Puppy” and I think that means I am extra special to her! It must cause she gets all teary eyed sometimes when she calls me that. She calls me that when I have been or done something extra special in her eyes! (I like it too!)
Today, we worked sheep! I like to work sheep ! But I LOVE to work ducks they are my favorite! My Kay is more at ease with the ducks than the sheep. I think that is why I like the ducks the best! Kay is afraid her knees will get hit by the sheep and that causes me some stress, then I over react and she gets excited and I get faster and she gets aggravated. I don’t like that!
Kay says I am feeling my oats so to speak. I am young and strong and happy and confident I can do anything! I boss “The Girls” Abilene, Amarillo, and BOO but never ever Montanna! She is off limits to EVERYONE! We all know that! Kay loves that special girl!
Well this afternoon we had folk in for herding workshop and I all ways get to help in the pens with the sheep and ducks. I am pretty helpful. ( Kay says I am her right arm!) But I am all ways excited the first time I go in to help and tend to push the stock more than I am suppose to. I calm down fast and start to remember my job! Then all goes well!
I got to separate 2 ewes from the main flock into the round pen. It was pretty easy. Kay says I am making a good chore dog! I try!I put the other 5 ewes in a 10×10 pen and we went in there and practiced being quiet and easy in such a small space.
We started by Kay sitting on a bucket and I at her side. We hung out for a while. Kay had 3 duck eggs in her coat pocket and then we moved the sheep around the pen. I was on the fence at Kay’s left side and I got to fast ! The sheep moved faster as did I and we lapped Kay ! I noticed she was yelling something? Down!? Drover Down! What ? What did she say ? Down what’s Down? Uh oh! I think she said a bad word ! Oh she did ! Oh she means stop and lie down! Could not understand her in the excitement of the sheep and the moment! Okay ! Got it! Well look at that! The sheep stopped! Hum! And we did not break any duck eggs in the process!
Then Kay took hold of my collar and we continued moving the sheep round that pen but much easier and quietly. So “That’s” what she wanted me to do! Once I understood she did not have to hold my collar! That pleased Kay !
Kay has started BOO on the sheep a little bit. She did the same thing with her she did with me. BOO was not much for going in that small area with all the sheep and Kay but once in she picked it up quicker than me and liked it too! BOO is a bit timid with Kay. She is a very sensitive girl. But a tough little girl. She wants to work, I think BOO with the work we do this week (according to Kay) will be ready to really work the sheep and be a good chore dog like me! Shoot I am going to have to do “down Stays” now! BOO does them perfectly according to Kay, and I can’t have her better at anything for My Kay than ME!
Well that’s all I have for now…I will update you all latter in the week.
