Jig’s Journey ~ A Good String of Days

All things considered, this week has been pretty good. The weathermen have consistently gotten it wrong (again), so, instead of three days of rain, we got three pretty decent days with mostly sun. That is, in no way, a complaint, because it meant three consistent days of working Jig. She hasn’t gotten to do anything beyond chores for the last… too long. Even when the weather started to get decent, the ground was boot-sucking soup. It felt good to be able to do something with her other than feed, when the entirety of her job is just to keep the sheep off me and the wheelbarrow.

I expected to see more of ‘Crack Dog’ once we started training again. Although CD thought about making an appearance yesterday, for the most part I still have the thoughtful, respectful dog I had after working with Deb the last time. Even Tuesday, when we moved the rams to the hill between working sessions, Jig was pretty much right on.

You need to understand what a crapshoot having her help with that job used to be. See, Jig loves her some rams, because Jig loves a good fight, and the rams are at least willing to consider giving it to her. Well, they used to be willing. Even our new ram, Captain Jack, figured it might be best just to ignore the girls on the other side of the fence and move along. Especially since I could finally keep Jig behind them, instead of having her consistently looking for their noses. It was a momentous occasion. For me, at least. Not sure Jig saw it the same way.

Yesterday was the highlight of the week in several ways. Not only was it the third nice day in a row, but it started off with the news that we are getting a four-footed addition to the family. A lot of you already saw the announcement on Facebook, but for those who didn’t…

Thank you, Carey and Leslie Rechtzigel. I can’t wait to pick him up this weekend and welcome him to the family. Not sure what Jig will think of him, but I know Grady will adore him, and Row will probably be quite indifferent.

After work, I had Grady sort for me. He’s starting to enjoy the job, and it gives him something to do. He barks. A lot. Those of you who know me, know how annoying I find that. However, in Grady’s case, I make an exception. He’s a big dog, but never had much power, or confidence in the power he did have. When challenged, he’s more likely to turn tail than stand his ground. Barking is how he feels he can get the job done. So, in Grady’s case, I try my best to ignore the noise, albeit, with teeth gritted and the fervent hope that, some day, he won’t feel the need to be so vocal.

In any case, as Jig and I headed out to work, a sedge of cranes flew over. Yes, according to the www, a group of cranes is called a sedge. Bob, if you’re reading this, feel free to correct me if the internet has led me astray. I’m going to guess they were Sandhills??? I’m used to one or two cranes calling out as they circle overhead, but there were at least eleven in tight, occasionally wobbly, formation. I watched them for a while, finding it amazing that, 1) they didn’t collide with one another, and 2) they could fly so achingly slow and still remain airborne.

Anyhow, as icing on the cake of my day, Jig and I ended our training session with this:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WMeBGq_otg]

That’s a roughly 300′ outrun. For Jig, that’s pretty damn impressive. The sheep were keen on getting to the gate on the far right, but she handled it wonderfully.

More pics and updates on the pup once he arrives.

As always…