2008 Fall Trial Article

Antelope Valley Stockdog Club

Where the Antelope Play But the Sheep are Herded

The Sounds of Silence

There was high drama in the high desert the weekend of October 25 - 26, 2008 as the Antelope Valley Stockdog Club hosted its second annual almost Halloween herding trial.

The air was filled with a cacophony of shouts, whistles, cries of joy, pleading, and the lyrical tones of a good old fashioned campfire sing along for early arrivals led by stock handler extraordinaire Joe Williams on Friday evening. But amidst all the noise the dominant sound was the sound of silence. How could that be ?

The sound of silence was deafening from the "B" course as Robin Penland Elliott and "Lass" made their way around on Saturday afternoon. More than one observer remarked after the run that they did not recall hearing a single command as Lass worked her way around the course to a near perfect 97 score and High in Trial honors. In actuality there were a few calm quiet whistles followed by instantaneous responses from Lass. It only seemed as if no commands were required.

Robin Penland Elliott's Lass cemented her title as 2008 Queen of the Antelope Valley by capturing three out of four High in Trial Awards (the fourth went to her other dog Nel on a tiebreaker) to go with her three out of four from the Spring Trial. Although it was a dominant performance with a low score for the weekend of 91 ("B" course on Sunday) (other scores of 97, 98.5 and 95.5), it was necessary to hold off the stiff competition. Karen Rabin and her dog Sydney applied the pressure on the "A" course taking Reserve High in Trial both days with scores of 90 and 94.5. Sydney also took first place started "B" on Saturday on Saturday with an impressive 87. Reserve High in Trial for "B" course was captured both days by Robin Penland Elliott with Nel on Saturday and Lass on Sunday. Sunday it came down to a tiebreaker even with an impressive score of 91.

Overall the trial ran very well. The sheep were honest and workable. They even won a few times but not often as the dogs uniformly worked very well.

Special thanks are necessary to Joe Williams, Michael Burks, and Terry Kenney for stock set out on Course "A"; to Erin Swanson and Jean Singer for stock set out on Course "B"; to Kathy Roberts for our fabulous food (we must eat better at our trials than anywhere else); to Sally Douglas for generally hosting us at the Lucky Ewe Ranch; to Jan McAninch for her usual efficient Trial Secretarial skills; and to Judges Steve Waltenburg and Peggy Richter.

Full results are available by clicking here.

All photos this page copyright and courtesy of Kathy Roberts. Used with permission.