Alta-Pete Stockdogs
Southern Alberta, Canada New Dayton, AB, Canada

Despite Wren’s expression, she actually was happy to have straw added to her box on a cold wet day!

Despite Wren’s expression, she actually was happy to have straw added to her box on a cold wet day!

Don’t worry! Alice is navigating and she has told us about the big snowstorm. We are going to go up and above it.

Don’t worry! Alice is navigating and she has told us about the big snowstorm. We are going to go up and above it.

Only the softest pillows for Alice

Another fantastically awesome finals is over and a new chapter begins for us. If you had told us a week ago, right after having to force Alice into a slightly early retirement, that Pip was going to rise up to Reserve Champion, we would have said that couldn’t be. He more than proved he could step into Alice’s shoes in his first year in open. Badger stepped up in a big way too! His season had been hit and miss but when it counted he rose to the top with two consistent runs t...o win the Nursery Championship. He will be heading back to his family and home in Wyoming now with his trophies and I’m sure will receive a hero’s welcome back. Kid has been consistently good all season and my hopes of a top 10 finish were exceeded when he placed 4th in the nurseries. He has already started placing in the open for me and gives me confidence that I haven’t had in a long time. Our fellow handlers touched us with their sympathy and acknowledgement of Alice’s accomplishments. Shutting down the nationals to pay tribute to a retiring dog has never been done before and the love we felt from everyone will never be forgotten. We thank you all for that. Belle Grove is a beautiful and welcoming location and we want to thank everyone involved in the historical plantation for continuing to invite us back. Sandy Payne headed up the organizing of the event for the USBCHA and she pulled it off. The muscle behind the event was Tommy Wilson and Russell McCord (Russell, you were invaluable to the event!) but it definitely takes a village and some of the less visible but no less hard working were people like Lori Cunningham, Carla King, Marianna Schreeder, Alice Urquhart, and Steven Armos. Cy Peterson on the open field and Bruce Fogt on the nursery field were the head course directors and ran tight ships, keeping the action on the field moving with no delays. The people on both fields who kept and posted the scores were awesome! If you were at the trial, you always knew the numbers with no delay. So many people worked together to put this on and I don’t want to slight anyone but there would be no way for me to name them all! Please know we appreciate you. Set out on both fields was amazing! They have the ability to make or break a trial and they absolutely made this one. Thank you to our judges, Pearse Ward, Jamie Spring, Linda Fogt and Peg Anderson. Those were some long days! We appreciate your opinions and thank you for giving back to the sport. We are off to the West for one more trial before we settle in for the Winter and prepare for the future. Photo of Scott and Alice walking back to the camper after their tribute, by Jamie Spring See more

Every year I say I’m going to go to this sheepdog trial and festival and every year I don’t. This year it was opposite the finals so I couldn’t go again, but maybe next year After the festival they trail the sheep through the town on the way to their winter home

2021 National Nursery Champions Scott and Badger (owned by Rose Fisk)

Only the softest pillows for Alice

Another fantastically awesome finals is over and a new chapter begins for us. If you had told us a week ago, right after having to force Alice into a slightly early retirement, that Pip was going to rise up to Reserve Champion, we would have said that couldn’t be. He more than proved he could step into Alice’s shoes in his first year in open. Badger stepped up in a big way too! His season had been hit and miss but when it counted he rose to the top with two consistent runs t...o win the Nursery Championship. He will be heading back to his family and home in Wyoming now with his trophies and I’m sure will receive a hero’s welcome back. Kid has been consistently good all season and my hopes of a top 10 finish were exceeded when he placed 4th in the nurseries. He has already started placing in the open for me and gives me confidence that I haven’t had in a long time. Our fellow handlers touched us with their sympathy and acknowledgement of Alice’s accomplishments. Shutting down the nationals to pay tribute to a retiring dog has never been done before and the love we felt from everyone will never be forgotten. We thank you all for that. Belle Grove is a beautiful and welcoming location and we want to thank everyone involved in the historical plantation for continuing to invite us back. Sandy Payne headed up the organizing of the event for the USBCHA and she pulled it off. The muscle behind the event was Tommy Wilson and Russell McCord (Russell, you were invaluable to the event!) but it definitely takes a village and some of the less visible but no less hard working were people like Lori Cunningham, Carla King, Marianna Schreeder, Alice Urquhart, and Steven Armos. Cy Peterson on the open field and Bruce Fogt on the nursery field were the head course directors and ran tight ships, keeping the action on the field moving with no delays. The people on both fields who kept and posted the scores were awesome! If you were at the trial, you always knew the numbers with no delay. So many people worked together to put this on and I don’t want to slight anyone but there would be no way for me to name them all! Please know we appreciate you. Set out on both fields was amazing! They have the ability to make or break a trial and they absolutely made this one. Thank you to our judges, Pearse Ward, Jamie Spring, Linda Fogt and Peg Anderson. Those were some long days! We appreciate your opinions and thank you for giving back to the sport. We are off to the West for one more trial before we settle in for the Winter and prepare for the future. Photo of Scott and Alice walking back to the camper after their tribute, by Jamie Spring See more

Congratulations to Alasdair MacRae and Tweed - National Champions Scott and Pip ReserveCongratulations to Alasdair MacRae and Tweed - National Champions Scott and Pip Reserve

2021 Reserve National Champions and best Drive Award winners, Scott and Pip

Badger got second place in the silent gather. Congratulations Michael McNutt and Rogue!

2021 National Nursery Champions Scott and Badger (owned by Rose Fisk)

2021 Reserve National Champions and best Drive Award winners, Scott and Pip

Badger got second place in the silent gather. Congratulations Michael McNutt and Rogue!

Scott and Badger in the silent gather right now!

Scott and Badger in the silent gather right now!

Lots of baby dogs in today’s double lift but this is the one I’m most proud of

I put the live feed on in the camper for Pip and he has heard he just fell out of first place. He had a difficult set of sheep to shed and when they stepped out of the ring, it was enough of a mistake that it lost the first place spot. These sheep turned out to be a surprisingly easy, high point run sheep and you could not stub your toe and win. We can’t be sorry for the incredible way this 3 year old (who never even had a nursery year because of Covid) stepped up for Scott when Alice went down We are sure there will be at least one National Championship in his future. Even the Queen didn’t have a National Championship at 3 years old

Lots of baby dogs in today’s double lift but this is the one I’m most proud of

One more then them! Tune into the broadcast https://usbcha.com/2021-national-sheepdog-finals-webcast/

One more then them! Tune into the broadcast https://usbcha.com/2021-national-sheepdog-finals-webcast/