International Sheep Dog Trials 2012

And so it was that after the Continental came the International....

And yes, I bought tickets and made a reservation for the camping site and off we went!
My daughter and me with the canine girls, all women in our little caravan, haha!

On the wednesday we went straight to the venue and got settled. Jessie, Yoshi and Suki were ever so happy with a field full of sheep behind our caravan, it was like free TV for them. The weather was also very good to the competitors and the spectators, with plenty of sunshine and no rain. On Thursday the trials started, and I had three days of non-stop watching runs. The best of the best were there: from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The sheep were tricky and played the dogs, so a lot of runs were stopped before time by the bell. But everybody tried their best and I saw a lot that made me think "ah, so that is the trick to do this" and "that is how they resolve that difficult part!" Yes, a lot to learn from watching these top handlers and top dogs work the sheep.....

The Supreme Champion of 2012 was to be decided on Saturday, when the 15 best handlers of the two previous days competed for the coveted title. The winners were Ian Brownlie with Boredale Gus, and they showed everyone a near as perfect run, it was so wonderful and exciting to watch that I forgot to take pictures! Scotland won a lot of trophees this year, and took a lot of silver home. Well done to everyone who competed!

Ian Brownlie penning at his qualification run:
 

A happy Ian with Gus after their run:

Ian Brownlie receives the prestegious shield from the hosts:

More about our vacation later!