Happy Easter 2016

This picture is of Show Low, who turned 15 this year.

When Mike and I lived in Arizona we would hide the plastic Easter eggs in the house- some in plain sight and some hidden- but all at ground level.  Mike would put a leash on our Vizsla, Copper, and I would leash up Tucket for our egg hunt.  In the eggs we would have a nice smelly dog treat.  The dogs enjoyed the egg hunt and it allowed me and Mike to continue to enjoy a childish tradition.  Both Copper and Tucket have passed on, and we have not trained any of our current dogs to hunt for eggs. 

This morning when I got up and went downstairs to take care of the dogs, I opened the dog food container, and there was a plastic purple egg.  What a wonderful surprise.  Mike had stayed up to hide eggs after I went to bed.  He said they were all up high- so the dogs didn't get them.   What a wonder start to the day.

Happy Easter.

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HUGE NEWS!!!!!! *NEW HERDING CHAMPION** Acadia Whatever It Takes, HXAsd, AX, AXJ

Sunday WIT placed 2nd (score of 96) in a large Excellent Level class to win the FINAL 3 POINTS!!! of the HERDING CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

He really did this title with Style!  WIT was High in Trial on Sheep at the ASSA National in Tucson (2010) from the Excellent Level, and Reserve High in Trial on Ducks at that same National, also from the Excellent level.   He won a major and a 1st place by beating many top border collies.  He completed the title with a final major.  

WIT is an amazing herding dog- and anyone who saw him work knew it, but the title make it "offical".  I couldn't be any prouder of WIT, Morene Brown, and Sue Bradley for all they did to accomplish this goal. 

WIT is 9 years old and is the FIRST Acadia bred herding champion!!!!

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AMAZING!!! Show Low completes the UD at age 12 !!

U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HXAd, HIAs, HSBd,*UD* turned 12 years old this month.  Penny called to say that a few weeks ago he completed the coveted Utility Degree in obedience.  Utility is sometimes called the "futility" class because it is very difficult and demanding.  It begins with the dog following hand signals (no verbal).  The dog then has to preform a series of exercises at a distance from the handler, and not leaving the spot in which it was placed.  This class involves jumping, scent work, and retrieving.  It seems there is always some place for a dog to make a mistake.

Show Low had gotten the first 2 legs a while ago, but then he hit a dry spell where he would make a different mistake every time.  Penny knew that he knew all of the exercises.  She decided to enter him "one more time" to support her local club- and it PAID OFF!!! Show Low finally put it all together again to earn the final leg and attain the UD title.

WAY TO GO SHOW LOW and PENNY!!!

(Show Low pictured at 11 wks of age)

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2nd UD leg for U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HXAd, HIAsd, HSBd, HRD1, HTAD1, Delta Society Pet Partner

Penny and Show Low won 1st Place in the Utility A class for Show Low's second UD leg. He needs one more leg to complete the title.
At age 10, while most dogs are stilling on the couch, Show Low and Penny are still successfully competing.
I look forward to reporting the success of another new title for Penny and Show Low.

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A fast trip to Chicago

This past Saturday I was in Chicago judging sweepstakes. I had a nice entry of 21 puppies. It was fun to go to another part of the country and see some of the dogs I will be seeing at the National. It gave me an opportunity to look at some of the competition.

I stayed with Merrylee and Chet- Nicky's owners. I got in late on Friday and left early on Sunday- not nearly enough time to socialize, but I did get to see a few important (to me) people. Ellen brought Leo to the show for me to see. Leo is Cassia's son and Liza's brother. I was surprised by how much he looks like Cassia. These puppies are 8 months old. It was really nice to see them both.

Penny was there competing in Utility with ShowLow. I was getting so excited because he was qualifing in each exercize- until the VERY LAST ONE!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't belive it!! ALMOST! Penny is a great trainer, I am sure they will accomplish this task- but he is getting older, so the pressure is on.

Merrylee had leased Josie for a litter. She bred Josie to Nicky. I brought her and her daughter home with me. I think I will write about my travel in another post. Traveling with a puppy is a lot of fun- and much more interesting than traveling alone. These pictures are of the puppy, Tiki.

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1st UD Leg for U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HXAd, HIAds, HSBd

Penny reported that Show Low won 1st place in Utility at the Chicagoland Shetland Sheepdog Club this past weekend. This was a really great weekend for the Acadia Shelties! Congratulations Penny and Show Low.

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New *HX* for U-Ch. U-CD Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HIAsd,*HXAd*

Penny had a GREAT fall weekend! She and Show Low completed the Herding Excellent title on the A course with Ducks (HXAd). Penny writes, "Yes, it finally happened. An Accomplishment I never thought I would see-all because of this wonderful, devoted, and talented dog! No matter how many times I mess up, he gives his all every time. And a score good for first place, over some Herding Champions in the class!!"

Show Low is WIT's father.

CONGRATULATIONS Penny and Show Low

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High In Trial at the ASSA National Herding Trial

Acadia What Ever It Takes, HXAs*d*, AX,OAJ successfully completed the Herding Excellent title on Ducks and in the process was Reserve High In Trial at the ASSA's duck trial. Later that day he competed at the Herding Excellent level at the Sheep trial- he was High In Trail with a score of 96!!! His run was Almost Perfect.

WIT, as he is called, is owned by Morene Brown (on the right) and is trained and was trialed by Sue Bradley (in back). Morene didn't come to watch because she was concerned that her presence might disrupt WIT's focus- it might have been the right thing to do, but we were all sorry she was not there to cheer and enjoy all of the excitement of such a thrilling win.

WIT is sired by U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HIAsd, CDX, out of Acadia Sweet Emotion, AX, AXJ, PT, OF

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Puppies, Show Low, Quill

These puppies were born on their grandpa Show Low's 9th birthday. Here is to hoping they are as successful in their ventures as he is.

On another note of success:

I got a message from Amy saying that Quill was High In Trail this past weekend. He was competeing in obedience, Open A. He has already completed the CDX so this was just a "fun" show for him. High in Trial sounds like Fun to me!!!

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New Herding Started B course- Ducks for U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HIAds, HSAds, *HSBd*

Congratulations to Penny and Show Low for completing the Herding Started title on the B course (ducks). These two had completed the Herding Started title with ducks on the A course, but the B course is larger and the dog has to control and move the stock longer distances. As you can see from these pictures, Show Low has a gentle, easy way about him that allows him to control the ducks without causing them too much stress. He is such a good dog. Compare his pictures to the picture of his mother, Molly (MACH4 Acadia Color of Passion, HSAsd)- she never really had the patience Show Low demonstrates.

Show Low is sired by Herding Champion and Breed Champion Linden Danbie The Blacksmith, HXAs, NA, VCX. He (Show Low) must have gotten his sensibility from his dad.

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Show Low

Show Low is an amazing dog. This picture shows a controlled, confident dog moving the sheep in a quite and easy manner. That is what herding is all about- moving livestock in a controlled manner. That really is all it is. Young and inexperienced dogs are often out of control and it takes time, training, and wisdom on the part of the dog to learn what level of energy is appropriate. The faster that understanding is come to, the better the dog. Show Low understands what is needed to move stock. Good dog Show Low.

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New Herding Intermediate Sheep Title: U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck,CDX, HIAd, **HIAs**

WAY TO GO PENNY AND SHOW LOW!!!!!!!!!!
Penny writes:
"What a great herding weekend at Judi Bigham's in Nova, OH Such nice people, such nice livestock! This weekend was the Detroit Sheltie Club's herding trial, there were a ton of shelties! On Saturday, they had a local priest come out for a blessing of the animals - it was the feast of St. Francis this weekend. He blessed all the dogs, the ducks and the sheep!

Then Show Low was first place in Intermediate Sheep! So I guess the blessing worked!

The judge on Sunday was Linda Rorem from CA. She did a small clinic on Monday, it was really great. Very appropriate for shelties. (You don't find that often!)

There was a photographer taking lots of pictures, he will be mailing me a disk. There are some good ones!

I am so glad to finish this title, he really deserved it, he's such an awesome herding dog.

Penny"

Show Low had already earned the HI (herding Intermediate) title on ducks, but each type of livestock is very different. His title abrevations will look like this HIAds- which means, (HI) Herding Intermediate on the (A) course (there are 3 different courses, A, B, C with AKC) d= ducks s=sheep meaning he has accomplished this level on this course with both ducks and sheep

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Year In Review- 2008

As I looked back and reflected on the year, I was amazed at how successful it had been for Acadia. I hadn't realized it until I began compiling, and then I was surprised to see that some of the fun and "eventful" things I had done had not even made the blog!

One example of a missed blog entry- I showed at Westminster! I can't believe I didn't write about it. It was a wonderful experience and I have Chris and Madeleine Griffin-Cone to thank. I showed the lovely Ch. Gryphyn The Aviator for them. He was a pleasure to show, and they were a pleasure to show for.

Another happening that I didn't write about- I was elected to serve as an American Shetland Sheepdog Association Regional Representative. I attended my first ASSA board meeting in September in St. Louis. It is exciting and also a responsibility to serve this breed I love so much.

I had two sweepstakes judging assignments- one for Three Rivers Shetland Sheepdog Club of Greater Pittsburgh and one for the Northern California Shetland Sheepdog Club. I enjoyed both assignments and noticed that both times Blue merles were Best in Sweeps. In Pittsburgh a Bi-color was Runner-up and in No. Cal a sable was Runner-up.

While in No. Calif. I got to meet and stay with Amy- Quill's mom. That was a pleasure.

A Fun and exciting surprise was when I discovered that I had been quoted on Shelties On Line (see June 7th). What a thrill!

The magazine ShowSights asked me to participate in the "Tell us about the Herding Group" for a second time this year (I participated in 2007 as well).

Dogs In Review accepted an Opinion piece I had written and it is in the Annual Issue due out this month. I couldn't believe it when I found out that I would get paid for my opinion. My husband says that I have so many opinions, if I could figure out how to get paid for even a fraction of them I would be rich!

Then of course there were the many successes of the dogs and their owners- these are the ones I am most proud of. All-in-all, in 2008 Acadia shelties earned:

5 new Rally-O titles

23 new Agility titles (I think I got them all- if not, then there are more than 23!)

1 New Obedience title

5 New Herding titles

1 Canadian Championship

and I finished 1 champion for Ken and Gloria Hansen- Belaire Shelties

The titles that were earned in 2008 are in italics.

Sunburst Bright Sunny Day won a 5 pt. specialty major (I bred her). Shown by her owner Sharon Crawford, Sunburst shelties (and also a co-breeder)

Belaire's Little Bit Country won a 5 pt. specialty major (I showed her). Owned by Ken and Gloria Hansen, Belaire Manor shelties and corgis.

Acadia Aquilegia, RN,RA,RE, CD, AX,AXJ Owned, loved, and trained by Amy

Acadia Catcher In the Rye, CDX, NAJ, TN-N, WV-N Owned, loved and trained by Dr. Amy

Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HIAd Show Low is owned, loved, and trained by Penny

Acadia Cierra Like a Rock, OAJ, AXJ, HT, RN Owned and loved by Merrylee and loved and trained by Arlene.

Acadia Sweet Emotion, AXJ, OF, PT, OA both Molly and Valerie are now owned, loved and trained by Pam

MACH 4 Acadia Color of Passion, HSAds, MX, MXJ

NATCH, V-NATCH Acadia Rally Round The Flag, O-TN-N, S-WV-E, S-HP-N both Rally and Rumor are owned, loved and trained by Phyllis

Acadia Rumor Has It, NAC, NCC, NJC, TN-N,O-TN-N, HP-N

Acadia Paint The Town, O-EAC, NATCH-Jump, HP-N, S-WV-O, NATCH-Reg Both Hannah and Hope are owned, loved and trained by Sharon

Acadia I Hope Ewe Can, NAC, NJC, O-TN-N, TG-N,HP-N

Acadia What Ever It Takes, OA, OAJ, AD, OAC, OJC,OCC,TG-O,TN-O, TN-E, HTAD II-s, HTAD III-s, HRDII-s, OTDs Both WIT and Kaibab are owned, loved, and trained by Morene

MACH, ADCH, NATCH2, V-NATCH Acadia's Candidate, MS, GS-E, JS-E, RS-E, HSAs, STDs

Acadia Livana Heirloom Jewels, RN Lizzy is owned, loved and trained by Luann

Acadia Sweet Confection, RN Candy is owned, loved, and trained by Jan

Can. Ch. Grandgables Acadia Accolade Allie is owned and loved by me, but was loved and shown by Guy.

Ch. Belaire's Town N' Country Owned and loved by Ken and Gloria Hansen and shown and loved by me.

PLEASE- If I missed any of your great accomplishements- let me know!!!

And finally- 2008 ends with 7 healthy puppies born on Dec. 30. What a great ending- really, a beginning.

THANK YOU to all who have made 2008 so memorable, successful, and fun.

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Acadia What Ever It Takes (WIT)

Morene sent me an update on WIT. This is the dog that got 2 HX herding legs at his VERY FIRST herding trial. WIT is a litter brother to Belle, and Bonnie's, Mike. He is a Show Low x Valerie son.

"Here's a current picture of WIT, and his current titles are...

Agility: AD, OA, OAJ, OAC, OJC, OCC, ETN, NWV, OTG

Herding: HTAD III-s, HRD II-s, OTDs He has one leg toward his ASCA Advanced title (the only non-Q he's ever gotten was his first try at this title), and he has two legs towards his AKC Advanced Title. I just received the Arena Dog Title cert in the mail so thought I'd share.

End of January he'll be going for his level III Ranch dog title, and championship points in Arena Dog.

End of February he'll be trying to finish the Advanced ACSA and Advanced AKC titles. So far all titles have been earned on sheep. However, he's finally beginning to think perhaps ducks are something that he may condescend to herd!

Happy Holidays, Morene"

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U-Ch, U-CD Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HIAd, HSAsd, CDX, HTAD1, HRD1

Show Low, Belle's father, was at a herding trial this weekend too. He placed 3rd in Started B Course Ducks (HSBd). I think that was his first of three legs, so no new title yet- but a successful start!
The B course is much larger than the A course. The extra space can really mess a lot of dogs up and we don't usually see shelties running on the B course. Congratulations Show Low!

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U-CH, U-CD Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HSAsd, HIAd, HTAD1, HRD1

"Show Low" is the father of WIT and Belle, and the grandfather of Rincon. He received his first Herding Intermediate leg on sheep with a tie for 1st place!!!

AKC herding offers all trial classes - Herding Started (HS), Herding Intermediate (HI), and Herding Advanced (HX) on 3 different "courses"- A, B, and C. The A course is in an arena; the B course is in a field; and the C course is a "tending" course. Trials have the choice of three types of livestock as well- ducks, sheep, or cattle. The title letters let you know what level, what course, and what stock type, so for example, Show Low has already completed the Herding Intermediate title (A course) on ducks- HIAd. When he completes the title on sheep as well, his title will be HIAds.

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2 HX Legs at Wit's FIRST Herding trial!!

Morene Brown (who also owns MACH/NATCH2/ADCH Acadia's Candidate, HS) has been taking Acadia Whatever It Takes, NA, NAJ (WIT) to herding classes. Morene prefers to do agility, so the women with the sheep trains WIT. She told Morene, "don't bother with the lower level titles- this dog is GOOD". Well- she was RIGHT.
This past weekend WIT was entered in the Advanced Herding class at his VERY FIRST herding trial and he Qualified both days giving him 2 (out of the required 3) legs for the Herding Excellent (HX) title! WOW. I hope WIT will be my first herding Champion. WIT is the litter brother to Acadia's Sweet Necessity, HT, RN (Belle). These two are just 4 years old. See the comments about Belle's kids and pictures of them herding in an earlier post. Belle is also the mother of my tri-dog Acadia Sweet Home Arizona (Rincon) who is also a super herding dog.
I am very proud of these dogs. They have herding ability in the genes!

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NEW Herding Intermediate Title!

It is now U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HSAs, *HIAd*, JHD, HRD1, HTAD1

HIAd= Herding Intermediate, A course, ducks

Way to Go Penny and Show Low. Penny is not new to herding- but this is her first time training beyond the Herding Started title. Not because she hasn't tried! - but because it is difficult and takes a special dog with real desire to work through all of the training challenges.

To make it even more special, Dr. Sherry Lee was the judge for Show Low's final leg. Dr. Sherry Lee is Linden shelties. She had leased Show Low's mother, MACH 4 Acadia Color of Passion, HSAds to breed to her Duel champion (breed champion & herding Champion) DC Linden Danbie The Blacksmith, HXAs, NA, VCX which resulted in this fabulous dog, Show Low.

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New CDX* U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, CDX, HSds, HTAD1s, HRD1s

Show Low completed the necessary 3 legs under 3 different judges to gain the CDX title. In Obedience, the dog and handler has to preform a series of exercises and is scored during the performance of each exercise. To earn an obedience leg a dog can not lose more than 50% of the points allotted for each exercise and when the total score for all of the exercises is tallied, the total must be greater than 170 points. Each dog walks into the ring with a full 200 possible points, and deductions are made for each "mistake" the dog and handler team makes. This is true regardless of what title the dog is competing for in obedience.

To achieve the Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title, the dog must heal off leash- including a figure 8 pattern; handler calls the dog to them, then commands lie-down while the dog is about 10 feet from the handler, then calls the dog again to come back all the way to the handler; retrieve an object that the handler has thrown; retrieve this object (again) while jumping a jump to get it, and jumping the jump again on the way back to the handler; jumping another jump on command; then finally sitting for 3 minutes while the handler is not in view of the dog, and then lie down for 5 minutes while the handler is not in view of the dog. These last two exercises are called "group exercises" and are preformed by all of the dogs competing in this class at the same time- the dogs in a line- the handlers out of sight.

Congratulations to Penny and Show Low for 3 consecutive successful attempts. That demonstrates consistency and full understanding on Show Low's part, and very through training and clarity on Penny's part.

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Show Low earns 2nd (out of 3) CDX leg

U-Ch. Linden Acadia Stacked Deck, HSds, CD earned his second CDX leg with a score of 190 and a 4th place. His heeling was ALMOST PERFECT and he got 39 out of 40 points during the heeling exercise. This dog has always had amazing attention. We are very proud of Show Low and Penny Brcich who loves, owns, and trains him.

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