Committed to the improvement of the breed by breeding for health, temperament and better structure in dogs that have the ability to herd.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

The Finnish Duo!

I was in checking my email early this morning and realized it was windy. Like gale force winds. So windy I heard the grain buckets for the cattle bashing around. A lot. That's odd......let's go look.

Oh dear God the cattle are out!! I took one step towards them and they took off running. Ok plan B. Oliver. He hasn't worked the cattle much but has shown great interest.

So off I go to the house and out we come running. I immediately say ' go get em' and start clapping my hands...he takes off and the cows are out in front running with their tails up. Half of them in the pen yet and the other half on the outside of it. I, in the meantime, run back to see where they got out....hmm....no fencing down...wait....THE GATE IS FLIPPED ON ITS SIDE! They somehow got the bottom hinge off the gate and managed to keep the top one on so it was on its side, in the air and lots of hair rubbed off of cows while trying to crawl underneath it. Those smart big S*&#s!

I fix the gate and open the other gate (we have a cattle lane and a tractor road that run through each other...kind of like an X. So we have two gates to open and close when we drive thru so the cattle stay on either side of the lane. well I opened the gate that they SHOULD have come in...as Oliver is driving them around the far side of the pasture to me. IN the meantime the cows remaining IN the pen come and see that only ONE gate is open and its open outwards, not inwards like normal...so WHOOOSH they come running out too. "GOD BLESS AMERICA" I yelled as I tried to get ahead of them. Stupid cattle...ugh stupid farmer for not thinking of this predicament first!

I run around the other side of the buildings to cut them off....the turn around and run right past the open gate again and Oliver is sitting under a wagon in the shade....HEY YOU AREN"T DONE YET!!! GET OUT THERE!! I exclaimed and he took off and took them around the pasture fence again.....I closed the first gate and opened the other gate so when they came around the pasture it would be open. I hopped on the 4-wheeler and drove wide around them so Oliver and I could bring them up together. Oliver hasnt' been around the 4-wheeler much but he trooped along like he'd been born on it. In the cows go and for good measure Oliver followed them in and down the lane to the pasture to make sure they didn't come back.

His poor tongue was really hanging out but the glimmer in his eye was all that was needed to see he was just wild with excitement! Lots of praise and lots of water and a long nap at my feet where his just rewards

Oh and the title? Oliver came from Finland...and so did my Grandma so I'm 1/4 Finnish too. :)

4 comments:

penni said...

Sounds like a herding title is just a few entries away. Good job Oliver!

coopercreek said...

Great job Oliver! Great story. I enjoyed it.

Sherilyn said...

Awesome work, Oliver! Oh yeah, you too, Garrett! :)

Hugs to both!

Sarah said...

To copy one of Jeri's replies:

*snort*

That was a hoot. I imagine Oliver and friends in the shade under the wagon, picnic basket open with all the dogs entertained watching the human flail around after the cows. :-)

Um, where's Mitcham???