Border Collies—A Breed Apart
Herding Sheep in Anderson Valley

Story by Maria Goodwin

The Shepherd’s Dogge...either at the hearing of his master’s voyce, or at the wagging and whistling in his fist, or at his shrill and hoarse hissing, bringeth the wandering weathers and straying sheepe into the self same place where his master’s will and wishe is to have them. – Johannes Caius, physician to Queen Elizabeth I, from his Treatise on Englishe Dogges, 1576

Though the relationship between man and dog is far older than the 1500s, this descriptive quote sums up a much of what is still true today of the shepherd and his flock.

If you’re traveling through the pleasant Anderson Valley you might stop for lunch, visit a winery, or hike through the redwoods, remaining unaware of a relatively small, but unique feature of rural life—shepherds, sheep and sheepdogs.
In the 1940s there were upwards of 300,000 sheep in Mendocino County. Apple farming, sheep ranching and lumber production remained, for many years, the primary industries, especially in Anderson Valley. Today, there are more vineyards than apple orchards, and sheep ranching has changed dramatically.

Kevin Owens caretakes a flock of one hundred Targhee sheep on the old 160-acre Hulbert ranch in Yorkville. The setting is idyllic—green rolling hills, panoramic scenes—gnarled trees dramatically punctuate the landscape. On this clear February day with unseasonably warm weather, Kevin points out the stunning views of Mount Saint Helena and Geyser Peak to the southeast. Then, turning to a northerly direction, he locates Cold Spring Mountain, one of the California Department of Forestry’s fire lookouts—vital this highly wooded area. The flock grazes contentedly nearby with Snoop Dogg, Kevin’s Great Pyrenees guard dog, among them.

Kevin, a native of Llandudno, in northern Wales, didn’t become acquainted with Border Collies until he was about eleven years old. He was an observer at a dog competition near his home. One nearby neighbor who had a small farm with sheepdogs drafted Kevin to help rent out chairs for spectators. He chuckles as he recalls being quite impressed with the farmers’ polished boots. Kevin says he was confused about exactly what was happening at the trials because he didn’t speak Welsh. The dog trials, then as now, were a serious and respected event.

Kevin first came to the Yorkville area from Wales in 1975 and has been caretaking sheep on various properties since 1978. In the eighties, Kevin was shepherd for Stanley Johnson on his thousand-acre ranch in Philo (where Scharffenberger Cellars is now located). The fleeces are sold for wool; the lambs for meat. The Targhee sheep are known as a “fine wool” breed ranking up near the Merino and Rambouillet breeds, producing some of the best wool in the world.

Like all proud Border Collie owners, Kevin is eager to share his enthusiasm. He introduces his two dogs, Bren and Meg, who are mother and daughter. He is quick to report Bren placed second in last year’s Mendocino County Fair sheepdog trials.

Recounting the dogs’ accomplishments leads to a more detailed explanation of the two styles of training, the international and the north country. The styles were dictated by topography; the international style originated in Britain. The Redwood Empire Sheepdog Association’s (RESDA) north country style accommodates the hilly, uneven, broken up land in northern California.

Kevin relates some history of the origin of the Border Collie. Long ago, he says, (even before the development of the Border Collie breed) subordinate pack dogs would herd prey and guide it to the alpha dog—the pack leader getting the kill. That is characteristic of all dogs, he says—they unite and kill in packs. Left to their own primitive instincts, even Border Collies would most likely do this.

To demonstrate his dogs’ prowess, Kevin runs them through a trial area on the ranch to show their expertise. The flock disappears over a hill and the dogs follow after them to return them to Kevin. He commands the dogs, one in Welsh, and one in English. He says in this way there is less potential confusion for the dogs and each can respond to commands intended for the individual dog. Each dog takes one side of the flock; handlers frequently call “right” or “left” and the dogs respond accordingly.

Basically the sheepdog trial is a competitive dog sport. Herding dogs move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. Such events most likely grew out of hill farming areas where sheep range widely on largely unfenced land. These trials are popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and other farming nations.

In its present form the trials are thought to have developed originally in the border areas between England and Scotland (from which the Border Collie also originated). The sport’s organizing bodies regard the first recorded sheepdog trials as those held in Bala, Wales, in 1873.

The trials require a single dog or a brace of dogs (two) working together to herd no more than three sheep through specific moves. All entrants begin with a score of fifty points and points are deducted throughout the circuit for failing to execute a move below the required standards.

A good Border Collie is gentle, yet efficient—assertive when necessary. An ideal dog can read the sheep, anticipating movement, and controls the sheep accordingly. Sheila Grew’s concise book, Key Dogs from the Border Collie Family (1984) neatly captures the essence of the Border Collies: “...characterized by its ability to move large or small numbers of sheep in a silent controlled manner in complete co-operation with its master...[and] a most useful asset possessed by many of these border working collies was the power of the ‘eye’, the ability to control the sheep by staring at them in a fixed and steady manner. Dogs with the right amount of ‘eye’ can keep their sheep bunched together well when driving them and thus avoid a great deal of flanking, running from one side to the other. This in turn keeps the sheep calmer and so they are less fatigued.”

Kevin comments that the declining world wool market, rising feed costs and the loss of livestock due to predators does not bode well for the future of sheep ranching. “Much of the rangeland is lying fallow and some has been sold for vineyards or subdivided. Australia and New Zealand remain the largest wool producers at present, and the way things are here, we just can’t compete with other countries. Sheep ranchers themselves are as endangered as the sheep.”

All good shepherds are fond of their sheep and benevolent towards their hardworking dogs. A most exemplary example is Steve Sparks who, up in the woods above Philo, with his wife, Patty Liddy, maintain their seven Border Collies: Grace, John, Alan, Rose, Winston, Beth and Fred. Four cats and twenty sheep round out their ten-acre menagerie. Steve freely acknowledges it’s a labor of love—even the sheep are named, he admits. He says he gives the fleeces to the shearer or to wool spinners; the sheep are not raised for meat.

Fond of history and statistics, Steve notes that eighty years ago there were upwards of seventy-five thousand sheep in Anderson Valley, and now perhaps only three thousand. Even into the early seventies, sheep, lumber and apples were still the predominant resources; then came the gradual emergence of vineyards and tourism. Steve first visited the valley in 1992 specifically to see the sheepdog trials at the Mendocino County Fair in Boonville. A couple of years later, Steve and Patty acquired their property as a weekend retreat from their busy lives in San Francisco managing the popular Mad Dog in the Fog pub in the Lower Haight district. Later still, they were able to relocate permanently.
Steve’s affinity for the Collies began with no sheep involved. He grew up in Birmingham (second largest city in England); his family routinely found homes for Border Collies from farms outside of the city. These dogs were from working ranches where, for one reason or another, they just didn’t fit in, like runts of the litter. “We’d bring them in and find homes for them. So instead of sheepdogs, they’d become tennis ball dogs. They’ve got to herd something,” Steve
says, “be it sheep, motorcycles, Frisbees, or children.”

Interest in the dogs and the sport is so highly regarded in England that “One Man and His Dog,” a weekly televised show ran from 1975 to 1999 with eight million viewers. “Eight million in a country of fifty million!” Steve exclaims, “…and those figures include a large urban audience.”

In the mid-nineties, the wildly successful movie Babe featured intrepid little Border Collies. In the story, Babe, a runt piglet, is befriended by a Border Collie named Fly and thus learns to herd sheep. The movie spiked an interest in Border Collies and their popularity grew among city dwellers. Steve cautions that engaging as they are, Border Collies must not be confined and that they are definitely not suitable for people who go off to work all day.

In his colorful Mad Dog pub, dogs Frank and Bing were with Steve and Patty all day adding to the pub’s unique ambience. The dogs brought beer coasters to the patrons in hopes of having something to fetch. “The dogs were with us every day in the pub; had the run of the place including the beer garden out back. Frank and Bing were later joined by Grace who didn’t like clapping, which created some interesting scenarios in a sports bar, as you might imagine.” She’d nip the clappers, Steve says and he’d assuage the nipped customers by giving them free beer or a meal. As Mad Dog was frequented by many expats from the British Isles and Ireland, a free pint usually did the trick.
Despite dire conditions in the wool industry, people like Kevin Owens and Steve Sparks persist in managing flocks and their attendant dogs. The efforts are not merely, for some, a business venture, but more a way of maintaining a connection to the past with the hope of preserving it for the future.

Presently, in the Anderson Valley area there are about twenty sheep ranchers, and, surprisingly, not all of them have dogs for their flocks. About ten people in the valley have Border Collies; half of those people use the Collies for their flocks. There is a Border Collie network around the county, but few breeders. All Border Collie owners train their own dogs and, as some owners have more knowledge, there is a built-in network of sharing information with more experienced owners helping others.

Steve and Kevin meet regularly with a few other shepherds, gathering in all weathers with dogs in tow. The fellows share a communal pasture in Boonville where they work their sheep and dogs—a social outing for the men and more rigorous exercise for the dogs. One can view this bucolic scene and imagine it unchanged from a couple of hundred years ago—all animals following their respective instincts—the gentlemen retiring for pints of Guinness after enjoying a convivial afternoon, spent dogs resting at their feet.

There are many opportunities to see these marvelous animals in action. The Floyd Johnson–Curt Beebe Memorial Sheepdog Trials are a popular feature of the annual Mendocino County Fair in Boonville. Date this year is September 18, 19, and 20. Redwood Empire Sheepdog Association Trials are held in various locations throughout the north state; twelve events from April to October. Some are on private land; others at the Petaluma, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, and Boonville fairgrounds respectively.

For more information:
Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show
www.mendocinocountyfair.com

Redwood Empire Sheep Dog Association
http://web.mac.com/jackmathieson/RESDA/RESDA.html