CHAPTER 14

The drought is affecting us – sheepdog school at Binalong is cancelled until next year because the sheep have not got enough feed or water and are in bad condition. This is dreadful, dreadful news. We went this weekend to Michelago and it was nice but I do miss Brad and the nice big pens at Binalong. It is now a very long time since it rained and the temperature has been in the 30s – in October – everyone says we are in for a long, hot dry summer with no rain in sight – there was only 3mm of rain in October instead of the 64mm we used to average. Lots of the farmers here are selling their stock because they cannot afford to buy feed and water for them. It depends on whether we have rain whether we can go to Michelago again – we won’t be going this year. I think my career as a working dog may be over before it has really started.

Anyway, I cannot complain – we had a good time while it lasted and Ailsa says we can probably find a farmer locally who will give us some lessons until school opens up again. The weekend at Michelago was fun although yesterday it was very hot and windy and I kept thinking I could smell bushfires. It is very hard to work when it is so hot and that farm has some very bolshy sheep – one in particular – a ewe with a red tag in her ear gave me a lot of cheek and in the end I had to get in a corner and tell her she would be roast lamb for my dinner with some mint sauce on the side if she did not start behaving better. Robert wanted me to go and work in the big paddock but it was so hot and windy and it is on a hill and the sheep are scattered to the four corners of the paddock, that I was not very keen and this afternoon he let me stay in the small one.

There were lots of new puppies at the school and Robert was telling everyone how to check whether a pup would be a good working dog – it was very interesting but Ailsa says she will never have a puppy because they are too much work and she would rather take an older rescue dog – just as well or she might not have got me. One of my worstest rivals at sheepdog school – a Kelpie called Red Rocket – had six 8 week old puppies and Ailsa said they were very cute but I did not think so. I liked my mate Chance’s daughter better – Fleck is a red merle Koolie and she is very pretty and you should have seen her taking an interest in the sheep – Ailsa took some photos of her for the Koolie Club newsletter. Koolies rule!!!!

Going to the farm gave me a chance to see my friends Harry and Lucinda again – Harry is just four and Lucinda is three – they have both had chicken pox but they are getting better now so they were allowed to come and play ball with me.

Ailsa has ordered some Christmas stamps – they have a photo of me with sheep at the farm at Michelago. She says we can also make some Christmas cards with the same photo on and we can put lettering on the bottom which says “While shepherds watched …” I hope people like them.

Now she has finished having to go to the office for that big job she can work from home and that means we get to go to the dog club and play ball most days - I just love chasing the ball for her and she loves throwing it. Usually we go to the post office and collect the mail, then we go to the nice bakery called Silo and buy some breakfast, then we go to the dog club and share it while we play ball - pretty good.

Guess what, I have a thread on eBay in the Antiques and Collectables discussion group! Bet that surprised you and you would never have guessed. It is for all the dogs of the people who talk on there and there are a lot of us and several of us have been rescued from bad starts in life. There are also some cats and even a snake called Slithers – we were all a bit wary of a snake but he has promised not to hurt us and provided we keep our relationship confined to the internet I think we will all be safe.

CHAPTER 13

In early September something awful happened – Ailsa got sick and ended up in hospital. They let her come home but she was in a lot of pain and not interested in eating and did not go to work. I was very concerned that she was not eating and tried to tempt her appetite with some of my favourite dog biscuits – I even gave her one of my favourite Pedigree Milky Biscuits that they do not sell any more but she was not tempted. After another day she was clearly getting weaker and did not want to get out of bed so I dug up a very mature bone and put it on her pillow so she could chew on it without moving if she wanted to. She got out of bed very fast then but insisted that it was better for me to eat it – so I did. At least it did the job of getting her out of bed.

As soon as she was a bit better Ailsa went back to work and started working long hours on a big job but fortunately she arranged for a new friend, Anja, to come and play with me every day. It was good – she is a good ball thrower.

Ailsa also took a week off and went to New Zealand to see my Grandma and Aunt Kathryn and my cousins and my Uncle Graeme who came to visit all the way from Canada. I wish I could have gone. Peter came to stay with me while she was away and that was good because we had lots of walks and games. When Ailsa came back I gave her the cold shoulder for a week to teach her a lesson although she did bring me a really interesting ball as a present. Anyway, after she went and bought me two new ball throwers (one got broken and she thought we should have a spare) and a couple of new balls, and some dried liver, and some special dog biscuits, I decided to let her have a cuddle again. Hopefully she will take the hint and make sure we go to the dog club a lot to play ball once she has finished these interviews.

One weekend soon afterwards a new friend, Nat, came up from Melbourne and she took some very nice professional photographs of me – I think I look pretty good. She did a mixture of some portraits and some action shots of me chasing the ball. I was really pleased with the result. I think I look pretty glamorous.

CHAPTER 12

A few weeks after Peter came home we went to a farm to play with some sheep and meet the farmer who works dogs and gave us a lesson – his name is Jim Luce. It is at a place called Bungonia which is somewhere near Marulan, the other side of Gouburn about 90 minutes away. It was fun.

We had a wonderful time at the farm– although Ailsa complained about the drive because we had over 30k of dirt road which was full of pot holes and it had been foggy and raining was very slippy. We came home a different way and got lost in the dark as well. Eventually, though, we got home safely which was good because we were both tired and hungry and went to bed as soon as we had had dinner.

Jim is a really nice man and he liked me – he said I was wasted as a canine companion and should have been a farm dog because I work my sheep very nicely. Ailsa pointed out to me that farm dogs do not get roast chicken for dinner, long car rides, or to sleep on a soft bed in front of the heater and said she cannot manage without me though so I am going to stay with her. Best thing of all was that he said we could have private lessons if we wanted so when Ailsa has a free day we can go out just the two of us and have fun with his sheep. She is a bit busy at the moment trying to earn enough money to pay for that tooth but as soon as I see a free day I am going to push for a trip to Bungonia to see Jim. He and his wife are moving soon because the owners have sold their farm to subdivide it so he and his wife are retiring to their own place near Cowra and he says we can go and see him there as well.

Two weeks later we went to another new farm at Michelago on the way to the Snowy Mountains for a sheepdog school with Robert and the sheep. All the people were complaining about it being cold, especially yesterday, but it must have been at least 4 degrees and it was not snowing so I don’t know what they were complaining about – nothing to stop them putting on some more clothing and I had nothing but my fur. I like it down there because apart from the sheep there are also Harry and Lucinda who live on the farm and are my friends. They are about the same age as me and we all like to play and I got to give them both a good licking.

We had lots of fun with the sheep – Robert let them out of the pen and when he and Ailsa followed them I could not see why because there were a lot of fresh ones in the next field so I stayed in the pen and waited for them to come to their senses and come back and get new ones. Then it happened, Ailsa was walking backwards up the hill and she tripped over an old tree root and fell backwards. I rushed up to see if she was OK but she was surrounded by sheep so I told them to back off. Once I was sure she was OK I made it pretty clear that I thought she was wasting good sheep time and should get up and get on with it, so she did although she complained about having lots of bruises on her back for the rest of the weekend. I did not laugh because I am aware she is getting old and if she hurts herself who is going to look after her? I often worry about not having an opposable thumb – life would be so much easier with one. She has a badly bruised back, very badly bruised dignity and pride and a bad headache from banging her head on the frozen ground - she is hoping none of these injuries is serious or long term. She really should be more careful at her age. Without an opposable thumb there is a limit to what I can do to look after her no matter how much I love her.

Imagine my surprise when on Sunday they let the sheep out again when there were perfectly good ones waiting for us – what do they think I am? Do they think I have nothing better to do than chase some tired sheep back down the mountain when we already have some fresh ones waiting? Anyway, Robert let me bring some fresh ones into our pen and then I gave them a good working and he encouraged me to take them backwards and forwards between the two pens so Ailsa could practice working the gates. It must be quite complex because she needed a lot of practice.

CHAPTER 11

In late July Ailsa and I went up to Armidale in northern NSW to meet the woman who rescued me from the farm and to go to sheepdog school. When I came to Canberra to live with Ailsa I flew down in a plane and I did not realise how far away it was. It took us two days to drive up and two days to drive back – over 2000k - and we were both very tired – Ailsa because she was driving and me because I was helping her from the back seat. I carefully pointed out all the cars on the road and the trucks and the caravans and sometimes there were cows and sheep.

We left on a Thursday and drove out towards Yass in thick fog – I thought I would help by barking loudly all the time to help warn other cars to stay away from us. It was foggy nearly all the way to Cowra where we stopped and had an early lunch because the sun had come out. From there we went to Canowindra and then up to Wellington and across to Mudgee. We went to a couple of vineyards and a cheese factory where they let me have some samples as well and I can strongly recommend it and a honey place where Ailsa tried some stuff called mead and bought a bottle.

We stayed in a lovely renovated country house at Mudgee on the way up and back. They have made the old stables into 2 apartments for people travelling with children and/or dogs – other people are allowed to stay in the house. I thought it was wonderful – a huge garden full of interesting smells, cattle and horses and sheep in the adjoining fields, a friendly golden Labrador to play with, home made dog biscuits, and a nice fire to sleep in front of.


The next day it poured with rain but we went up across country through lots of little villages and towns until eventually we got to Uralla just south of Armidale where we were staying. It is a village like Bungendore with old houses and shops. We were tired and went to bed early on Friday night and on Saturday morning we were up early because we had to go to sheepdog school to meet Janine and Spy. It was cool but not very cold and at least it was not raining.

Ailsa had arranged to meet Janine, who rescued me, at the sheepdog school at Uralla Showground and when we got there we saw about 60 people with dogs – I was wondering how to find her when suddenly there she was, my tail went up and started going around in circles (always a sign of happiness) and I dragged Ailsa across to meet her and Spy, then I leapt up and covered her face with kisses. She hugged me and said that I had not changed. I gave her the presents I had bought for her and Spy and Ally her human puppy. The picture above is of me with Janine and Spy. She also has a new Koolie called KC who is quite young. We had a lovely weekend at sheepdog school – Spy is really good – she is more advanced than I am but I think that Janine would have been pleased with my progress. Robert said I am doing really well.

It was so nice that she recognised me after two years and we all ended up in floods of tears. Janine was so pleased to see that I can work sheep well since that farmer was going to shoot me for not working. It was really good catching up with my foster sister Spy as well – Spy has lots of titles.

It was really sad to say goodbye to Janine and Spy but on Monday we had to start our trip back – we had good weather on the way back and stopped at lots of antique shops although Ailsa did not buy much. Just outside Coolah we got caught up in the middle of lots of cows which a farmer was moving up the road – we were there for at least 30 minutes and I tried to help by barking at them to get them to hurry up – most of them just ignored me but one cheeky one pressed his face to the window and mooed at me – the nerve of it. I gave him a good growl. Then the farmer came up on his horse and he was using two border collies and a couple of Koolies to move the cattle so I barked to let them know I had been helping them.

We stayed in the same place in Mudgee which was good and then the next day we came back through Sofala, Bathurst, Blayney and then through Cowra again. I was really glad to get home – I had not realized that driving was such hard work – Ailsa was tired too and we had an early dinner and a very early night. The next morning we slept late but we had to get up eventually because we had to get the house ready because my friend Peter is coming back from Europe on Friday and is going to stay with us until his house is ready

CHAPTER 10

I have to sneak on to the computer while Ailsa is busy doing other things because yesterday she got some Spam addressed to me and now she thinks I have been on the computer too long and going into wrong places because it suggested that I buy something called Viagra to keep my girl happy – if I thought it would keep Ailsa happy I would buy some whatever it is (if she let me have some money) but I am not sure what it is so she might have to settle for Koolie kisses and cuddles.

We spent another weekend at sheepdog school and it was wonderful. It was a bit cold and windy but I did not care although Ailsa was wearing lots of layers. We went out to Binalong again and there were about 60 dogs there including some more Koolies – now we are the third largest group after Border Collies and Kelpies. There were lots of other dogs there though – some Briards and Belgian Shepherds, and a Maremma and some Bernese Mountain Dogs and an Australian Shepherd and some others. Robert, my teacher, was really nice to me and said I could stay off lead all weekend so I got to wander around and check out things rather than taking Ailsa with me – I stayed with her most of the time though because some of those dogs are pretty big and she might have been frightened. I got to play with some of the others too which surprised everyone because I don’t normally do it, but that is because I was frightened when I was on lead because I could not get away so if anyone came up to me I had to frighten them off – when I am not on lead if they are frightening I can run away and hide behind Ailsa. We had lots of goes with the sheep and Robert picked me to go into a big pen and bring out 10 sheep for us to practice on. He was really pleased with what I did – we practised moving some sheep in different directions because that is one of the tests I will be doing soon. He said nice things to Ailsa too.

We met Sue who knows Janine who rescued me from the farm so guess what - the next sheepdog school we are going to will be in Uralla near Armidale in New England in Northern NSW – we are going to see Janine who saved me from the farm and I am going to show her what a good sheepdog I am. I hope she will be pleased with my progress. I just cannot wait to see her and Spy again.

Ailsa took several weeks off work after Christmas which was good because it was very hot which she does not like and we have air conditioning at home so it is cool. Of course, this meant we could play a lot but because it was so hot we had to go to the dog club at 5.30am every morning to play ball – I thought we would be the only ones there but there were more people and dogs there. I have a new friend now, his name is Mungo and he is a golden retriever – he is a safe friend to have because he is not interested in Ailsa or balls. After the club we went to collect our post and some fresh bread and then we went home and did not go out again.

At the end of January we went to sheepdog school again – gosh it was hot – I thought Ailsa might melt. We sat under a tent gazebo and Ailsa was really pleased with me because there were four dogs under that tent and we all ignored each other – that is because it was so hot. I am definitely improving with the sheep as well – Brad said I have improved out of sight.

At the beginning of February Ailsa went away for a few days to Sydney – she went to pick up Jetske, a friend from Botswana. Erika who helps keep the house clean because Ailsa is really bad at housework moved into our house to keep me company. It was really nice having Erika there all the time – when I first arrived she and I were scared of each other but now we are really good friends and play together a lot. Jetske stayed with us for a week and we showed her lots of things around Canberra – I think she was surprised, particularly when she saw a kangaroo hopping down a main road. She lives in Africa and she told us stories about lions and monkeys and elephants – I’d like to see where she lives but Ailsa says it is too far to go on the plane. While she was here we took her to a sheepdog school with Bernard from New Zealand – it was hard to concentrate on the sheep because I had to look after Jetske as well and keep her in sight, after all she was a guest. At least she got to take some photos of me with the sheep to show her family in Africa. I really missed her when she left, I hope she comes back again and brings her husband Peter as well.

The weekend after she left we went to another sheepdog school with Robert and this time there was only Robert because all the other teachers had gone to sheepdog trials. It was good working with Robert again and I think he was pleased with my progress. On the way home we stopped and had ice cream at the shop – the woman was surprised when Ailsa asked her to put mine straight in my bowl – anyone would think she had never seen a dog enjoying an ice cream before. She was even more surprised when Ailsa put liver sprinkles on mine but I like it better than that sticky topping humans like.

Then, a week later it was my birthday. I had a really good day, lots of playing, chicken sausages for breakfast, a nice big ice cream and my favourite roast chicken for dinner. I got lots of presents too – more balls and a very smart new red collar with my name and phone number embroidered on it in blue.

Next time I will tell you more about my progress at sheepdog school.

A couple of weeks later Ailsa was unfaithful to me – she left me home alone all day and she went off and with another Koolie. His name is Darcy Dugan and he is only 20 weeks old - I just know she is feeling clucky. Like me he was going to be shot and was rescued from a farm near Cooma. She picked him up from the lady who saved him and took him out to Young where she was handing him over to Bill his new owner who is a shearer near Parkes. When she came home she just smelt of another dog and a boy at that - she had clearly been holding him and he had been licking her face.

The next weekend we went to Bungendore near us and went to a special sheepdog school run by a famous New Zealander called Bernard Arends. He talks a bit funny but he was really nice to me and taught me some more about working sheep. I wondered whether if we went to visit Grandma in New Zealand we would have to learn to talk that language but Ailsa said she was sure everyone would be able to understand us. The workshop was on a farm which is owned by the local butcher in Bungendore – he is going to represent Australia at the next World Herding competition. He has lots of sheep and we also saw some cows and some horses who came over to watch what we were doing, especially when Bernard made the people be sheepdogs. The horses could not believe what they were seeing and I think they will be talking about it for a long time to come. One thing I have learnt is that people do not make very good sheepdogs. They had to take 5 sheep around a field with a few obstacles in and most of them could not do it – I was proud of Ailsa because she only had one spot of trouble towards the end when she lost a sheep through a hole in the fence. Bernard said that I work the sheep very nicely so I was pleased because he did not say nice things about all the dogs.

After that school we had one more school with Robert and Brad before Christmas – I got promoted up a class so I think Ailsa was really pleased with me. It was getting pretty hot though and I did wonder if Ailsa was going to be up to coming to school through the summer because she does not like hot weather.

We spent Christmas at home – the strange tree grew in the living room again – I don’t know where it came from or where it goes the rest of the year. I managed to get a few more glittery things for my treasure chest and this time Ailsa decorated some of the lower branches with pigs’ ears and yummy dog biscuits that she made in Christmas tree shapes. I went to see Father Christmas at the dog’s Xmas party and gave him a good licking. It was a good investment because on Christmas Day I got lots of new balls and a whole bag of dried liver – I offered Ailsa a bit but she told me I could have it all.

More next time,

Perry, well on the way to being sheepdog first class

At last in August we got an opportunity to go sheepdog school again. It was freezing cold and rainy and, of course, we had to go to sheepdog school at Brad’s place out at Binalong. There was no way I was missing it so I was up at the crack of dawn ready to wake Ailsa at 6.00 so she was ready to leave by 6.30. She was not impressed, particularly when she saw how cold and wet it was. The first trauma on the way there was when on the highway to Melbourne which is a divided road, there was an old couple in a car coming up the wrong side of the road towards us. We flashed our lights and tooted the horn at them but they must have been doing it for ages because the road is divided for a long way back. Just as well there was not a nasty accident. To get to Brad’s place we had to go on a dirt road for 6km – you can imagine what that was like after it had been raining all night. At one point we had to cross a causeway and the water was already up to the road

Anyway, enough of the trauma, we were there to play with the sheep and that is what we did – three goes each day. Robert who taught us at Echuca was there and he was teaching us again. By the end of Sunday Ailsa and I could take the sheep around the paddock together without losing any – I hope we can still do that next time. We met some people we knew from the dog club like Greg and Ruby who are often doing agility in the next field while we are playing ball, and Maureen who told us about herding to begin with, and Gillian who comes from London and has a border collie called Meg who is as keen on sheep as I am, and Michelle who was down at Echuca with us – she has a famous Koolie called Chance who has won titles at shows. About half the dogs came from Canberra and the rest were farm dogs. Robert said I worked as well as the farm dogs which was good because I want to make Ailsa and Kerrie and Janine (who saved me from the farm) proud of me.

The funniest thing that happened was when Robert made the people go in with just one sheep and get the sheep to move around by walking near it and finding its point of balance (something we sheepdogs do instinctively but people find difficult). Anyway, Ailsa was the last to go in and that sheep was getting a bit toey from being stalked by all these people. I thought it might charge at Ailsa and was planning how to rescue her, but it did not – it made a bid for freedom instead, jumped out of the shearing shed windows and was last seen leaping for joy at having escaped from all these people. The station we were on is a big one so I don’t think it will get lost.

Michelle had some new puppies with her – 7 week old Koolie pups – one little boy pup got a chance to see the sheep as well and it looks as though he has good Koolie genes and will make a good sheepdog. There was another little boy puppy called Mike Tyson who was born deaf and Michelle was looking for a good pet home for him. Ailsa was cuddling him to keep him warm and showed him to me and asked what I thought, well I know what I thought, I thought she was getting clucky, so I growled at him and curled my lip so she would see that a puppy was not a good idea. She already has a good dog and should be satisfied with what she has.

Saturday night we were exhausted and Ailsa had to stop for a rest on the way home because she has not been sleeping well – when we got home we had dinner and went to bed but she still did not sleep although she was very tired. Sunday night was the same and on Monday she had to get up in pouring rain and go to work for the morning – I don’t think she was happy. I got to sleep in which was good. I had had a really good time and she knew it and promised we would go to as many sheepdog schools as possible after that. You should have seen her car–red brown with mud all over instead of green and shiny. I thought she might wash it but she says there is a drought on despite all the rain and it is bad to waste water.

That afternoon a woman called Judith came round with her special hydrobath to give me a bath – I don’t know why because I really did not need one – I had already had a mud bath yesterday when I rolled in the sheepyard in the rain and that has to be good for the skin and fur – I know Ailsa uses mud soap and mud shampoo sometimes so what is the difference? And what happened to not wasting water???? She said I smelt of sheep – well of course I did – I am a working dog and I had been working sheep. Anyway, now I ended up clean and smelling of lavender which is a bit poncy compared with the good honest sheep smell I had before.

After this we started going to sheepdog school every month. In October Ailsa had to go to New Zealand again to see Grandma and my new friend Lesley, who used to live next door to Ailsa in Moscow, came and stayed with me. She took me on lots of long walks and gave good cuddles and rubs – perhaps she is particularly good at this because she is a masseuse. I really missed Ailsa while she was away and I think she must have missed me too because she bought me a nice new collar – bright red with a black and white dog like me herding sheep on it and also a funny looking ball with a face on which looks just like someone who is on TV all the time here and has a really annoying voice. Ailsa said that he is the Prime Minister, whatever that is, and he runs the country. I have been giving him a good chew.

On the Saturday and Sunday after Ailsa came back we all had to get up really early because we went to sheepdog school again and it is a long way and you have to be there early. After we had had nice weather all week, it was freezing cold and raining and strong winds out at Binalong at the farm we go to. I am alright because I have a double fur coat which keeps me warm and insulated but the people all had lots of layers on and some of them could hardly walk. Luckily Ailsa had bought some special shoes in New Zealand and a thick farmer’s sweater but I think she has decided she needs some wet weather gear. Lesley came too so I had the opportunity to show her what a good sheepdog I am learning to be – I think she was impressed because she has not been to a sheepdog school before and I am definitely better than some of the other dogs – I did my best to help the others by barking instructions when they were trying to work their sheep but some of them were too stupid to listen.

My friend Robert ran the school again and he gave me a special welcome pat – I like Robert a lot. This time he brought his wife Jenny with him and now she is my friend too. They know Janine who rescued me from the farm and they are going to see her in a few weeks – they promised to say hello from me and Ailsa and to let Janine know that I am a good sheep dog and am doing well at my studies. I got four goes with the sheep in a very muddy paddock and I thought Ailsa was going to fall on her bottom in the mud but she did not. A couple of sheep did escape over the fence though. Robert said we have improved lots and can start preparing for the Herding Instinct Test – if we pass that we can go into sheepdog trials. One go we had with Jenny and she said I was a really good worker – I hope she tells Janine that – I want Janine to be proud of me. I think Ailsa is pleased with me because lots of people told her a rescue dog could not learn to work sheep. When we got home each night we were too tired to do anything and I just curled up on my nice soft bed and fell asleep.

Life seemed a bit boring after we came home from Echuca – all I could think about was when I would next get the opportunity to work some sheep. We went away again the next weekend to the Blue Mountains to see a nice man called Steve who helped me to not be scared of other dogs. I am still working on it but I think I am getting better.

Sadly there were no sheep – I really wondered if Ailsa was trying hard enough to find some local ones for me to play with. She said we could go again in August but that was a lot of dinners away.

In the meantime, she went off to New Zealand without me!!!! I thought by now I had shown her what a good travelling companion I am and she must know that I want to go to New Zealand to see my Grandma – Ailsa’s mother who lives in New Zealand – so I can give her a big kiss. I was not impressed that she left me. Mr friend Peter came to live at my house to keep me company while she was away and we had a few good walks but I was getting crosser and crosser as days passed and Ailsa did not come back. She went on Wednesday and she did not come back until the following Tuesday night! How could she leave me that long? When she did come back I was so glad to see her I covered her face with kisses until I remembered that I was cross with her so then I stalked off and gave her the cold shoulder for a few days, although she had bought me some nice presents back. I could not keep it up though, particularly because she was sick when she came back and she needed a good cuddle, and nobody does cuddles like a Koolie. Also she had bought these nice food treats back from Sydney and I wanted my share.

The other thing is that my friends Robin and AJ (parents of my godchild Toby) have had another human puppy – a little girl called Lucy and I wanted to make sure I got to go and smell Lucy – I like babies they smell interesting and they wriggle and make funny noises.

Ailsa kept saying she ought to find another job but I don’t think she really wanted to – I think she likes being at home with me to play with – I do my best to keep her entertained every day – I take her on walks and introduce her to people she would never meet otherwise and she gets to come with me to the dog club every day where she can throw the ball to her heart’s content and I will go and get it back for her – I never nag to go home early – I just let her keep on throwing and she gets to chat to the other dogs’ chauffeurs. If we are at home I encourage her to play ball in the garden and I give her lots of cuddles. We go out to coffee and lunch with some of my human friends and some of them come to visit me. I also encourage her to cook things like dog biscuits to sell on the market stalls to make money for the dog rescue group. I think this is a pretty good life for a human and she should be happy with it. However, she says it all costs money, especially sheepherding and therefore she has to go and earn some unless I want to go and get a job – well, I already have one – looking after her – it is not easy thinking up games to keep her amused all day.

The other big thing that happened is that it snowed – bit flat white things came out of the sky – I watched them from the kitchen and then when Ailsa saw she made us go out in them – I stuck out my tongue to see what they tasted like – I thought they might taste lice ice cream but they tasted of nothing very much. A bit later on the street was all white so we went out to have a look and some of the boys were throwing white balls – I like balls so I leapt and caught one in my mouth but it melted. Then Ailsa made a ball and threw it at me – I was not impressed because it was cold so we came back inside.

Next time I will tell you more about our further adventures at sheepdog school.

At the end of April Ailsa told me we were going to go to Echuca to meet Kerrie and to try out working sheep.

We drove down to Echuca on a Friday – it is a very long way from Canberra – more than 8 hours and Ailsa would not let me drive so I sat in the middle of the back seat and gave her directions – she told me not to be a backseat driver as though this was not being helpful. We had a nice little old cottage in Echuca and because I thought she would be scared sleeping away from home I slept with her in her room.

The next morning we got up at the crack of dawn – actually before the crack of dawn because we had to meet Kerrie from the Koolie Club at 7am to go down to Elmore where the sheep were waiting. I did not know that – Ailsa just told me we would be doing something I would like. She was right. As soon as I saw those sheep I knew what to do.

There were about 20 other people there and some other dogs including some more Koolies, a Border Collie, some German Shepherds, some Kelpies and an Australian Shepherd although that is really an American Breed. Some of them came from farms but a few came from cities like me.

Some of the dogs had done it before but I got to go in the beginners’ class which was good for Ailsa because she had never been so close to sheep and these were big Merinos – she said that they were double the size of English sheep. Two nice men were there to help us – Robert and Brad – Brad comes from Binalong near us. It was really exciting – we were the sixth to go in the paddock with 15 Merinos and Robert told us just to play with the sheep so I chased them around and when one got away I chased it back – it was great fun. Robert said I was quite a nice little bitch which I thought was a bit rude but Ailsa said it was a big compliment.

We had half a dozen goes at it over the weekend and got to watch everyone else. Ailsa even got to play at being a sheepdog – she and Kerrie had to go into the paddock and herd the sheep into another yard and then back again so they would understand what they were trying to get me to do. Ailsa got absolutely filthy because it was very dusty – that is one advantage of being a dog – it just falls out of my fur. She also got lots of bruises because the sheep were very heavy and sometimes she got in the way. It was really fun and is the best weekend I have had for ages. She says we can do it again so we are waiting for Robert and Brad to organise one near Canberra or Sydney so we can go. After all, Robert says I have lots of promise and could make a working dog – I am not sure I want to be a working dog because they don’t get to eat roast chicken or have ice creams or have cuddles on Ailsa’s bed but I do want to do it at weekends.

After Christmas that year it was very hot and we had lots of visitors which was good – I really wanted to impress one girl and was showing her how high I could jump to get the ball and the pads on my feet got blistered from the hot pavers and from running too much. Ailsa took me to the vet but she said that was what comes from showing off!!! No sympathy and I had to stay inside for four days while they healed.

Ailsa made me sardine icy poles to keep me cool in the heat - she takes the sardines out of the can and puts them in a plastic bag with some water and then freezes them. They are almost as good as the raspberry ones she likes but she lets me have the sardine ones all to myself.

Ailsa made me stay in the house most of the day out of the sun - that is because I have a bit of a bald patch on my nose and she does not want it sunburnt. Luckily there are lights in the garden so we can go out and play ball after dark when it is a bit cooler. I didn't like this hot weather and nor did Ailsa - she kept muttering about emigrating to Antarctica - she says that is a really cold place south of here. I hope she takes me with her because where she goes I go. Because it was so hot she decided to put whirly things called ceiling fans in all the rooms.

In one way this was good because I got three electricians to play with all day while she was out at work. They put the new whirly things in the ceilings in the bedrooms and living room and put some extra lights in the kitchen and garden. I really liked the young one whose name was Jason - he was an apprentice whatever that is. He had really short shorts and to show him I liked him I licked his legs all the way up. While he was lying down doing some wiring putting a new socket in, I got the chance to kiss his face. I think he liked me too because he threw the ball for me and patted me a lot. The other apprentice was called Winston and he is black like me – that was a surprise – I knew people came in different colours – pink, and grey and yellow and brown but I did not know they came in black – he said he came from Africa. He had really big hands and gave me great tummy rubs.

The bad thing was that I didn't like the whirly things in the ceiling and I decided not to go into those rooms even when they are off - I thought they might chop my head off. Ailsa was really worried – she tried bribes like leaving a trail of treats when they were off, she tried calling me over for a biscuit, she tried a dog psychologist, and in the end she told me that if I did not want to go into those rooms I could just live in the kitchen but it would be lonely because she would be in the other rooms. That made me think because I do like snuggling up with her for a cuddle so she kept the whirly things off for a while and I got up my courage and went in for a cuddle. The things did not come out of the ceiling so I let her put them on slowly. Then one day I realised that they were going to stay there so after that I was not too scared of them any more.

In February school started again so we went back. One Saturday Ailsa told me that the next day was my birthday and I would be 2 so we would celebrate. I did not remember a birthday from last year but Ailsa said my birthday present last year was Janine taking me off the farm and sending me down to a new home with her. Anyway, for breakfast Ailsa gave me a whole weisswurst sausage - I love them and usually I only get a little bit of hers. Then we went to dog school and all the dogs and their human chauffeurs sang "Happy Birthday woof woof" and we all had treats and the chauffeurs had cake. When we went home Ailsa gave me a big parcel and showed me how to open it - I knew it was something good because I could smell it. Inside there were more balls than I have ever seen and lots of rawhide chew bones and lots of dried liver. The balls were going everywhere and it took me ages to put them all safely in my toy box. For dinner we had roast chicken - my favourite and then Ailsa and I cuddled and talked until it was time for bed. What a great day - life does not get much better than this. I wonder when I can have another birthday.

Next time I will tell you all about how Ailsa and I went to Echuca to meet Kerrie and try out sheepherding.

The weekend after our trip to Sydney I went back to school for the second time in Intermediate. There was a really snappy Doberman in the class and he got a bit close to me and I snapped at him to make him stay away, the next thing I know I am told that to stay in school I have to go to Growl Class but he did not – it was absolutely not fair because he snapped first.

We had to go to Growl Class in addition to the other class which meant going twice a week. Growl Class was not fun because we had to do it in the cold in the dark with the lights on and the 10 other dogs in the class were mostly not very nice, particularly a really vicious Blue Heeler who tried to get me every time – I spent the whole class scared out of my skin. The only good thing was that I got lots of food treats and cuddles whenever other dogs came anywhere near me – we spent the classes practising getting closer and closer to other dogs without reacting. After 8 weeks of that I was more scared than ever and so Ailsa decided on a private tutor – he said I was the fastest reacting dog he had ever come across and I thought Ailsa would be proud of that but she was not – she thought it was a bad thing so she decided to take me to see a famous trainer called Steve in the Blue Mountains but we could not get in for a few months.

Ailsa finished a job in July and stayed at home with me for the next 3 months – that was so good because every day we went out in the car, to the shops, to the post office, to the market, to the lake for a walk. A new friend, Peter, came to stay with us because he was on holidays from China where he teaches people English. Ailsa and Peter taught me to play fetch with the ball and I love it – every day they would take me down to the dog club and we would have a game in one of the paddocks for an hour or more.

In October we had the ARF birthday party at our house – ARF stands for ACT Rescue and Foster and they rescue dogs from death row at the pounds and look after them in their own homes until the dogs find forever homes. They are really nice people and they make a big fuss of me whenever they come over to visit so I like them. It was really good because there were 40 doglovers and me so I got lots of attention and people kept slipping me little treats. Ailsa does some fundraising with ARF but she does not foster other dogs because she knows I would not like it.

By late November I had been with Ailsa for over 6 months and Peter had gone back to China. Dog school was on holiday until February so we had the summer for fun and we started doing a few trips together – I just love going in the car – we went to a few towns out West of here – just day trips looking for old glass and we went to the coast about 2 hours drive away where I got to play on the beach and run in and out of the waves and wave my tail at Grandma to say hello – Grandma is Ailsa’s Mum and she lives in New Zealand which is a long way away on the other side of the sea.

Ailsa said Christmas was coming and we would have more visitors – I like it when people come and stay and I entertain them just like Ailsa does. One day the boys up the road took me off to play in their garden with them and when they bought me home a big tree had grown in our living room and it was covered with lots of nice shiny things. I was really surprised because Ailsa is always complaining about how slowly plants in the garden are growing because Canberra has not had a lot of rain for several years. Just before I was born they had really bad bushfires and Ailsa’s house nearly burnt down so I don’t know how this tree grew so fast. I just loved the little shiny things on it – Ailsa said not to touch but I could not help myself and every night I took something off the tree and hid it for safety in my treasures shelf that Ailsa does not know about in the bottom of the bookcase. I got a big shock one night – there was a soft furry thing I had had my eye on and when I tried to pull it off the tree it started singing at me – Ailsa woke up and came out and told me it was a penguin which sings carols when you push its tummy and she told me not to be afraid of it.

One day Ailsa took me to the Pet’s Christmas Party at the RSPCA where we had icecream and I had a massage and I got to meet Father Christmas – he is a really important man who visits good children and dogs during the night on Christmas Eve and leaves them presents. I knew I had to be very good after that. My good behaviour must have worked because on Christmas Day when I woke up I had a lovely new kong, some new balls, a pile of dog treats and a special shiny red leather collar with white appliqué dog bones and a matching lead!

We had lots of people over for Christmas lunch – my old friend Mildred, Kris who came all the way from New Mexico to see me, Roderick who gives really good back rubs and Robin and her husband AJ and their little human puppy Toby who is 6 months old – I am Toby’s god dog. Babies like Toby are really interesting – they wriggle and make interesting noises and smell of all sorts of things. I’d like to play with him more but he is not big enough yet.

Anyway, that is enough for now – typing is hard on the paws – next time I will tell you about my birthday.

I promised to tell you all about my experiences at school. Ailsa chose the ACT Companion Dog Club for my education because it has great facilities – lots of fields and paddocks which they use for training and which can be used for exercise at other times.

My first teacher was called John and he was really nice and understanding when Ailsa told him about my background. He said straight up that I might like to do the first class twice which was very generous of him – that was to build my confidence for future classes. During the first term we learnt to do things like walking on a loose lead without tripping Ailsa up or pulling on the lead, sitting, dropping, waiting until I am told before eating dinner. I learnt it all and passed but in the middle was the unfortunate incident I referred to last time so John and Ailsa thought it would be a good idea to repeat this course. I did not mind because it meant that I got a good supply of little treats during the class and I was top of the class with my new teacher Greg next time around.

After that I moved into the intermediate class where we did more of the same plus coming when we were called, and learning to heel and drop and to stand for inspection. I was doing well but when we got to test day there was someone else as the teacher testing us. I am a really friendly dog and I like to greet people with a kiss, this teacher looked nice and unfortunately I chose to give her a kiss during stand for inspection. I did not think it was very fair that she failed me when I was trying to be friendly.

We had school holidays after that and Ailsa and my friend Mildred who is more than 10 dog years old decided to go to Sydney so Ailsa could collect some glass she had bought and they could meet Trish and Pauline for lunch on the beach. I had no idea what they were talking about but I was pretty pleased when they said come on, we are going to have lunch by the beach. I just love driving in the car – I have my own seatbelt – we always say “Click Clack front and back to keep us safe” when we do it up – and then I sit in the middle of the back seat so I can see in every direction and help Ailsa drive. I have my own waterbowl in the back and a supply of dog biscuits in case I get hungry.

This was early June and it was quite cold and foggy when we left Canberra very early in the morning – we drove for a long time and then stopped for coffee and water and an opportunity for me to stretch my legs at Berrima. Imagine my surprise when I got out of the car and the grass – which I know is supposed to be green – was all white and cold on my paws. Ailsa said it was frost and it would be warmer where we were going. We had coffee and dog biscuits outside a café under a heater and lots of people came over to pat me and told me I was beautiful.

It is a long drive from Canberra to Sydney and takes several days – we left Canberra just after night and drove to Berrima, then after a break we drove on just stopping for petrol, we went along the M5 towards the airport and suddenly it was dark so I thought it must be night and fell asleep. It did not feel as though I had been asleep very long before it was light again so I had to wake up. I was really surprised when I saw we were by the airport where I had changed planes on my way to live with Ailsa. I waved my tail hard and woofed hello to all the people there who had been nice to me. It was a bit of a shock though when we went under a bridge and there was a big rumbling overhead – Ailsa said it was a jumbo landing but I could not see any elephants. I barked loudly anyway to frighten it away.

Sydney is not like Canberra – it is very crowded with lots of cars and lots of people and no trees. It was slow driving through the city and then we were on a big metal thing that went across some water – Ailsa said it was the Harbour Bridge. I was shocked when this big noisy thing came towards us very fast and I barked and growled at it, fortunately it worked because it went by us instead of over us – Ailsa said there was no need to worry it could not get us because it had to run on tracks and could not move off them so as long as we stayed off its tracks we would be safe. Soon after we stopped at a house to collect Ailsa’s glass. There was a cat at that house and it batted my nose so I gave it something to remember me by, then Ailsa hustled me back into the car – a bit rudely I thought.

We set off driving again and went down a big hill, across another bridge with lots of water and things called boats floating in it and up another big hill, then Ailsa said she would show me where she used to live so we went and saw her old flat and then down another big hill to Manly – I was surprised because the houses ended and beyond there was just all this blue water – Ailsa said that was the ocean and it was bigger than Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

Next thing I know we are driving inside a house! To make it even more strange it was full of cars and we kept driving upstairs. I thought maybe I was dreaming. We went on up and up. Eventually Ailsa found somewhere to stop the car and we all got out and walked over to this little room. I wondered why we were just standing there when nothing interesting was happening when suddenly the walls slid together so there was no door and the floor started dropping away. I don’t mind admitting that I was scared and flattened myself on the floor to reduce the impact. I kept looking at Ailsa and Mildred wanting them to do the same and save themselves but they just stood there talking. Suddenly it stopped and the walls opened up again – I was not risking being caught in there so I bolted out. We had fallen down all those stairs and were at street level again! I think we were lucky nobody was hurt.

By now we were getting hungry and we were meeting Trish and Pauline in the Corso. We found a seat to wait for them and lots and lots of people stopped to pat me and ask about me. At one stage they were queuing up to make a fuss of me – I am sure the other dogs were jealous. One man even knew I was a Koolie – Ailsa said that was because he was from the Bush.

When Trish and Pauline arrived we decided to have fish and chips and eat them down by the beach. Ailsa and Mildred and I went and found a table overlooking the ocean. It was even bigger than I thought and between it and the land was a strip of funny gritty stuff and people were lying on it without many clothes on. Mildred said that was the beach and they were getting a tan and making their skin change colour and that dogs were not allowed there – I did not think that was very fair, I really wanted to go and give all those people a good licking.

An American man came along with his wife and his son and he said hello to me and said that when he was seven years old his daddy had come to Australia and taken a Koolie puppy back to California for him, so he knew what I was too. I gave him and his little boy lots of kisses.

Then it was time to get in the car to go home and we had to go into that little room again. I did not want to go but Mildred carried the parcels and Ailsa picked me up and carried me and told me it was safe and I would be alright. She had a last surprise for me – we drove a short distance and there was another beach with no people and she said this was a dog beach and I could go and have a run on it and go in the water if I wanted. There was no holding me back – I ran down – that gritty stuff is deceptive – it is soft and you sink in it unless you move fast, then I ran in and out of the water – it was lots of fun. I had to be rubbed down with the towel to get the gritty stuff out before I went back in the car.

After all this I was so tired I had to leave Ailsa to drive and I curled up and fell asleep. When I woke up we were still driving and it was very dark so it must have been the middle of the night. I told Ailsa I was hungry so she said we could stop and get some chicken. Yippee – my favourite. We stopped at a café that was full of children and we sat outside and shared some chicken and chips and lots of the children came out to say hello to me. After a quick walk around the car park it was back in the car and home to Canberra. I don’t know how long we were away but I think quite a time with all those dark nights but what a great trip.

Next time I will tell you some more about my education and my travels with Ailsa.

PERRY - MY LIFE AS A RESCUED KOOLIE

Hi Everyone

My name is Perry and I am a long coated Koolie – that sounds as though I am speaking at a Cat Chasers Anonymous meeting (“Hi, I’m Perry and it has been 6 hours and 23 minutes since I last chased a cat” – not of course that I have ever chased a cat – in fact Cleo the black cat from next door is one of my best friends). Koolies are a kind of Australian sheep dog but we are not the same as Australian Shepherds which are an American breed. We were one of the earliest types of Australian farms dogs. If you want to know more about us, look at www.koolies.org.

I live in Canberra with Ailsa now but I did not always live here – I was born on a farm a long way away in New England. The farmer did not like me and he was going to shoot me on my first birthday early in 2004 but this brave lady called Janine came and saved me and took me back to her house to stay with her husband and her dogs (she has a Koolie as well). It was so nice – they were kind to me and gave me good food to eat and pats and cuddles but she did insist on getting all the knots and matted bits out of my fur and giving me lots of baths. Janine told Kerrie who runs Koolie Rescue about me and they started looking for a new home for me – they even put my picture up on the internet.

About the same time that happened Ailsa’s last dog, a Border Collie cross called Amber, was dying from cancer and Ailsa was very sad – after Amber died Ailsa knew she had to find a new dog who needed a home who could help heal the hole in her heart which Amber had left. One of Ailsa’s friends, Paula, who rescues greyhounds and who had rescued Amber from the pound and given her to Ailsa, saw my photo on the internet and told Ailsa about me. Ailsa and Paula phoned Kerrie and talked to her and then Ailsa talked to Janine, soon Janine told me I was going to have a nice new home and she put me on a plane and sent me to Canberra. Actually I went on two planes because I went on a different one from Sydney, which was very exciting and a bit frightening because a few weeks earlier I had not even been off the farm. Lots of people came to talk to me and patted me.

When I got to Canberra Ailsa was there to meet me and while she was filling in some paperwork they took me out of my travelling crate so I could say hello to all the people working there and one man was having a nice roast beef sandwich for his lunch so I hopped on his knee and helped him eat it – I think he liked me because he said that if my new Mum did not turn up to collect me I could go home and live with him and his little girl.

Ailsa came in then and it was love at first sight – she says now that I was just so much more beautiful than she expected. She gave me lots of hugs and I gave her lots of kisses and then she took me for a ride in her car and took me home to what is now our house. She is about 8 ½ in dog years so she is old enough to look after me. She also has opposable thumbs which come in very handy for opening things like packets of dog treats.

We have a nice house with a big garden for me to play in and I have my own swimming pool. I also have a great big soft bed covered with sheepskins and Ailsa had lots of toys for me to play with and some food and water bowls. We also have house rules like no barking except in emergencies and four paws on the floor at all times and no jumping up to kiss people (I still have a lot of trouble with that one).

It was Easter when I arrived and lots of people came to meet me and say hello – I gave them all lots of kisses. Lots of Ailsa’s friends are members of ARF – ACT Rescue and Foster - and they rescue dogs from death row at local pounds and foster them in their own homes until the dogs find forever homes – just like Kerrie and Janine and Trudy do. Best of all were some small people – human puppies - I had not met any of them before and they were so much fun to play with. I especially liked Nicholas who was staying next door with his grandparents – Nicholas was 6 which was a bit younger than me in dog years but close enough for us to have a lot of fun together. We had a week together and Ailsa took me on walks and gave me lots of good food.

Ailsa cooks my food herself and often we have the same thing. Usually if she is having something nice to eat she gives me a bit and sometimes I give her the opportunity of a chew on one of my bones although she has never accepted the offer. My favourite meal is roast chicken with roast vegetables and lots of gravy and she makes sure we have that at least once a week and then I get the rest of the chicken later in the week. She bakes dog biscuits for me and also she has a machine that makes ice cream and there is often a bit left over which is my bit.

I was not used to having enough to eat and I used to take half of what she gave me and bury it in the garden in case I did not have anything to eat later but she said it was not necessary and there would always be a full bowl of food just waiting for me to eat when I was hungry. Since then my second food bowl has never been empty so I don’t bury things any more.

After Easter Ailsa had to go back to work and that is when I made a stupid mistake. In fact I think it would be a good idea if I took this opportunity to say to Ailsa that I am very sorry for a number of bad things I did, specifically:

Jumping over the 6 foot high garden fence and going to look for the children to play with, I could not find them and got lost, nearly got run down by a car and a bus, got attacked by some other dogs and ended up miles away lost and scared. Ailsa has told me she was very scared and frightened for me and she and her friends searched the area but could not find me anywhere, she went to the pounds, the RSPCA, rang all the vets, the radio stations, the police, and put advertisements in the local shops and the newspapers. In the meantime this family had taken pity on me and let me live in their garage and they fed me and said they would take me to the pound on Saturday if there was nobody looking for me. Fortunately on Saturday morning they saw Ailsa’s advertisement in the paper and rang her and she came and got me and took me straight to the vet to make sure I was OK. I was so pleased to see her that my tail nearly fell off from wagging and I gave her lots and lots of kisses.

I would also like to apologise for the chew marks on Ailsa’s dining chairs and her new coffee table and the skirting board in the hallway – I cannot claim I was hungry – I just like chewing and they tasted different from my chew toys and pigs ears.

I also may have made a mess on occasions when I did not really intend to, I am referring to the time that I thought my sheepskin was moving so I attacked it in case it was dangerous and lots of the wool came off, while I was attacking it my tail accidentally knocked a packet of tea bags off the kitchen bench into my water bowl, I tried to get them out and spread the wet tea bags across the carpet to dry, then I thought that if I opened the bags and spread the tea leaves around it would dry faster. I then had what seemed a really good idea and I opened a box of tissues and shredded them and scattered them through the loose wool and tea leaves so they could soak up the excess water in the tea. I can only say it seemed a good idea at the time. When Ailsa came home all she could do was walk around looking at it saying “Oh this is bad, this is so bad, so very bad”. I thought she might get really cross and hit me or send me away but she did not.

I have also occasionally chewed a few books and a few CD covers in the belief that they were dangerous.

I also chewed a pair of new sandals that Ailsa had not worn so that the strap was so thin that she could not wear them

I snapped at Erika who comes to clean our house when she leant over to pat me so that she got scared and would not come unless Ailsa was here – I can only say that I thought Erika was going to hit me and I was warning her off – we are good friends now though and she gives me a cuddle and throws the ball every time she comes.

Inadvertently starting a major dog fight at the dog club when I looked at some dogs in the off lead area – I did not realise I was staring and when one came towards me to tell me off I snapped at him because I was getting scared and then there were about a dozen of them getting stuck into me and Ailsa got bitten a lot getting me out of it and ended up crying. I felt dreadful and licked her face to show her I was sorry and she hugged me and cried some more.

Anything else I may have ever done which has caused Ailsa to worry or get upset.

I think that this is a pretty full confession – it is all I can remember anyway – so I hope now we can put it behind us and never mention it again.

About a month after I came to live with Ailsa she told me we were going to go to school together. I did not know dogs could go to school but she said it would be a lot of fun and I would get to make friends with other dogs. I will tell you all about that next time but not the dog fight incident again.