#554 Solider Hollow Classic Sheepdog Championship

Today was the first day of the Labor Day weekend. I wanted to go somewhere and I knew where I wanted to go. Here's what happened when I asked the boys if they wanted to come:

MT: Absolutely not. I have no interest whatsoever in going there.

T: I don't want to go anywhere and you can't make me. (That was soooo Summer T talking.)

Since I have become accustomed to these types of responses, I do not let the fact that no one from my family will come with me and I headed out. My destination: the gorgeous Heber valley to see the Soldier Hollow Classic. The big draw there is the sheep dog trial championship and the dock diving dogs competition.

It was a beautiful day. The temperature was right around my ideal, about 82 degrees. It was warm, but not overly so. The Classic coincides with Swiss Days in Midway, and there was a lot of traffic in the area. However, although there were a lot of people at the Classic, it wasn't overly crowded.

Here's a picture of the general area:

Over on the left there is where the dock diving competition was held. You walked down a paved trail to where the sheep dog trials were being held. It took less than five minutes, but it was a little steep. If you have trouble walking, they had a little golf cart shuttle you could ride between the areas. I didn't use it, but I liked that it was there.

The sheep dog trial was interesting. Five free-range sheep are released up on the hill. When the sheep are in place, the dog is released from below in the main area. The dog, mainly border collies, has to run up the left side of the hill and come around behind the sheep, herding them down the mountain. Along the way, the dog has to guide the sheep through a gate in some fence panels. If all five sheep don't go through the opening, points are deducted. The dog then herds the sheep toward the handler and around a pole, then back up the hill, through another gate. After that, they go back across the field, through another gate and back to the main area where the handler and the dog separate the sheep into two groups. That's called "shedding." When that's done, the dog and the handler have to get the five sheep into an enclosure. When the sheep are enclosed, the trial is complete. All that has to be done in 13 minutes or less.

Here's what I learned today: sheep don't always follow directions. The first five dogs I watched weren't able to get the sheep into the enclosure. I think I only saw one or two dogs that were able to herd their sheep through all the gates. I was surprised that only one dog bit a sheep (resulting in disqualification of the dog) because the sheep are irritating. Talk about patience! There were several dogs that weren't able to accomplish all they had to do in the allotted time. And I never knew that I would get so excited when the dog was able to do all the stuff in the time. The dogs are pretty amazing.

There was a drawback to all of this, and it was the constant whistling. Whistling is how the handler communicates with the dog. It's pretty remarkable, actually.

Here's some pics:

Bringing the sheep down the mountain.

shedding

herding the sheep into the enclosure

cooling off after working hard

There were lots of other things going on all during the trials. The place is full of delicious food, and vendors selling everything from hats and t-shirts to jewelry and Navajo rugs. There was also demonstrations by police K-9 units and sled dogs, and a small petting zoo and pony rides for the kiddies.

There was also the Dog Diving competition. This is where the owner gets the dog all psyched up then throws the dog's toy into a pool and the dog launches itself into the water to get the toy. The leap is measured and the dog with the longest leap wins, or at least advances to the next round.

The diving dogs were mostly labradors and golden retrievers, but there was an occasional Jack Russell Terrier other dogs I couldn't identify. The owners were almost as much fun to watch as the dogs. Here are some of my favs:

The lady didn't kick her dog in the water, but I guess she thought a little extra kick wouldn't hurt

How cute is this little guy? Look at his ears flying! He loved it!

This dog didn't have the longest leap, but he certainly had the most style

Then there was this dog who really wanted the ball but did not want to jump into the pool to get it. I love the owner's expression. Everyone was cheering for the dog, and the pup started howling and barking at the water. I think the kid finally pushed the dog in.

I had a really enjoyable day. I've wanted to go up to this event since I saw an ad for it in the paper last year, but we were doing something else and I missed it. I'm really glad I didn't let the fact that no one in my house wanted to go with me stop me from spending the day there!