by Emily Layng
(photo credit to Emily Layng and John Straube)
The day of the September Handy Dog Sheepdog Trial 2026 dawned bright and beautiful after an unsettling week filled with Tornado warnings and actual tornadoes that tore down trees throughout the farm. John Straube spent many days with his chainsaw and tractor clearing the wooded area that provides access to the novice fields in anticipation of the trial. Thankfully, it was completed well ahead of the opening day Friday.
Victoria Lamont, co-owner with partner John Straube, and Viki Kidd, flock owner, and a team of volunteers spent one day setting up the courses and what seemed like miles of electro-net, and they did an admirable job in record time.
The judge was Carolyn West from Pennsylvania, and she did an amazing job - cool, calm and collected. Her attention to detail and encouragement to the novice groups was appreciated, and her positive attitude kept all us nervous newbies smiling.
The trial was run over the course of 3 days, which ensured that no day ran over long; the pace was measured and relaxed throughout the trial. Volunteers assisted in the pens (on Saturday) and with set-out throughout the trial. We were fortunate to have some very special assistance from the local 4H club, two of their members took advantage of an opportunity to miss school and managed the pens for Open and Ranch on Friday and Sunday. Avery and Brielle did a fantastic job. The sheep concur.
Friday was the first leg of Ranch with 9 entries and Open, with 34. The flock was a mixture of sheep and lambs, which provided a bit of a challenge and kept the dogs on their toes. One precocious lamb decided that the trailer was a better option than being moved around by scary dogs and retreated to the trailer at every opportunity.
Saturday began with the last leg of Ranch, followed by the Novice and Pro-Novice groups that ran in the lower fields, with 2 runs on the same day, which may seem long, but I think is actually easier on the younger dogs. It was a successful day and the judge allowed handlers, whose dogs required assistance, to complete the task at hand. This gives the dogs a sense of completion and an opportunity to learn instead of just being called off.
Once again the Learning and Development committee convened a Q&A session with an experienced Open handler at the end of the Novice day providing an opportunity for folks to ask questions. Topics included things like whistling, dealing with young dogs and slicing flanks. Everyone loves these sessions as there are always new takeaways for novice and experienced handlers. Saturday evening was the catered dinner, and was well attended. The food was delicious catered by Susan and James Martin, also from the 4H club. Awards were handed out after the meal; special mention to Carol Guy who was awarded the Pro-Novice overall award.
The Final day of the trial was the final open leg, and then the top 7 competitors from the two open runs were invited to participate in a Double-Lift. It is a rare event in this area of South Western Ontario, so this was quite a treat, to see this without having to drive for 4 or 5 hours! The competitors in the Double Lift were:
Tracy Hinton
Patrick Gosselin
Kevan Gretton
Victoria Lamont
Viki Kidd
Mary Thompson
Carol Guy
The run was 25 minutes, and consisted of Outrun 1, Outrun 2, a Cross Drive with all sheep, an international shed to end up with 4 of 6 collared sheep, and a pen. Sounds like a lot of time but runs felt like the shortest 25 minutes ever! There were several knuckle biting moments including Tracy Hinton racing to the
pen with 24 seconds to spare and made it, drawing cheers from the spectators. It was an incredible experience to watch these talented dogs and their equally talented human partners. Patrick Gosselin and Twm won the Double Lift.
Scores and running orders are posted on the Ontario Border collie Club Facebook page, be sure to check it out and take some time to look at some of the gorgeous photos taken by Norma de Rose, they are truly spectacular.
It really does take a village to run an event like this, from the gracious hosting of Victoria Lamont, John Straube and flock owner Viki Kidd, to the volunteers who manned the pens and helped setup, to the wonderful judge, Carolyn West, and finally to all the competitors who show up every year, a very big thank you!!!
