The Aussie club (all other makes and models welcome too!)

[JudyB]

Looks like several of us have Aussies, so I'm starting a new thread.

Fangorn, that's such a funny video, Trace looks exactly like my Becker did when he was a puppy, but they look pretty different now. I don't know how you expect anyone to be able to look at the trees in the background... too cute.

And Royal lineage, love those "defects" don't you? I got one of my last pack of three that way, he had a dudley nose when he was a pup, but grew out of it. And my girl Beanie has a white mark on her side, a little racing stripe, and since she's a tri, it was dis-allowed too. So we got them for the blue light special.

I don't know how you can just have one, they're so crazy, and they are soooo amazing to watch playing with each other. You'd swear they're killing each other, but it's just the way aussies play.

We passed our canine good citizen test so we can be therapy dogs someday...

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Here's our Aussie...not holding our breath for her to graduate from anything soon. Don't let her fool you, she really isn't paying much attention to this thread-grafting lesson, there's a tennis ball just off-camera.

 

[JudyB]

Brian, looks like she's thinking how yummy that cut paste looks. mmmmmmm

 

[Fangorn]

I hope Trace's excitement of snow settles down just a bit as the winter goes on. It's hard getting him back inside, and when he does, he's whining by the door to go out again

 

[Bonsai Nut]

 

[JudyB]

Bnut, what a cute puppy clump! Fangorn, mine do the same thing about wanting to go back out, sometimes because they ate so much snow they have to pee...

This dog def. didn't go digging around in the creek, - wasn't her - no way....

 

[Fangorn]

We have two cats, and while one wants nothing to do with the dog, Ivan (the terrible) seems to be OK with him

 

[JudyB]

Ivan doesn't look very terrible to me.
who's a big sweetie....

 

[Fangorn]

Ivan doesn't look very terrible to me.
who's a big sweetie....

He originally got his name because we got him during Hurricane Ivan. He got "The Terrible" added to his name because of his habit of knocking things off the counter when he wants to go out. It's particularly annoying when you're up in bed and hear things crashing off the counter.
On the good side, we have gotten a new set of glasses because of it, and everyone is more diligent of not leaving things on the counters that can break.
Get him outside and he's a wonderful cat. He follows you around and will come running every time you call him over.
He also looks the part from our neighbor shooting one of his eyes out with a pellet gun when he was hanging around his bird feeder watching the birds

 

[JudyB]

I think that your neighbor is the terrible one! Funny habit Ivan has, that's a new aussie habit I've never heard of.

 

[Fangorn]

I think that your neighbor is the terrible one! Funny habit Ivan has, that's a new aussie habit I've never heard of.

Sorry Judy I should have been more clear, Ivan is the cat with my dog Trace.
And yes, my neighbor is an idiot. We were sitting out on our back deck eating dinner when it happened and saw the whole thing. He was given a choice of the cops or the bill, and when he chose the bill, we made sure we spared no expense

 

[JudyB]

Ah, now it is all making sense. We have stupid neighbors too. (at least they're a few acres away, but we share a fenceline) The kids think that aiming bb guns at dogs is great fun. But they're scared of me now, at least for the moment.

 

[PaulH]

Not Aussies. But my girls are still herding dogs.
They herd sheep, but prefer frisbees and herding the water from the hose when I water trees.

Bonnie (McNab)

Katana (Border Collie)

 

[JudyB]

Hey Paul, what is a McNab? They both look like very high energy dogs. And smart enough to know how to get what they want! Do you have sheep for them?
Mine herd water every chance they get too....

 

[PaulH]

McNabs are herding dogs very similar to Border Collies. They originated in Mendocino County California. Alexander McNab began herding sheep there in the mid 1800s and brought collies (predecessor of both border Collies and Mcnabs) with him. He began a breeding program crossing collies with other breeds to develop a dog suited to the ranching conditions in the hilly, brush - covered Northern California Coastal area. Mcnabs are bred to think more independently than Border collies as they needed to work far from the handler and find and bring the livestock in. They are also different from Border Collies in that they bark when herding, allowing them to be located. They have smooth, tight coats to avoid the burrs and stickers that abound in Norcal. ( Katana is the smooth - coat variety of Border Collie with a coat more like a Mcnab's). They have longer legs than Border Collies and usually more erect ears.
Both of my girls herd my sheep. and yes, they're smarter than I am! The trouble is that they get bored easily and do things like biting holes in my hoses so they can play in the water.

 

[Fangorn]

Trace spends a lot of time in the water now that it's been getting hotter out. Here's a picture I took of him in the brook behind our house. I think it came out pretty cool considering it was just taken with my cellphone

 

[Fangorn]

Another cellphone picture.
When I take them with my cellphone I'm not really expecting anything that great, but when I go back and look it them on my computer lots of times they surprise me how good they look

 

[JudyB]

Those mcnabs sound like they'll keep you on your toes.

Great pics of trace, he looks a lot like my becker but with a body more like my beanie... Nice brook!

 

[Fangorn]

My dog acts like a little kid on the first day of snow all the time

 

[JudyB]

Mine too. Great photo! Trace is looking all grown up.