Hello WASH Members! I have been a member of WASH for a long time, but this
is my first opportunity to be on the board. I worked full time and commuted
to Seattle for 40 years working for King County. I am grateful to be able to
retire from a job I loved and now have more time for fun and a lot less
stress. I first dabbled in sheep herding almost 20 years ago with my
Australian shepherds. They participated mostly to make me happy. They were
relieved when I got my first border collie, Shep, 16 years ago. I now have
two BCs named Cooper and Nan and we also have our own small flock of sheep
and a guard llama named Bob. I mostly trial in Washington, Idaho, Oregon,
and Northern California. I have had the good fortune to train with several
amazing people and look forward to having more time to train and trail.
Cooper and Nan are on board. When not sheep herding, we enjoy hiking,
traveling, cooking, gardening, and biking. This photo was taken while hiking
near Joshua Tree National Park last winter. I live on Vashon Island with my
wonderful husband Larry James. I know many WASH members and look forward to
meeting more of you. 

I started herding with my GSD, Cody doing boundary work in 2010 and has since snowballed into border collies and open-field trials. I now own 4 Border Collies and a small hobby sheep farm in Molalla, OR. We have raised Clun Forest sheep and chicken for the last 3 years. When I am not herding and taking care of the farm, I work full-time providing massage to canines and their owners out of my home. I have had the opportunity to travel with AKC for their FCI agility world championships in 2018 and 2019.

Having had Border Collies for most of my life, I always aspired to try herding. This dream became a reality when I started taking lessons at Fido’s with my rescue Border Collie, Brody. A few years later, I had the incredible opportunity to welcome Mnx, an outstanding Open dog raised and trained by Corinne Berg, into my life. Mnx's arrival was a turning point, solidifying my passion for herding and transforming my life in unexpected ways.

I am deeply passionate about this sport and believe our community is the best, most supportive group imaginable. I am grateful for the many people who have supported me throughout my journey. It is an honor to serve the WASH membership, and I hope to give back to the sport and the wonderful community that has given me so much.

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I like many others started out with horses and moved on to dog sports. I started in dog agility in 2001 with Labradors. I got my first Border Collie, Wyatt, in 2005 for agility, but he had other ideas. That is when I got hooked on herding. I currently have 4 border collies and a small flock of 9 sheep. The two younger dogs are competing. Bae is in PN and Ren is just starting out. I hope I can show others that no matter what life throws at you keep going and try to follow your dreams. I’m looking forward to the next year with my herding family.

May 2020, during the height of Covid, I laid eyes on a working Border Collie for the first time. Eight weeks later, I brought home my first one. Herding was not an expected outcome on my initial journey, but now I couldn't imagine doing anything different. 

My very first trial was September 2023 at Fido's with a lovely dog I call Jojo. We were both brand new, wildly unprepared, and so nervous to try something new, but we did it anyway. We didn't do great, but we did it, and we were hooked, and we kept going. There were a lot of ups and downs with countless steps forward and a lot of stumbling backwards. We kept practicing and improving though and together we won the Novice division at MacDonald's Winter Series and were WASH Novice Reserve for 2023.  

I join WASH as a new handler excited by all the sport, and the people in it, has to offer.

Dogs have always been a big part of my life. I've had German Shepherds, showed my Belgian Sheepdog in confirmation, and then started her in agility, and then thought I'd get a less hyper breed...haha... so I got an Aussie for agility. At that point, a friend told me he didn't think he'd do well with a dog that’s smarter than him. He had a point! I've always been drawn to working dogs and continued that with my first Border Collie. When a friend suggested we get our Border Collies instinct tested for herding, off we went and that was the start of my herding adventure. What a challenge! Add a dog that's smarter than me, with sheep that are smarter than most give them credit for, to different fields that offer their own challenges, and the word persistence comes to mind. I love it! To see the instinct of a Border Collie at work with sheep out in a beautiful field is awesome. Add great people to spend time with and it's a great sport!

WASH has provided me with so much support and opportunity to learn and grow in the sport. I'm excited to serve on the board and help create support and opportunities for other members.

Nearly six years ago as a newly minted retiree I had with extra time on my hands and was looking for a Duck Toller to get into some sort of dog sport. However, it was explained to me that what I really wanted was a Border Collie by someone who just happened to be expecting a litter of BC pups. "The dogs are really intelligent and can do almost anything" and as a bonus she had a friend that lived close by who did herding clinics at her house. I thought that although I know absolutely nothing about herding, it sounded interesting, and the deal was sealed. Fast forward to now and I have three sheep of my own and am working with my second dog. Any success that I've had is directly attributable to the organizations and incredible people I've met along the way with their extensive knowledge and infinite patience. What a great way now to try to give back just a little by helping a terrific group like W.A.S.H further the sport.