Fond Memories of Mel Five Years Ago

Mel at her last sheepdog trial in July 2011

Many of you will remember Mel as one of the great sheepdogs we’ve had the pleasure of living and working with. Sadly, Mel passed away in March of this year, but she’s far from being forgotten.

Her daughter Carew may have been easier to control in a delicate situation, and indeed Mel was not an ideal trials dog because she was too “pushy”, but when it came to common sense and getting practical work done with difficult sheep, Mel never failed.

This is Mel’s final outing at Powick Sheepdog Trial (Worcestershire) in July 2011. It was a boiling hot day, and the ageing Mel was clearly exhausted by the time the awkward sheep reached the “Shed” stage, so I retired her from the competition. I don’t regard this as a failure on Mel’s part. I miscalculated the demands the heat and the sheep would put upon her.

It wasn’t a great run by any means but as ever, Mel gave her very best.


BORDER COLLIE SHEEPDOGS – OFF DUTY! (DVD)

WATCH THIS TRAILER!

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Watch Pearl and our other dogs in action on this preview of our first DVD Border Collie Sheepdogs – Off Duty! (You’ll love it.) The DVD is available from our Online DVD Store. The price includes shipping worldwide – and we automatically ship the correct format for your country. More info.


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