LAKEWOOD – Sheep in north Snohomish County beware, it’s time for sheepdog trials again.
Actually, the sheep have nothing to fear, but you wouldn’t guess that by looking at the laser stare of Haig.
The 8-year-old border collie got some practice Wednesday for a competition starting today that brings about 40 handlers and their dogs to Lakewood.
Brian Ricards, an organizer, said it is the largest sheepdog trial in the Northwest, drawing competitors from Canada, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska, California and Montana.
Haig and his handler, Joe Haynes, showed how it’s done.
Haig waited on his belly like a coiled spring, jaw on front paws, never diverting his eyes from several sheep 25 yards away.
On command, he was up in an instant, looping in a wide arc to get the sheep between Haynes. Subtle commands and gestures sent the dog forward, left and right, sometimes pausing. The sheep, heads swiveling, kept about 5 or 10 feet in front of Haig.
That safe distance is called the “flight zone,” Ricards said.
“It’s a lot like playing tag,” Haynes said.
The competition has drawn hundreds of people in past years, because it’s a good spectator sport, said Lorri Schubert, also an event organizer.
“Kids love it,” Ricards agreed. “They get to pet the dogs. Adults like it because anything can happen, and it often does.”
That’s because they try to make the trials difficult, using lambs and ewes that don’t mix well and aren’t accustomed to dogs. The dogs also have to guide the sheep long distances, up to 450 yards.
“If it’s a tough trial” and the dog or handler slips up, Ricards said, “the dog will literally get walked off the field by the sheep.”
Looking at Haig’s stare, he didn’t seem worried.
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
Sheepdog trials
Dawn to dusk, today, Saturday and Sunday in a field between 19th Avenue NE and 23rd Avenue NE in Lakewood. (The field is a quarter-mile down 23rd Avenue on the right.)
Admission is $2. On-site camping is available (no hookups).
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