Princess!

I have written several times about my Border Collie Floss.  She is a wonderful dog who loves to work sheep.  A few days ago we went out to to a friend's ranch to try out different sheep in a new setting.  My friend's ranch sits on a hillside sloping down towards the Chehalis River.  She put out sheep for us in a 12 acre pasture.  The land there is cleaved by a drainage - a rivulet with low, steep banks.  At the edge of the field a culvert makes a dry crossing for their tractor.  Floss and I walked out to the far side, crossing on the tractor path.  The sheep were grazing on the other side.  We made our way up the hill and to the middle of the field until we were opposite the sheep.  I sent Floss out to the left.  She would be running clockwise down to the ditch and up the other side to the sheep.  She went very wide - over 30 yards wide so she could use the tractor crossing.  She got up the other side and came in well behind her sheep.  Pushing forward, she guided them down to the ditch and gave them a nudge to get across.  Then, to my surprise, she dashed to her right, all the way back to the dry crossing.  Safely across, she dashed back to the sheep, just catching up as they climbed through the brush growing on the bank.  In fine form, she came forward with her sheep, delivering them to my side.  The sheeps' legs were muddy.  Floss' feet were dry.  Princess!