Two Beardies, Some Sheep and a few Borders

Bearded Collies Do Anything For An Egg Custard

As my Beardie Collie Ruskin followed me as a puppy on a window cleaning round he had to learn fast. At 14 weeks after his vaccinations he joined me. It proved impossible to have him on a lead and carrying a ladder, bucket, crate to stand on etc. So he used to trot in front, when [...]

Goodbye to Lovely Gillie

Sadly Gillie the Bearded Collie has died. He was on eof the dogs I went with to the Bearded Collies Show at Alva. He is one of the dogs on the herding Beardie site, whose link is on our information page.

My over riding memory of Gillie was walking into the hall  a few months ago. [...]

Bearded Collie: Coefficients of Inbreeding

Over at a Bearded Collie list/forum we were discussing Coefficients of Inbreeding and the programmes and methods used for calculating them. Elsa Sell pointed out that in 4 different programmes used, all gave different CoIs, despite being based on the work and formulae of Sewell Wright.
Elsa Sell noted that Sewell Wright’s Equation “considers duplicated ancestors [...]

Equipment Review: Boots for Beardie Walking?

A new start, a new phase of life must begin. Even trying to walk somewhere, when he was old, when he was back home waiting for me was hard. If it wasn’t the solitude, it was the overbearing sense that what I did was incomplete, that there was something missing. It was also mixed with [...]

Gene Pools and Co-evolution

For my own reasons I love Bearded Collies. These are some of  my present influences regarding gene pools and breeds etc. With some additions on evolution and co-evolution of humans and canids. 
Asthma on  Tristan da Cunha
Two articles on how genes for asthma at the start of an island’s colonisation have affected the community today.
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/153/6/1902
http://www.zamel.ca/tristan_article.htm
Cancer in Tasmanian [...]

The Song of Ruskin: The Beginning 3

Back to Part 2
Small silver grey spheres speckled his head and back, held complete and separate by an invisible force. Changing into larger drops and globs of a more transparent nature down his sides. Chest and legs were just simply wet from the early morning damp grass. I looked around and saw the tea towel. [...]

Leap of Faith

This article caught my eye. A police dog on the scent of a burglar jumped over a wall with a 40ft drop at the other side. This triggered a number of thoughts.
Ruskin was very rarely on a lead, even though I estimate we walked about 75,000 miles during our time together, probably only 1% or less [...]

Lost Dog in West Cornwall

Has anyone seen this little man. He went missing in the Carnkie-Wendron area of Cornwall post code area TR13.

Please look out for him, especially if you have outbuildings and sheds. He will probably be a bit scared and disorientated and his name is Monty
There is a reward for his return. If you have any information [...]

Magic Boxes, Horns, Thieves and Warriors

Ruskin has gone now, his earthly physical life ended. But in our time together he taught me many things. As one of the skills he never mastered was writing, perhaps it is left to me to write down his teachings for others to read. One trick he showed me was with the horn of a [...]