Grazing Through July

Our Alberta weather continues to entertain us with hail, rain showers, thunderstorms and the sun playing "peek-a-boo". Mother nature has a way to balance "just what we need"  sometimes. The rain has been keeping our pasture lush and moist for the cattle and helping our grazing zones stay fresh and flourished with clover. 

July has been a busy month. The cattle are content and the Canaan Crew  are happy to tend to their ranch chores. Ash and I were also glad to fit in a day of Tracking with our comrades at Red Deer College.

Some random pics from the week.

""Howdy Boss!" Miss Lulu B. Bovine #17 greets me at the gate

Lulu B #10 and 12 are  ready for their roll call

A few of the gals share some jokes with me as I put back the gate

Some of the Lulu B's enjoying their all-you-can-eat dinner buffet - our rain showers continue to keep the rotational grazing zones lush and full of clover

The herd grazing among  our beautiful Alberta skies

The bovine brigade gets ready to take cover in the bush as the storm approaches

The storm clouds surrounding my homestead

Miss Cybelle standing guard on the post where the crew loves to watch over their herd

Ash is proud to find her article at her tracking session

Lynn and Quila focusing on their track

Kristine and Teah working hard on their track 

The Tracking comrades - Me, Lynn and Kristine having a lunch break at Boston Pizza after Tracking practice

Some of the Lulu's saying "hello" when I get home

"Wilderness Tracking” With Macc’s daughter “Sara” in BC"

Meet the lovely and  Talented Miss "Sara" - "A working girl following her daddy's pawprints-  she also has the "eyes" that are deeper than an ocean" - a phrase that  was coined by so many that knew our "Macc" - meaning this girl has an old soul beyond her years and needs to be understood and worked! Which her owners are doing beautifully!!!

Whether it be “Stockdog” or “Tracking” sensibilities, big daddy Macc appears to have passed along the “working” gene to his progeny. Maccabee X Remmie’s daughter “Sara”, lovingly owned by David, Debbie and Skyla Wagner of British Columbia, is happiest when she can track to her heart’s content.

David sent me this wonderful piece on Sara’s early training (from ground up) in wilderness tracking. Thanks David! The AB crew and I are proud of your dedication and passion with your working girl! We look forward to your piece on Sara's advanced training in tracking and her SAR training.

SARA'S EARLY TRAINING IN TRACKING

"We began tracking with Sara when she was 6 months old. Our very first class was on her 6th month birthday.  Although we were not sure she was mature enough to stay on task we went for it anyway. Our first class was an introduction to "wilderness tracking." The session was five weeks.

As with any beginner, we started with very short tracks, about 10 feet long. We began shuffling our feet and dropping a treat in short intervals. This was to encourage our dogs to put their nose to the ground and follow each footstep. Sara was very focused and eager to work. Each week we would increase the length of the track and started to incorporate "S" (Serpentine") tracks. We progressed to shuffling during the start of the track and to mark a turn, and took short steps in between. By the end of the 5th week the tracks were about 30 feet long and included a 90 degree turn.

We were very happy with Sara's natural ability to track and her need to work. We also enjoyed being out in the forest and learning with her. The biggest difference in the tracking we do here compared to other places is that it's mostly done in the forest. We live in North Vancouver, a suburb of Vancouver, B.C. Our city sits at the base of three mountains, Cypress, Grouse and Seymour. Due to our geographic location we don't have large open fields, but we do have a lot of forest, creeks and valleys." Onward and upward with TRACK STAR " Sara".

Miss Sara on her homestead

Miss "Sara" Pretty, talented and athletic

In Keeping with the "Tracking" Theme lately: 

Two days ago, I put "Ash" back to work to "Track" down the cattle tag of our first loss on the ranch last week. I had forgotten to cut off the tag of Miss Lulu B "number 1" after we had to relocate her to the boneyard. I had tried myself to hunt it down and revisited  the bog where she drowned. I then figured the tag must have fallen off en route some where between the bog and the boneyard.  

After booting around on my quad with no success of finding the tag, I brought out my Track Star "Ash". I asked her to follow me to the boneyard so she could take in the scent of the remains. I gave Ash her tracking command "Go find" and off she went nose to ground scenting the track where Dean and I had dragged the miss-fortunate Lulu.  I followed behind Ash on my quad as she lead me back to the bog which is approximately 500 feet from the boneyard. At this point I thought perhaps one of the predators had dragged off the tag during their dining hours. I decided to inspect the bog again but still "no tag." Meanwhile Ash sniffed around the bog and disappeared behind an Aspen. I ventured over to the tree where Ash was now lying down and sniffing something between her paws. "Jackpot!" A Big Red Tag with the Number 1 imprint. Ash is definitely earning her keep on the ranch between cattle chores and tracking down my lost articles:-) 

Ash poses nonchalantly with the missing tag

Early July Ranch Ramblings - "A Tragic Comedy in Two Parts" (Part Two)

PART TWO - Ash and the Technologically Challenged Track

More and more I have come to appreciate the time spent in training "The Crew" - from stockdog work to tracking practice. Over the past week, the natural talents and skills of my loyal crew members continue to be put "to the test".


Miss Ash was "on her game", last Tuesday, when called upon to track down my cell phone that was lost on my neighbour's ranch for two days.


LESSON ONE to be learned: Do not put your only phone in a  jacket with shallow pockets when checking on neighbour's herd while your truck is stuck in a bog and you have to walk back through waist-high grass, roll under a cattle chute and forget where you had walked!  Keeping one's sense of humour and utilizing the work ethic of a canine companion will strengthen your belief in a positive outcome! Well, at least that's what Ash told me:-) And, "for the love of the land, she was right.

For fun, I went back to the proximate track to take some pics of the scene of the crime. Ash had picked up the scent of everywhere I had stopped or walked and found my phone in less than 20 minutes without any visual imprints of my steps. My beautiful "track star" saved me time and money! 

My easy, breezy "Track Star" Ash

Ash says "No worries Boss, glad to help you out."

CLICK HERE for PART ONE of Our Early July Ranch Ramblings

Early July Ranch Ramblings - "A Tragic Comedy in Two Parts" (Part One)

PART ONE - "Courage is not the absence of fear or despair but the ability to conquer them."


The past Canada Day Long Weekend gifted us with beautiful weather for tending to various ranch chores. My neighbour and his granddaughter graciously dropped by to help me install another electric fence and patch up some more fencing so I could move the Lulu B. Bovines and bulls to mow down my pasture on the east side of the entrance. After, Rook and Ash helped "moo've" the herd to their new grazing zone, I potted a few plants to splash up the homestead with a bit of flora.

Next up "on our planet of chores" was to cut the grass in the yard where the deck is an "off-limit- to-beef zone." The Canaan Crew was particularly delighted to view the aftermath of their freshly cut yard . They decided it was a good hang-out to relax and groom themselves after getting down and dirty "moov"ing the herd through some sloughs.


In the evening, the cries of the coyotes were almost too over-powering, so I let the crew out for the entire night to keep the predators at bay. In the morning I noticed that the crew was frantically racing between two zones - the one closest to the home where the herd takes refuge from the sun and the furthest grazing zone at the end of the quarter. As I ventured out to check the fencing and do the routine head count of the herd I started to get annoyed at the dogs since they were preventing the herd from going into this one shaded area. As I rode out on my quad I noticed a Lulu had drowned in a new bog in the zone that that the dogs were feverishly protecting. My first loss on the ranch. I should have listened more closely to the crew who had worked all night to alert and keep off the coyotes from the carcass. 


 CLICK HERE for PART TWO - "How Ash Saved Me from spending more money on getting a new cell phone!"


Below are a few snapshots from the past weekend of my Crew and my friend Denise's Crew whom we visited after her branding session on her ranch in Markerville. 

The herd grazing under the ocean-wide skies

Rook and Ash tending to the herd so we can  "moo've them to their next grazing zone

Adding a bit of  splash to our yard fencing

Master Rook inspects the quality of my craftsmanship 

Our amphibian friend  

Master Rook takes a break from his busy schedule to pose  with a new deck plant with our Guard Bear "Jasper"

"These Boots Where Made for Walking! 

Denise's young steers after their branding session sporting their  "Smiley face" brands:-)

Denise's Aussie Boy "Blue"

And her Aussie gal Miss "Maddy"

Tracking Along With “Ash” & Her Comrades - "Searching For The Pot of Gold"

This past Saturday we met our tracking comrades, Lynn, Lorrie and Kristine at Red Deer College for another group training session. The field and weather conditions were the best we have had in  all the months of training. We have tracked in snow and ice, difficult terrain, chilly temps and fields full  of sloughs  with an assortment of critters and their droppings. Tracking in harsher conditions seems to be paying off when working our dogs on an ideal day which is seldom and few in between -  especially in Alberta when the weather can change every five minutes!

After a brief rainfall in the morning, the sun awoke and burst through the ocean-wide skies. She presented us with a field moist and lush with veg and embraced us with perfect temperatures for the day.  

Once the blind tracks were plotted ( we did 2 tracks per team with 3 to five corners), each track- layer followed behind the dog/handler team to watch and record mental thoughts as they ran their tracks. Since these are “training” sessions, the track-layer has to be prepared to assist the team with any difficulties – like all venues of training, one needs to concentrate on setting up you and your dog for success, and give guidance on working out any obstacles. The tracking comrades continue to offer each other support as we track along with our wonderful working dogs. Even on a perfect day with ideal weather conditions the dog has to work with distractions - traffic in the distance, scenting along sheds and fencing, sirens, transitioning up and over hills, and one gopher for Ash who did one pounce then got immediately back to work.

It certainly was a great sight to see each dog team dedicated to their tracks, working smoothly with  their corners, and scenting for the ultimate “pot of gold” at the end – “the stranger’s missing article.

Since it was a beautiful day, we decided to “top it off” at Starbucks in Red Deer for a cold coffee beverage. It was nice to have Lorrie join us since she could not make it to our last group session on my ranch.

Below is a collective effort from all the comrades of some favourite pics from our session. We even had time to assist Lynn in some SAR (Search & Rescue) training with her golden girl “Quila” after a successful day of tracking. 

Ash finds the  "pot of gold"  (Kristine's missing mitten ) at the end of her track laid by Kristine

Ash  moves smoothly and thoughtfully along her second track of the day

Kristine and her rottie gal "Teah" track up and over hills 

Lorrie & her GSD "Zevah" keep dedicated to the track with lots of  traffic distractions

Lorrie and her afghan boy "Shamar" concentrating on his blind track laid by Lynn

Lynn and "Quila" dedicated to their blind track laid by Lorrie

Lynn praises her girl after a successful search and rescue session 

The Tracking Comrades enjoying their cold beverages at Starbucks 

Lynn introduces me to the Vanilla Bean Frappacino and apparently seems to be quite proud of that:-)

My "easy, breezy cover girl" Ash at home on the range after a great day of tracking with her comrades