Powder River Examiner -

"You don't choose the puppy, the puppy chooses you."

-Harold Draine

The namesake of the dog trials was inspired by my grandfather, Harold Draine, whom had a love and passion for the Border Collie. He was a very well known reputable breeder and shared his furry friends with other border collie lovers across the globe. If anyone knew and remembers my grandfather like I do, he would always greet you with a strong handshake, probably a pat on the back, a smile and a twinkle in his eye whenever he talked about his puppies. I grew fond of all the puppies as most kids do, and though I don't remember much, I do however remember crying occasionally whenever one that "I named" would go to a new family. Amongst these early memories of grandpa Harold, was a memory of a sheep dog trial in Hulett, WY where Harold was the judge. It wasn't very often that I got to go along with dad and grandpa, but for some reason I got to go on this trip and maybe it was for this exact reason...to carry on a legacy.

The Big Sky Memorial Dog Trial started out as a vision and a dream that finally became a reality with the help of so many. The PR County Fairboard, of which I am currently a member of, was looking for new ideas to integrate into our fair for the upcoming year. So in January this idea for the dog trial popped into my head. Thus came about the Big Sky Memorial Dog Trial.

Many of the handlers who contacted me to register also informed me about their dog's lineage, and were proud to be representing Harold Draines' Big Sky Border Collie bloodline at a trial in memory of him. At one point I had 42 entries, but many had to bow out because of the tremendous hay crop we are having this year, and I don't blame them for that! Ultimately we ended up with 34 entered handler/dog duos for the day of the performance, which for a 1st time trial was an excellent turnout, from what I've been informed. Many are also planning on returning, and the ones who were unable to attend plan on coming next year.

I researched and was directed to numerous individuals to assist me on how to take on this endeavor. There are various ways to set up sheep dog trials I found out, such as having a sanctioned course in which the contestants get points that go towards a tally in every sanctioned trial they attend, but I opted for a different approach.

The handler/dog duos were judged in a time limit, which was specific to each course presented to them. The handlers had to stay at their "post" and instruct their dog through the course following a pattern, until the sheep had passed a point in which the handler could then leave their post and assist the dog. They were also judged on how the sheep passed through the obstacles, in which they received a certain number of points per each sheep that passed through each obstacle, therefore each course pattern was worth a different amount of points.

The definition of teamwork - Charles Jarrard and his dog, Queen, work together to pen a group of sheep. The team won the Top Dog Competition at the Big Sky Memorial Dog Trial, held last Wednesday in Broadus

The classes were decided by how practiced the dog was at maneuvering the sheep through the obstacles. We had the Open Ranch class (pro), Intermediate class, and Novice class (beginners). Each class winnings is based on a payout schedule common to other dog trials. Based on the number of entries per class, a corresponding percentage of the entry fee was returned. The winners for the Open Ranch Class were, 1st Allison Jarrard, 2nd Nancy Creel, 3rd Cheryl Barker, 4th Dana Ingalls. Intermediate class were 1st Jeanne Bulkley, 2nd Sue Noll, 3rd Wendy Auzqui, 4th Cheryl Barker. And the Novice Class winner was eleven year old Emma Spring. We also decided to do a Top Dog Competition in which the dogs with the highest points, then fastest time, were asked to come back to do another run. Top Dog Winners were in 1st place Charles Jarrard, 2nd was Dana Ingalls, and in 3rd Cheryl Barker.

We also incorporated a "Fun Dog Race" in which spectators could bring their dogs and have a quick race, based on the dog size, for a prize while waiting for the Top Dog show. Winners of this were Kolton Williams with Shadow, and Drew Arithson and Nova.

I hope the spectators enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. I want to thank everyone who helped out with this whether it was brain power, muscle, participating as a contestant, monetary donations, and moral support in believing this dream could become a reality. Thank you everyone and I look forward to writing another article for next year.