Dogs of the past... Duncan







This lovely old boy was my Dancing Duncan. This photo was taken about a month before he died from pancreatic cancer, just 2 weeks after his 14th birthday. As I wrote about him after he died, he was my heart, my soul and my dance partner. He was Kastle's son, out of a litter of just 2 boys. He and his brother Flurry turned into amazing legacies of Kastle and Kate. But for the longest time, I didn't want to give him the training and time he so desperately wanted because Kastle was my main dog. But I had a very sage friend, Thank you Shane... tell me to give him a chance to be my partner too. That chance came when Kastle was injured and required shoulder surgery for a rotator cuff-type injury. If I wanted to work a dog, it had to be Duncan. Born in a barn on July 1, 1992, I had no idea the path we would travel then. I just knew that I wanted a Kastle daughter and got 2 boys instead. One of which stayed and one of which headed to OH.

Duncan was a quick, bright and eager learner. He adored me and wanted nothing more than to be with me. I couldn't see that at first. His training came easily, too easily at times, and so we quickly became partners. Kastle, who was out for more than 6 months with his surgery and recovery, was now the one on the back burner. Duncan turned into an amazing obedience dog, earning his CD in both UKC and AKC handily and with placements. He also earned his Open titles in both as well as his UD in AKC. And when Rally came, he earned his RN with perfect 100 scores. He was a perfectionist, always wanting to be right. He had multiple HITs in obedience and earned the right to compete at one of the last Eastern Obedience Regionals in the country. Although we didn't place, he got a score of 199 1/2 in the last round.

It was there that I saw canine freestyle as a demonstration for the very first time during lunch break. I was fascinated by how classic obedience moves along with "tricks" could blend so beautifully to music. The pair that made the most impact on me was a woman with her Rottweiler that performed to Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings". It moved me to tears and to have a burning desire to try this new sport. We got the opportunity later that same year during the UKC Centennial Shows in Kalamazoo, MI. Pupperoni sponsored a freestyle funmeet on one of the evenings and I entered both Kastle and Duncan. Little did I know where that would take us!

At that funmeet, I met some wonderful people, had no idea what I was doing, but still ended up placing 1st and 2nd with the boys in our division. I WAS HOOKED!!!!! My musical and dog loving backgrounds had found a common place to combine. Who would have thought? While Duncan truly enjoyed the freestyle, Kastle was not as enthralled and went back to his favorite things, which was okay. Duncan and his quiet personality seemed to blossom when freestyle became part of his life. I loved it... Freestyle became part of our everyday training and warm-up for going into the obedience ring. It relaxed both of us and put us in tune with each other (no pun intended <G>). It was that same year in September that we brought freestyle to the Highland Games for the very first time. People were amazed...

One October day, Duncan and the other dogs were out playing in the yard with my husband as I ran errands. The next day we were to leave for a freestyle competition in VA. Duncan chased a tennis ball, cried out and went down, unable to get up again. When I came home, I found a paralyzed dog and a husband sitting on the floor in tears with Duncan cradled in his arms. We had no idea what happened to Duncan and the why was a mystery at first. A quick call to our vet at home prompted a trip there immediately. Duncan was unable to moved his rear end, including his tail. The vet x-rayed his neck, spine and hips to see if he had ruptured a disk. He had not... We learned a very long phrase that day... Fibrocartilaginous Emboli... Duncan had thrown a bloodclot into his spinal cord and was now paralyzed. At that time, not even the vet knew if he would survive. We took him home with us after the vet had given him massive doses of cortisone to reduce the swelling and minimize further damage. And we waited...

Duncan was a proud dog and being dependent for everything was difficult for him. The other dogs rallied around him though as if cheering him on and up. Jessie laid by his side as did his best buddy Zoe. While Kastle kept vigil at night, checking in on him regularly as he slept. I doubt Kastle got much sleep those first few days. But given the quick action of the vet, Duncan slowly began to respond. It wasn't much at first. Sensation in his foot, a tail flick... but it was progress. His freestyle and obedience friends and fans prayed for him and his recovery. And freestyle would figure prominently in our lives.

Freestyle became part of his physical therapy. Once he was back on his feet, he had residual nerve damage in his left rear leg. He had to learn how to walk again, how to find that rear leg and foot, and finally how to adapt to run again, which he did. His tenacity and perseverance was written on his face at each PT session we did. At that time, there were no rehab vets that we knew of in this area. I did his rehab on my own and with the guidance of Kastle's surgeon Dr. Anthony Pardo. I took him to a boarding kennel that had a whirlpool once a week, walked him, did exercises with his legs, put cavalettis down for him to walk over and eventually he made such great progress that we began to heel again. His recovery was nothing short of a miracle. Six months to the day, we competed again with a hometown crowd. There wasn't a dry eye in the place. We were back!

But Duncan could no longer compete in obedience any longer because of the nerve damage. He was no longer able to jump and his promising obedience career came to a screeching, horrible halt for me. I cried. He was my OTCH potential dog and it was all now gone. It was too much for me. But they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window somewhere. That window was freestyle. While Duncan couldn't jump, he learned to use his momentum to spin, twist and do other freestyle moves he had been taught prior to the accident.  And boy, could he still heel! Duncan went on to make World Canine Freestyle Organization history in many ways. He was the 1st Bronze Bar titleholder in both Musical Freestyle and Heelwork To Music, he was the 1st triple Masters level titleholder, he won the Southeastern regional, and was the very 1st Sassy Senior Champion as well,plus many, many more honors. Almost all of his placements were 1st place. He had 4 shelves in the dog room stuffed full of his booty from his wins! He has appeared on Animal Planet and Dogs With Jobs. He was most definitely a STAR!

But true to the nature of FCE, he had another bout 2 years later, which left him with nerve damage on his right side as well. He recovered much quicker, but the damage was done. After finishing his Sassy Senior Championship, I tearfully retired him at the Freestyle Fanatics show to, of course, "Wind Beneath My Wings". We had cake and I was given a beautiful plaque which I still cherish. Retiring Duncan was one of the most difficult decisions I made, but it was what was best for him. A new chapter started in his life, one that he embraced as long as he could still make the trips with us. Also during that time, he competed at the age of 12 at the All Star Tournament in York, PA in Rally Novice. My goal was top ten... He finished 8th, nerve damage and all. Good boy Duncan...

Duncan was not a herding BC. He would go around the sheep once and then lie down by the gate with a pleading look on his face as if asking if that was enough. I knew early on that even though the breeding behind him was great, he was not going to follow that path. And that was okay...

In early May of 2006, Duncan began having spells of confusion and disorientation. He was dropping weight and was having difficulty eating and keeping meals down. He was diagnosed with a mass in his pancreas and 2-4 months of his precious life left. I wondered if I would know when the time was right, and I did. We sent him to the Rainbow Bridge on July 16, 2006 just 15 days after his 14th birthday. His death took a large piece of my heart. But after giving myself time to grieve, Piper and I went back into freestyle in honor and memory of Duncan. He will always have a very special place in my heart and memory. And some day I hope to continue our dance once again...

ATCH Piper!!!

Our road to the ASCA Agility Trial CHampionship has been a long one... As I don't travel to do ASCA agility, we only go to several sets of Buckeye Australian Shepherd Club trials in OH throughout each year. At the May trials, Piper needed only 40 Elite Regular points to finish his ATCH, but we had a bar down, which is rewarded with only half the regular points, 5 instead of 10. That left us needing 5 points this past weekend for his championship.

He had a beautiful run, on a challenging course. This judge, Jason Meeks from TX, doesn't believe in free rides in any of his courses. So, for those who think ASCA is an easy venue and not worth their participation, I would advise you to try it! Piper conquered the course in 37.37 in the 20+" class earning first place for his efforts. I couldn't be more proud of my Pi-Man!!! For the rest of the weekend, he had a free pass... He didn't Q in the second round of Elite Regular, after his ATCH. He merrily off-coursed himself through a tunnel 4 times with a huge grin on his face. I couldn't help but laugh. Eventually, we got back on course and finished.

One more challenge met... Now, to finish that AKC MACH before the end of the year!!!! YAY PIPER!!! I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!!!

Piper and our struggle for Double Qs...

Well, after another weekend of agility and no QQs since April, I am getting discouraged. Sometimes it's me, sometimes, it's Piper, but no matter what, it still means we are at 11 QQs and holding, and holding, and holding... This past weekend, he blew himself off-course in Standard on Saturday, but I didn't help him out either. On Sunday, he dropped a bar in Standard, which I learned was because his lower back had seized up. He was having problems tucking his rear feet when jumping. I had Kim, the massage therapist, work on him and he ran a beautiful Jumpers run, taking 4th. His early morning FAST runs were right on, so I had no reason to believe he was having any problems. His Back On Track jacket has helped him immensely.

I have to keep a positive attitude and just know that this is an adjustment period for both of us. We have done great things in agility together. We have lots more to accomplish. I worry that I may push him too hard. I worry that the cataract he has in his left eye will cause problems before we can finish his MACH. I worry about alot of things I probably shouldn't worry about.

His times are slower, but neither of us are getting any younger. He still absolutely adores the game, is in condition, and bounces back from a trial weekend without too much difficulty. Those are all things that greatly matter to me. It will come. We are a great team, me and Piper. And I wouldn't have it any other way... After that, who knows? The sky is the limit as long as he wants to play the game...

Dogs of the past... Zoe

This intense little girl is Zoe. Named by my Mom, she was bred by Eve Marschark out of her NEBCA Champion Spin. After Kastle, I always knew I would go back to Eve for another puppy. But I had no idea what I was getting into with this little girl. I brought her home at 11 weeks of age and she walked into the place like she owned it. Full of confidence, she took over in days. This was a very serious puppy, who had no time for unstructured playtime. Everything needed to have a purpose as far as Zoe was concerned. She became a bit of a puzzle to me at first... She was nothing like Kastle, all full of fun and play. Here was a true working class girl who needed a real job. And luckily, I was able to find that for her.

At that time, I had a closer place to go herding and for lessons. I had known Alison for years prior as she had done obedience with her Border Collies at one time. But she fulfilled her dream of buying a working farm and having her sheep for her Border Collies to work. Alison and I were fast friends and I used to take both Kastle and Zoe there for lessons. Later on, I took them down to help out and learn practical work, not just trial prep. It was a wonderful time in the early morning fields, heavy with dew, with sheep on the hill and the dogs ready to go. Zoe was a workaholic... She loved every last minute of stock work.

Alison had several trials there and the first year, I ran Zoe in Novice/Novice, but worked the set out pens all weekend for the rest of the classes. During one afternoon, the threatening rain came as promised and as it pelted down, we moved the sheep into the pens to wait until it let up. The pens quickly filled with mud and soon, you couldn't tell what breed Zoe was as she did her job. Covered in mud and thoroughly enjoying herself, she ran along side a quad runner that had come up to bring us down the hill. The grin on her face said it all. This was what she was meant to do with her life. It took me 20 minutes to hose her off to even get her into the van and at the end of the weekend, she required 3 baths to get her clean. But she was happy...

She did enjoy one other activity and that was frisbee. Not on a competitive scale and not with a real frisbee, but with her favorite Gumabone frisbees with the bone on top. She would chase a frisbee endlessly, always bringing it back by the bone carried in the side of her mouth. If she had to flip it over, she would scoop it up, toss it right side up, then bring it back by the bone. There was no other type she would go after. We have one sitting on her shelf with her ashes.

Zoe was bred once to Kastle, which produced 4 beautiful puppies... 3 girls and 1 boy... Kelsey, Kaylee, Kali and Kap. We did not keep one as we had people on a waiting list for 2 years wanting puppies. We figured we would repeat the breeding at a later time, but that sadly did not happen. Not long after Zoe had the pups, she was diagnosed with Discoid Lupus. Luckily, it wasn't genetic in nature, so the puppies were fine. But Zoe was not... We did our best to keep her happy and healthy, but ultimately, complications set in. Zoe herded sheep for the last time 2 months before she died at the age of 13. She had lost most of her vision and had developed inoperable liver cancer, but she could tell where the sheep were and she could hear me as I talked to her to help her keep balance on them. It was such a precious moment in my life...

She was diagnosed with the liver cancer 17 months prior to that last herding outing. The vet gave her 6 months to live, but she showed everyone. She lived for 19 months after diagnosis. She died almost 7 weeks to the day when we lost Kastle. She seemed to give up after his death. And the day came for us to help her cross the Bridge. I miss her wry sense of humor, one that not everyone understood. I miss her work ethic and I miss her sweet kisses. But most of all, I just miss her. She taught me so much about the world of herding. For that I will always be in Zoe's debt. That'll do Zoe... That'll do...

Dog of the past... Kastle

Kastle by Heydorn Photography


This handsome lad is Applegarth's Joyous Garde aka Kastle. He was bred by Eve Marschark out of her Rin by a dog named Lad. His lines go back to Pulfer's Shep/Nan and he was the foundation of Applegarth. Born on Halloween in 1988, his birth day said a great deal about his personality. Always a gentleman, but forever a joker, Kastle was my first purebred Border Collie. His first name was spelled with a "K" because there was a Golden Retriever in obedience that was Castle with a "C" for sandcastle at that time... Of course, I had to be different and he was named for Lancelot's castle, Joyous Garde. Kastle was the light of my life along with Jessie.

When Kastle came home, Jessie decided that this youngster could take her place as soon as possible. Content to hang out at home, she was pleased to have a replacement as my dog training subject. He was chosen at 4 1/2 weeks of age mainly because he retrieved a piece of crushed paper and sat front. Huh?! Mine! A friend tried to steer me towards the traditionally marked available girl, but there was something about this chubby little ball of fur that called him to me. And it was SO the right decision!

Kastle gave new meaning to individuality and flair in the ring. Always, he hoped for applause and/or laughter. He taught me all about humility, patience and humor in the obedience ring. His favorite exercise was the gloves in Utility where he would run out to the correct one, pounce on it, then kill it soundly by shaking it the entire way back to me. The crowd loved it. The judges? Not so much... We once had a judge that made me so tense because of her comments about Kastle's antics, that he upped the ante by running the glove over to her, shaking it at her while growling, then smacking her with his tail as he spun quickly to bring the glove to me. I could only smile sheepishly. He then did his go-outs to the ring gating, spun on a dime when I asked him to sit, but every muscle in his body was poised to explode as I signalled a jump in Directed Jumping. Her comment to me was "You know he's borderline out of control!" Ya think?! He also had a penchant for tossing his dumbbell in the air on a retrieve, catching it gracefully, then bringing it back to me only to stage a tug-of-war over it when the judge said "Take it". Kastle would actually grip down so hard on the bar, that he snapped several wooden ones in half. Thank heaven for plastic. It didn't change his zeal however.

Kastle was a "sacrifice the body" kind of dog and this was evident when he and his son, Duncan, chased down a tennis ball at the same time. Duncan, being younger and faster, cut Kastle off sending him careening into a fence post. He had the equivalent of a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder from that incident. He also broke a toe jumping in obedience, a fracture type that my vet said he had only seen one other time. He had his fair amount of stitches, bruises, strains and sprains. He was all boy. Speed gave him a high that was evident by the wild grin and flying saliva. More! Better! Higher! Faster! were his mottos... Applause and laughter only fueled the fire.

He had a soft, gentle side too. He was bred 3 times in his life. The first litter was sadly lost in mid-pregnancy. The second litter produced 2 male puppies, Duncan and Flurry out of a leased bitch. The last breeding produced 4 puppies, 3 girls and 1 boy out of our Zoe. He was a doting Dad with his puppies. He was indulgent, but he could also be firm when needed. I still remember when he laid and watched his puppies out of Zoe for hours with his chin on the edge of the whelping box. Every twitch from a puppy made his head jerk a bit. And God bless Zoe for being so tolerant of his presence. He was the epitome of patience with his youngsters even when they were hanging off of his face with those sharp, needle teeth.

On sheep, he was stubborn and willful. My instructor said he was a tough dog for a beginner to handle. Really?! Clinic instructors shook their heads, but I persevered with his training. I ran him only a few times at the Novice/Novice level, each time a trainwreck. He crossed over on his outrun, wouldn't lie down or take flanking commands and he wouldn't call off the sheep, scattering them around the field. But in training and on the fields he knew, he was letter perfect. At a clinic one time with Jack Knox, I sent Kastle on his outrun to the left. As he neared the balance point, Jack yelled, in his Scottish brogue, "Kos! Lie doon!" Kastle skidded to a halt before he hit balance and looked back at me as if to say "What did he just say?!" Jack asked me what was wrong with that dog... I said he wasn't imported. I got a wry smile from him as I sent Kastle further on and called out "Kastle, lie down!" You could see the understanding in his face as he hit the ground. "Oh... that's what he said..." It was difficult to keep a straight face after that. At a trial in NJ, he was so bad that I had to go out and drag him off the course with a leash. I had 7 offers to buy him that day. Uh... no thanks.

As a therapy dog, none could touch him. His sweet, loving temperament and sense of humor made people readily accept him. Even people who didn't like dogs. At the PT/OT unit at a local hospital, Kastle had a bag of toys we took with us so the patients could toss them to him as he endlessly retrieved them back into their laps. Every now and then, we had a patient that didn't like dogs and didn't want to be there for this mandatory visit. With those cases, he would play with the other patients, then go over and sit by the person who wanted nothing to do with him. He would lean against their leg or wheelchair, then slowly put his head on their knee, with those big expressive eyes of his looking up at them as if to say "I am going to get you to like me." And he did, every time. He would work a toy onto the patient's lap and they would toss it off and you could see the triumph in his face. "See? I knew I could get you to like me!" He once made a coma patient respond, after the patient had been unresponsive for several days. His hand moved on the soft fur as Kastle put his chin on the edge of the bed. The man's family placed his hand on Kastle's head and the man stroked Kastle, the first signs of responsiveness in days. He had a favorite lady at one of the nursing homes that spoiled him rotten. He went straight to her room every time we visited. She invited him up on her bed and would cuddle with him, feeding him treats that she had her family buy for him. And we always stopped by her room on the way out. When she unexpectedly passed away, Kastle was never the same again with his therapy work. I retired him as the joy in it had gone away with her death.

Kastle adored my nephew Jason, a Down's Syndrome child, who spent time at his crazy dog-loving Aunt's house. Kas would endlessly try to engage Jason in games of fetch as Jason sat on the floor. Fed up after awhile, Jason would go and sit on the couch only to have Kastle assault him there with toys. It always made Jason giggle and say Kastle's name in exasperation. As if that would make him go away... Uh, nope.

Kastle died 2 weeks short of his 16th birthday of simply old age. He was too dignified for us to let him deal with his chronic, debilitating problems. He was, as his breeder put it, "An amazing sentient being that just happened to have fur." And that he was... Kastle still holds very special place in my heart and always will. The "Pointy- Eared Wonder" he was and always will be... <3 <3 <3