Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Chief


Chief is a blue merle border collie, born October 5, 2001. He is Augie's nephew, which is how he came to be mine. Like Bid, Chief is named for a favorite race horse. Chief's namesake is "Snow Chief", a gritty little black thoroughbred who raced in the late 1980s.

Chief resembled a baby opossum when he arrived here as a puppy. He was a fuzzy ball of grey and white fluff. But, he grew into a big, powerful, well-muscled grownup dog. Chief and I have done tracking, agility, and sheep herding together. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by soft-tissue injuries more than once, each sidelining him from working for close to a year. For that reason, he and I are now pursuing the more gentle sport of obedience together, as I try to keep him sound.


Chief has begun to take over Augie's former role of watchful family guardian. He is an excellent companion and is always nearby, keeping an eye on things.






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