NATIONAL SPECIALTY VERSATILE STOCKDOG AWARD

The BCSA offered a new award at this year's herding trials. It was the "Versatile Stockdog Award". Twenty-four dogs vied for the honor entering all eight available classes. The five dogs with the highest total cumulative qualifying scores for the eight trials from any combination of classes determined the winners. To be eligible the dogs had to be entered at least once on Course A Ducks, Course A Sheep and Course B Sheep. Pre-entry for this award was not necessary nor was membership in the BCSA. The highest pointed dog was awarded a beautiful handcrafted lightweight crook and the first through fifth placers won BCSA logo medallions.

This year the winner had to qualify in all eight classes to pull ahead of the competition. The second to fifth placing dogs qualified seven of their eight runs.  A clean sweep for the state of Ohio...all the "Versatile Stockdog Award" winners were Ohio residents.

• #1 HC JusDandy Jaydee - Claudia Frank - 704 points - all Advanced Classes - only dog to qualify all runs

• #2 HC Jenni - Linda Gray - 616 points - Advanced Course A sheep & ducks / B Course Int.

• #3 HC Rex - Linda Gray - 610 points - Advanced Course A sheep & ducks / B Course Int.

• #4 HC JusDandy Zip - Claudia Frank - 604.5 points - Advanced Course A sheep & ducks / B Course Int.

• #5 Norwood's Great Expectation - Denise Teal - 601 points - all Started Classes

Claudia Frank and her smooth coated black and white Jaydee have been familiar sights on the BCSA National Specialty trial fields. They had competed for several years. Jaydee's experience certainly helped when stock, courses and circumstances changed from one minute to the next. Claudia's other smooth coat, and half brother to Jaydee, Zip was less experienced but managed to hang in there until the last class. There the wile ducks tried to get around him and rather than flank, Zip earned the "thank you" from the judge for trying to discipline one of them! Zip did garner the Fourth place despite his indiscretion.

Jenni and Rex, Linda Gray's trial dogs ran consistently and well earning them a Second and Third placing for the "Versatile Stockdog Award". Besides making a positive splash as a newcomer to trialing, Linda's dogs work daily with her husband as goose dogs on their golf course.

Another familiar face to BCSA circles is Denise Teal with her new youthful herding prospect Hope. This was Hope's first competition of this duration and difficulty managing some good moves to earn Fifth place. Hope is a Jaydee daughter.