Blog

It doesn't seem a minute since the start of the 2009 trialling season in Wales and already plans are being made for this year's South Wales nursery final in December.

Before we know it, the Nationals will be here and then we'll all be heading to the 2009 International in Cumbria.

Is it me or is the trialling season flying by?

Life in the k9tales office has been hectic too.

Feedback from you, the readers, has been great - thanks to everyone for logging on and sending your comments. If there are any changes or anything you'd like to see on the site, feel free to contact us.

It's great to know that people from around the globe are logging on with an interest in sheepdogs and sheepdog trialling. The future of the sport looks very healthy if this response is anything to go by.

Plans are also in hand for a new k9tales section to appear soon. Due to demand a new Dogs For Sale page will be launched. If you are interested in advertising your dogs or puppies on the site get in touch to take advantage of special rates for the first month.

There are also lots of new features on the way as well as all the latest sheepdog news and trials picture galleries.

It may sound a little self-indulgent, but seeing the photograph of my working sheepdog Corrie on the cover of the latest edition of Pembrokeshire County Living magazine gives me great pleasure.

Not so long ago she was enduring intensive chemotherapy treatment for canine lymphoma, with a bleak outlook for the future.

All the expense, stress and heartache was worth it, to see her in the photograph I took on the Pembrokeshire coast path, near Porthgain, while writing a feature about top dog walks on a beautiful sunny day.

She is still in remission and enjoying life as much as she always did before the diagnosis. She is particularly enjoying competing at sheepdog trials again.

Fourth place in a novice class may not be a big deal to many, but returning to the field at this year's Coedkernew trial and having a half-decent run did feel like an achievement. And it could have been a lot better if she'd taken her away whistles on the fetch!

We've been to a couple more trials since then and she's been working well, so it's fingers crossed for some open points this year.

During her treatment she hardly saw sheep, let alone work them. After her chemo I was almost too scared to start working her, in case something happened to make her ill again. Unfortunately there's also been a distinct lack of training since I moved house. A town environment doesn't lend itself to easy training sessions and I need to come up with a plan to rectify this.

Corrie spends most of her time living at mum's (which I hate, but town life is not for her, especially when I'm out at work all day) and now that the trials are back in full swing, our weekends are hopefully going to be spent competing.

Plan A is to win the lottery, buy a smallholding, bring Corrie and my ponies to live with us, borrow some of mum's Kerry Hill sheep to train with and live happily ever after.

I'm still working on Plan B.