The Obsidian Flock: Rogue and Heart get plenty of time on our six Montedale ewes and wethers.
Our Pack
Chilko TDX CD HSAs NA NAJ OAP OJP RN VCD2 HTADI PDI
Chilko is our first purebred Belgian sheepdog. She originally lived with a family near Kamloops, British Columbia. However, they weren't prepared for the activity level and attention needs of a herding breed. So they soon offered Chilko for sale in a newspaper ad. Natalie Vivian of Blackcomb Belgian Tervurens saw the ad, purchased Chilko, and got in contact with the Belgian rescue networks to find her a better home. We were lucky to hear about her. She's actually a very easy dog to live with and exceptionally trainable. During the last four years, Dave and Chilko made impressive progress in tracking tests, herding trials, and agility. Chilko is also being trained as a wildlife detection dog to assist Dave in conservation and research projects. Chilko was presented the BSCA Working Dog-Competiton/Excellent Award at the 2009 BSCA national specialty. Chilko is wonderful example of the high quality, purebred dog that can be found through Belgian Sheepdog Rescue. Photo credit: Creative Indulgence
MACH U-CDX Glace Noire Rocket CDX MXF HIC AAD
Joan was so jealous of the fun I was having training Chilko, she just had to have her own Belgian sheepdog to work with. We got Rocky as a re-home from Connie and Rick Batsford. Their Glace Noire line has produced some wonderful high-performance dogs for work and sport. Rocky displays huge amounts of drive and enthusiasm that make him a highly competitive agility dog. It's hard to believe how fast this big guy can weave! His work ethic and strong desire to please Joan also means she can work obedience exercises with Rocky for durations that other dogs would find mind-numbing. Rocky isn't an easy dog to live with, but you have to love how much heart this dog has. Photo credit: Matt Sachs
Video of Rocky at the 2009 BSCA national specialty [requires Windows Media Player]
Rogue Gaia Kuymal AX AXJ XF HSAs CD HTADII AD
Hips: GOOD, OFA BSD-3308G30M-PI; Elbows: NORMAL, OFA BSD-EL1049M30-PI, CERF BSD-1615/2009-61
Rogue was the first puppy we ever purchased from a breeder. We were making remarkable training progress with Chilko and Rocky, but both dogs had a few lingering "issues" left over from their original homes. We wanted the chance to shape the full development of a puppy to excel in performance events. We were mostly interested in training and trialing a herding dog, so naturally our first choice was a puppy from Peggy Richter's Kuymal Belgian Sheepdogs . Rogue has been everything we hoped for. He has exceptional instincts for herding, intense drive in agility, and is undaunted by high-pressure trial situations. In 2007, he began training to do surveys for Kincaid's lupine, a rare Northwest prairie plant. Rogue is being shown in conformation and we eventually hope to find him a girlfriend or two with similar interests in sports and sheep.
Kaponomana's Heart of Obsidian AX AXJ PT
OFA Hips: GOOD, OFA BSD-3656G24F-VPI; OFA Elbows: NORMAL, OFA BSD-EL1372F24-VPI; PennHip 880765; CERF BSD-1910/2009-21
Heart is the most recent addition to the Obsidian pack. Breeder Laura Hilton matched Triple Crown O'Ebon Will ("Blue") to her own Kaponomana Embracing Hope for this breeding. Both parents are outstanding representatives of long, American lines. Heart is Joan's up-and-coming herding and agility trial partner. She and Joan started competing during fall 2008. Joan's already referring to Heart as her "little Q machine". Dave's has taken Heart into the show ring a few times. She earned her first major under under Mrs. Janet Sinclair. Photo credit: Joe Camp
Joan Hagar PhD
Joan's day job is as an ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. Her professional projects have included a study of avian communities in commercially thinned Douglas-fir forests; research on the functional relationships among songbirds, arthropods, and understory vegetation; and a survey of Great Basin pygmy rabbits in eastern Oregon. Joan has also taught puppy socialization and basic obedience classes at Wonder Dogs in Philomath, OR.
Dave Vesely MS
Dave is a co-director of the Oregon Wildlife Institute. Dave conducts biological surveys, designs wildlife research studies, and is involved with a number of Willamette Valley conservation projects. He is currently training our Belgians as wildlife detector dogs to assist in surveys for western pond turtles, rare plants, and bird nests. Photo credit: Jen Newlin Bell/TNC