Rebel was my introduction to Border Collies. I knew that I wanted a versatile dog but most of all a companion. I got what I wanted plus more. Rebel was not the flashy type but was always willing. We had a few wins along the way with sweepstakes, In group & In Show awards, both in specialty & all breeds. He has won & been placed in many gaited & coated awards as well. Although he never really enjoyed the ring he always gave his best when it was time to do his thing which was run. After quite a few years out of the ring for various reasons we managed to get the last few points for his Australian Championship at the age of 9 years.
He was trained in basic obedience & almost ready to trial at CD level but never had that edge that a lot of successful trialers have. It appeared that it was a bit boring for him. So we tried agility. Loved the jumps, see-saw was never an issue but the weavers, well that’s the interesting point. You could see from the look I got that it was “What do you want me to do that for?” So we did the training just for a bit of fun.
A couple of years ago they started the ANKC herding, so along we went & the difference in the attitude was amazing. It was “This is what I’m supposed to do” & did he do it well. After a small amount of training we hit the herding tests – Herding Instinct Certificate then Herding Test & Pre-Trial titles which he gained with ease. Then onto trial level. Rebel gained his Herding Started ‘A’ course Sheep (HSAs) Title with 3 passes in 3 days achieving High in Trial on all 3 days. He was the first dog to be granted this title by Dogs NSW. Not bad considering that he was 8 ½ years old when we started. He may have been show bred but has the heart of a working Border Collie. Rebel has lead me into the wonderful world of dogs – both conformation & sporting. He is certainly a joy to own, train & is the best companion I could ask for.