SILVER BIRCH ALL PAWS IN ZONE
CALL NAME: ALLIE

Breed: Australian Shepherd
Sire: Hondo of Black Watch/LasRocosa
Dam: Silver Birch Too Hot to Handle
Breeder: Louise Blount
Born: November 8, 1997
Height: 20.12 inches
Weight: 42 pounds
Color: Red tri; amber eyes
Favorite Activities: Working cattle; howling; sleeping on the bed; licking her people and the other dogs; guarding the house; and being spoiled by Ron in her retirement.

As the dog who started my journey into the complex world of versatility competition, Allie holds a special place in my heart. Although I owned Aussies before her, she was my first working bred Australian Shepherd. Allie also produced my first litter of puppies and became the foundation from which I have built Paws Zone’s Australian Shepherds.

Allie was purchased from Bob and LouAnn Blount who owned Silver Birch Kennels. Bob is an ASCA stock dog judge and was very influential in getting me started in the sport of herding. I had told them that I was looking for an Aussie with strong herding lines in her pedigree. I was particularly interested in finding a female that was red with copper and white markings. LouAnn called me in November of 1997 to tell me she was holding a five day old puppy that fit that description so well, they had already started calling her “Peggy’s puppy.” So, on my 38th birthday, Ron and I made the trip to the Blount’s home in northern Michigan to bring Allie home.

Allie at 10 weeks of age

Allie was a quick learner and fit into our household well. She was not excited about learning formal obedience skills, but she took to agility and herding with much enthusiasm. As her training progressed I found that she was a serious worker and she did not like to make mistakes. If she knocked a bar off a jump while we were doing agility, she would sail twice as high over the next few obstacles to make sure she did not repeat the error. Because Allie’s genetic background included many generations of true working stock dogs, she had a lot of natural talent in herding. This talent gave her the ability to make good judgments about the livestock. Once she figured out what I was trying to accomplish she would do her best to assist me, taking directions from me when asked to do something and working the stock on her own when she needed to. This made her a very biddable dog and I enjoyed trialing her because her calm nature gave me confidence in our ability as a team.

The first time I had entered Allie in a Versatility competition was at the 2001 AKC/ USASA Australian Shepherd Nationals which were held in Woodstock, Connecticut. To be eligible for a versatility award, she was required to earn a qualifying score in herding and a performance event (agility) and receive a score in the conformation evaluation. It was here that Allie’s herding abilities were put to a true test. The sheep that were being used at the trial were not accustomed to being in an enclosed arena and they were very difficult to manage. I watched many of the competitors before us struggle unsuccessfully to keep the sheep calm and together. Some of the sheep actually jumped out of the arena if the dog pushed them too hard. When it was Allie’s turn to compete, I concentrated on letting her control the stock with minimal directions from me. We were in the Novice level class, so I was allowed to walk almost anywhere in the arena. Allie used my body movement as a signal and kept the flighty sheep moving in my direction throughout the course. I was thrilled when she qualified on the course both days of the competition. On the first day she won her class and took High in Trial, and on the second day she was second in her class and won Reserve High in Trial.

Allie had to work hard to control the flighty sheep at the 2001 AKC Nationals

The agility trials were held on the same days as the herding trials, and Allie had a harder time concentrating in this venue. She knew the sheep were just up the hill and she preferred to be at that location. She was entered in the second level (Open) of agility so she was not allowed more than one error on the course to be able to qualify. On the first day we made two small errors and therefore failed to qualify, so the stakes were high when we went to the line to start our run the following day. She must have sensed the importance of this event, because she ran without faults and placed first in her class.

Allie jumping at the 2001 ASCA Nationals

My friend, Chrissy Brick showed Allie in the conformation evaluation for me. When all the scores were tallied, Allie was victorious and she was named Most Versatile Aussie (MVA). This was my first successful attempt at the MVA competition and I was proud of our accomplishment. I came home from Connecticut with many beautiful awards, a tired dog and a healthy obsession with versatility competition.

Allie competed in several other National versatility events, competing along with her own offspring, Bonus and Ace. She never won the top MVA honor again, but she was a consistent qualifier and had many individual highlights in each competition. At the 2004 AKC National she took first place in the advanced sheep herding division. I was very excited about this because she was the first Aussie I had trained and trialed to this level.

In the spring of 2006 I brought Allie out of retirement to compete in versatility one last time. At the age of nine, she showed that she still had all the right stuff to compete with the younger dogs. She won several agility classes at the preferred level which allows a dog to jump at reduced heights. There was no special compensation in the herding events, but she still managed to earn a placement ribbon in the advanced sheep class and she beat all of her competition in the Intermediate level duck class. Allie seemed to glow with all the attention she received at the trial and I knew she was enjoying herself by the wa

Allie weaving.

y she competed. Allie’s puppies, Bonus and Ace, placed first and second in MVA in 2006, and Allie was the eighth highest qualifier. As an owner, handler, trainer and breeder, I could not have been more pleased with my team.

Allie has gone back into retirement now, but has remained active. She will play ball for as long as anyone will throw it for her. If no one will throw the ball, she will be content if it is rolled with a foot so she can roll it back with her nose. Allie also enjoys chewing soft toys, turning them over in her paws until she finds the weakest part and then attacking it with a vengeance until she can remove the squeaker. Ron has taught her how to howl on command and she sings for her supper and to gain access through closed doors. She is also Ron’s constant companion when he works in the yard or watches television.

Allie's litter: the original Paws Zone puppies

Many of my friends and students enjoyed Allie’s temperament and working style. By the time she was two years old, I had generated a lengthy list of potential puppy buyers for her. Originally I had planned to breed her to my male, Rowdy. However, I wanted to accentuate her herding skills so I selected a sire with compatible blood lines and a genetic history of herding accomplishments. Allie was bred to Crown Point’s Red Rodeo Ray. In May of 2000 she raised eight puppies, including Paws Zone’s Ace of Hearts, Paws Zone’s Extra Credit, Paws Zone’s Nickelodeon and Paws Zone’s On Tap Auggie Red. These dogs’ accomplishments earned Allie a Record of Merit Award for performance through the USASA.