PAWS ZONE’S ALL RIGHT SPRITE
CALL NAME: SPRITE

Breed: Border Collie
Sire: Atta Boy Floyd
Dam: Dawgwerk’s M and M (Emmy)
Breeder: Doug and Caroline Weil
Born: July 20, 2004
Height: 21 inches
Weight:
Color: Black with white markings; rough coat; brown eyes
Favorite Activities: Herding sheep and ducks; playing tug with a soft Frisbee; doing agility really fast; and snuggling on the couch with Ron and Peggy.
Breeding dogs brings many joys, and Sprite was one of them. She is an amazing, intelligent dog who knew she belonged to me even before I did.

Caroline Weil had been a long-time admirer of my male Border Collie, Floyd, so she asked to use his services to sire a litter of puppies. Her female Border Collie, Emmy, descended from some notable herding dogs. I was interested in obtaining a “Floyd puppy,” because he is a talented herding dog with a sensible temperament. So I happily agreed to this cross. However, when the pups were born, I realized I already had my hands full at home with six dogs, and I didn’t think Ron wanted to add a new puppy.

When the litter was about 6 weeks old, I traveled to northern Wisconsin to see them. I was told all of them had homes but I was welcomed to take whoever I wanted as a breeding or stud fee. I spent a whole day with them, simply observing their interactions with me and with each other. When I managed to leave without one, Caroline pressed me to tell her which I liked best. I chose a female with white facial markings reminiscent of Floyd’s. I felt a connection with this pup; when the litter was playing outside, she had wanted to stay the closest to me.

When I arrived home later that night, Ron immediately asked where the new puppy was. I confessed to thinking he didn’t want another dog. I think Ron was disappointed, because he said he’d never stop me from doing something I really wanted.

Two weeks later, Caroline called with news that the deal for my favorite pup had fallen through; Sprite was once again available. Without hesitation, I took her!

Caroline’s husband, Doug, agreed to meet us half way to deliver the puppy. When we met at the Portage Wisconsin rest stop, Sprite walked right by Ron and came to sit at my feet. She looked up at me as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you to come back!” From that moment on she has been strongly bonded to me.

Sprite is a very intelligent dog with a lot of energy she keeps highly focused on the task at hand. She loves to learn new things and is always willing to put in the extra effort to perfect an exercise. This has made her a pure joy to train in both agility and herding. Sprite also possesses the unique ability to quickly switch from being in a highly aroused state to having a very calm demeanor. This “on-off” switch makes her an ideal house pet as well as a great competition dog. At an agility trial we will do a few warm-up jumps and play with the Frisbee to warm up her muscles, but then she will wait calmly on the start line until signaled to begin. Sprite is a quick and powerful agility dog, but as soon as the run is completed and we have celebrated, she will switch back to being a calm and sensible dog. This trait also allows her to be a wonderful demonstration dog for my agility classes, because she can lie quietly on the sidelines until I need her to show a particular skill. At home she is content to be near me wherever I am, yet ready at a moment’s notice if there is any activity to participate in. When asked to “snuggle”, she will drop her head onto your chest and let out a sigh of contentment.

Sprite began her competitive agility career when she was two years old. She quickly earned her Novice, Open and Excellent titles from the American Kennel Club. We are now competing in the highest level classes and accumulating points toward the Master Agility Championship (MACH). Our biggest handicap in agility is jumping. Sprite will often displace a bar during our runs because she is looking to me for direction. As she has gained confidence in her agility skills, Sprite has gotten faster, which has affected my ability to give her timely commands. As we readjust to one another I am confident we will once again become a smooth and efficient team.

Even though I enjoy competing with Sprite in agility, I know her finest talents are exhibited when we are herding sheep or ducks. From the beginning it was obvious that Sprite had inherited many fine herding traits from her father, Floyd. Now a more experienced handler than when Floyd started, I am able to accentuate her herding abilities instead of hindering them. Like Floyd, Sprite likes to control the movement of the livestock and is strong-eyed. But she is not quite as pushy as Floyd and manages the flock’s speed much better than he does. Sprite is able to adapt her power and speed to be equally effective when working flighty sheep as she is with heavy, stubborn ones. She has already proven to be a versatile herding dog, having successfully competed in three different venues (AKC, AHBA, USBCHA) on 4 different types of courses with two different species (sheep and ducks). She seems to enjoy her work as much as Floyd did, and I am looking forward to discovering where her talents will take us in the future.

Sprite’s story has just begun and I am sure there will be many more things that we will accomplish together. I am planning on breeding her at the end of 2008, with the hope that her puppies will possess the same attributes that make her so special.