Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 02, 2009

Some 90 dogs and their trainers took part in the Great Western Bank sheep dog trials held in Tingley over the weekend.

The sheep dogs took sheep through a series of tasks as led by their trainers in four different divisions on Saturday and Sunday.

Bob JOHNSON of Tingley showed two of the top five dogs in the open class competition held Saturday.

JOHNSON won the competition with a 90 point total for his dog Paws and placed fourth with 79 points with his dog Tip.

JOHNSON and John OVERHOLTZER, also of Tingley, had several placings in different divisions as the Ringgold county contingent in the show. Other area participants included Curtis DUKES from Kent, Jerry and Mike DAVIS from Murray.

In the nursery class, Ralph PALMER of Plattsmith, NE and his dog Kim took first place with 80 points.

In the pro-novice class, John HOLMAN of Clay Center, NE took first place with his dog Lee with 85 points.

In the novice class, Tom DAMEWOOD of Milan, MO took first place with his dog Jewel, who had 51 points.

The visit by the Ghost Riders, sheep dogs who rounded up goats, with monkeys dressed in Western outfits on their back, was a big crowd pleaser as an added attraction on Saturday night.

Participants came from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Texas, Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Arkansas.

Bob JOHNSON has hosted the sheep dog trials for the last five years but this was his last year doing it at Tingley so the good turnout of the event thisyear was welcome.

Other placings in the open class included:

2. Barb BUCHMAYER and Mattie, 83; 3. Bob SALMON and Scott, 80; 4. [missing from article]; 5. Tim GIFFORD and Tip, 75; 6. Lyle EAST and Dog 1, 74; 7. Mike GERMACKE and Pal, 73; 8. Kathy FLYNN and Jag, 73; 9. Amend SEALINE and Bo, 73; 10. Curtis DUKES and Red, 72; 11. Larry MOORE and Beauty, 72; 12. Thad FLEMMING and Bill, 71; 13. Larry MOORE and Tib, 71; 14. Thad FLEMMING and Law, 71; 15. Wayne BAMER and Jake, 70; 16. Mike DAVIS and Sugar, 69.

Other placings in the novice class included:

2. John OVERHOLTZER and Maggie, 65; 3. Bob JOHNSON and Ruby, 63; 4. Bob JOHNSON and Jag, 63; 5. Herb ARONSON and Jake, 51; 6. Thad FLEMMING and Rose, 47; Jerry DAVIS and Clyde were disqualified.

Other placings in the pro-noice class included:

2. Barb BUCHMAYER and Trace, 81; 3. Bob SALOMN and Jeff, 80; 4. John OVERHOLTZER and Sam, 79; 5. Barb BUCHMAYER and Lex, 79; 6. Carol LEVERETT and Kim, 76; 7. Bob JOHNSON and Ruby, 75; 8. Bob JOHNSON and Jag, 75; 9. Thad FLEMMING and Rose, 73; 10. Ralph PALMER and Kim, 72; 11. Bob FLEMMING and Daisy, 71; 12. Ruth SCHLAFE and Gracie, 69; 13. Ruth SCHLAFE and Nellie, 69; 14. Bob JOHNSON and Ralph, 69; 15. Tim GIFFORD and Josie, 69; 16. Steve BEATT and Stryker, 67; 17. Deb MEIER and Vicki, 67; 18. Louie McDOWELL and Tess, 62; 19. Tess SWANSON and Tabea, 61; 20. Mary BOLTOn and Jetta, 58; 21. Jerry DAVIS and Clyde, 58; 22. Tess SWANSON and Gina, 55; 23. Barb BUCHAMAYER and Sweep, 37; 24. Jim ROBBINS and Tio, 28; Alise DART and Macs, Shane HALL and Sadie, John OVERHOLTZER and Maggie, Kathy FLYNN and Corbie, Curtis DUKES and Duede, Jan MOORE and Cass, Kathy FLYNN and Cash and Larry MOORE and Jack were disqualified.

Other placings in the novice class included:

2. David LEIERER and Sparky, 49; 3. Dave SHEHAN and Sara, 44; 4. Kyle KILSTROM and Zip, 43; 5. Shane HALL and Sadie, 42; 6. David LEIERER and DD, 39; 7. Chris MEASE and Ozzie; 38; 8. Janie JENNINGS and Jesse, 23; 9. Bob FLEMMING and Dandy, 22; 10. Sharon SILLS and Jay, 21; 11. Mary BOLTON and Echo, 10; 12. Sheryl PUDERBAUGH and Dog 2, 10; 13. Roy HOLTIE and Spot, 10; Ruth SCHLAFKE and Jessie retired; and Nick HALL and Holly, Neysa McCLELAN and Chief and Sheryl PUDERBAUGH and Dog 1 were disqualified.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, July 02, 2009

It must be officially summer in Ringgold county.

With the Fourth of July to be followed closely by the Ringgold County Fair and the Ayr Days celebration in Mount Ayr this year, there won't be much of a mid-summer breather around The Mount Ayr Record-News.

This last weekend Tingley hosted its annual sheep dog trials and I had a little different view of the event this year when almost four-year-old grandson Eli came along to help me cover the activity. It was just a guy thing -- Eli and Papa. He may not have caught some of the subtleties of the sheep dog trials themselves, but he had fun just the same.

It was neat to watch him find ways to keep himself entertained.

He took a couple of slides down the slide in the park, but felt he had accomplished more by standing atop the big bales of hay that were behind the bleachers in another area.

Running around in the batting cage with a new friend was as much fun as watching the dogs get exercice running around to herd the sheep. And trying to feed one of the sheep participants a clover flower was an exciting opportunity to be up close and personal with one of the participants in the trials.

When we sat and watched the trials for a time, Eli took the called signals to the dogs as meaning that the trainer was mad at the dog. "When they yell at them, are they mad?" he asked. While there may have ben some of that, I tried to explain that just yelling at the dog don't mean that the person was mad at it. They just were trying to make sure that the dog could hear the commands.

He was ready to join in the clapping each time the sheep went where the dogs wanted them to go and wanted me to explain why people didn't clap at other points. Unfortunately I wasn't able to explain the difference as some of the subtleties may have escaped me as well. I knew that the sheep were to be herded through a gate, taken across a bridge, brought back to be pinned up and then separated with the two sheep with orange neck scarves to go one way and the other two to go the other. At least that's the story I told Eli.

And of course Eli was excited about seeing the monkeys, dressed in their western outfits, riding on the back of the sheep dogs. He wanted to meet the monkeys up close, but was happy tht we got as close to them as we did. He got his picture taken with the post that was on display, but he didn't get any autographs.

Now there was a couple of problems with roughing it at the event for a youngster. One was the fiberglass bleachers.

I didn't think anything of the old bleacher where we sat down, but Eli was dressed in shorts and sitting still is not something that is in his nature for very long.

He was scooting up and down the bleachers and laying on them. Then he began to complain. The outer finish on the bleacher seat we were on had worn off and some of the fiberglass strands were breaking off. Eli has seemingly collected more than his share. He was itching and complaining and I didn't really have much I could help him with. We went and got some refreshements and got his mind off the itching.

I'm not sure if I was having sympathy itching and pricks with Eli or if the fiberglass strands had worked their way through my jeans by then, but I began understanding a lot better why Eli as bothered as I walked along.

Probably thebiggest challenge of the evening, however, was using the port-a-potties. I went in with Eli early in the evening, tried to find a safe place to lay the camera so I could help Eli, and listened to all his questions about what he was seeing as he looked down the hole. It was interesting helping him survive a new venue he had not been in before.

By the time the monkeys had preformed, Eli needed to make another stop. This brought an even bigger challenge however. It was dark outside now and there were no lights in the port-a-potties. At least I didn't see any wires running to them or notice any light when as the doors opened and closed while we waited.

I was really worried about the camera when I tired to lay it down in the pitch black. And I couldn't see at all to help Eli. I was bent over to lift him up and finally just backed up enough to hold the door open a crack with my rear so we could see what we were doing. I didn't explain to him that this was probably not part of port-a-potty etiquette. I'm sure someone in the line must have gotten a laugh. At least we hadn't gone behind a tree and been discovered.

We looked for animals along the road as we drove back from Tingley. I had told Eli about seeing a badger a few weeks aog and I din't think I've gone as far as Tingley and back this time of the year and not seen a few deer. Eli was interested in watching for cows until he had seen enough of them that weren't new and exciting. But not a deer was to be seen.

A fox did run across the road when we reached the Wanda BENNETT corner in Mount Ayr, but Eli wasn't able to see it from his car seat vantage point. I'm sure that would have been another highlight of the evening.

Eli will be around for the Fourth of July, so we may have some more adventures before he heads back home to Illinois.

Erin, Eli and Mille are spending the week at the church family camp going on at Graceland University this week and I'll be joining them once this week's papepr is put to bed.

I'm sure there will be plenty of new adventures for us before the week is over. If there are, I'll have another week's column.

Photographs courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2012