19 Sep Ireland 2018

This trip has definitely been a bit of a challenge to plan. Between being gone for Soldier Hollow and Meeker, having a few days to repack and unwind and then driving to San Francisco to fly to Dublin, I began to think I bit off more than I can chew. There was one moment at the USDA office when they almost thought this trip wouldn’t happen due to a miscommunication in my health certificate, I almost had a breakdown. So many people have been so supportive and helpful of me, and specifically for this trip that I had to figure something out. So I did, and now I’m in IRELAND!!! Landing in Dublin I was picked up by my friends Michael and Tierney to stay with them for a day and work dogs, then off to England for some more friend time before my TV debut! I hope they have a good makeup artist…

It’s been my dream for as long as I can remember to come to the U.K. and work dogs. Today, as we had a break in the storm that was terrorizing Northern Ireland, we drove up onto the hill and overlooking two of the most beautiful valleys I’ve ever seen, I got to work Nell on blackfaced ewes in a setting that was really so many dreams coming true. The wind was howling, I was freezing my ass off and I couldn’t have been happier. Coming here for this had me a bit worried after Meeker and Soldier Hollow. Meeker sheep require a very unique approach that is quite aggressive and forward. To do well here requires a totally different approach so I was glad to get a chance to work on a few things that I didn’t need to worry about over the last few weeks.

It’s really a testament to the incredible ability of these dogs to be able to fight jet lag, different climates, different terrain, different sheep and still learn to adapt almost instantly. I don’t remember when I’ve had more fun than today. Thank you to Michael Gallagher and Tierney Grahm for welcoming me into your home and being such great hosts. This trip has started out as a dream come true…

Thank you for reading this, I’ll be posting more when I can.

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