STEPHANIE
ABRAMS’ TRAVELING PAWS
“Dogs Rule. . .and
Sheep Should Respect That!”
On a recent trip to Ireland, I had the distinct pleasure of
attending a sheep herding competition held in a field in a town
called Clonbur
in County Galway, Ireland. Held in conjunction with a fair
and a sheep-sheering contest, the stars of the day were clearly
the Border
Collies that were entered by their proud owners in a contest
that demonstrated the power of dogs over sheep!
I wish you had been there! It was such a great
day for the Irish . . .dogs! You could see how proud they were
as they followed their owners’ signals to move the sheep
about the field in proper order. Since you weren’t there,
I’m hoping I can take you with me now so you’ll
feel as though you actually were among those enjoying a gorgeous
day in Ireland of simple pleasures that included nothing electronic
nor battery operated!
Well, here we are, in a field with hundreds of
other like-minded people out with family and friends of all
ages to watch teams of four sheep at a time enter the field
to meet yet another dog out to strut about to move them through
their paces. The scene starts with the Border Collie and owner
on the far front-right side of the field as the four sheep enter
from the far back-left corner, a distance approximately equal
to two American football fields, not European football as that
would be soccer fields! The owner signals his dog (all the owners
participating were men!) to lie down beside him and wait for
his signal to begin the job of moving the sheep from one goal
post to the next. The dog responds immediately to the signal
which is spoken loud enough for observers to hear and one and
all rejoice as the dog herds the sheep through a goal post,
returns to its owner on signal, and then moves out to drive
the sheep through the next designated goal.
There are three goals to deal with before moving
the sheep into a large pen where the owner closes the gate in
order to finalize that portion of the tasks. After that the
sheep are released so that the dog can round them up again and
lead them to the opening in the adjacent field where the sheep
jump over a post to exit the competition. That ends the competition
for that dog and that particular sheep team, and for the man
the dog owns.
Part of the charm of watching the dogs at this
competition involves the spectators’ enthusiasm and appreciation
of the dogs’ skills. The dogs’ movements include
creeping and crawling like soldiers moving through mud trenches,
sliding along the grassy field, slinking low to the ground,
and arabesque-like ballet moves as they lift their back legs
off the ground while their front legs are stretched before them.
As their handlers instruct them to move forward, lie down, run
far out, come back and move the sheep about the field hither
and yon, all eyes remain on the dog, who is keenly aware of
the power of the moment.
The sheep seem to be enjoying creating reasons
for the dog to run about and, for sure, the dog loves the opportunity
to be the center of attention. Further than that, it is the
rare owner who is disappointed by his dog’s performance.
Clearly, in the kingdom of sheep, the dog rules!
Every year in early June, the sheep sheering and
sheep herding contests are popular attractions at the fair in
Clonbur, Ireland. It’s not too early to be planning your
trip to be there. So consider some places nearby that are worthy
of a visit and great places to stay while you are in “the
neighborhood:”
Be sure to visit nearby Cong, the place where the classic film,
The Quiet Man, with Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne, was
filmed. Take ‘The Quiet Man’ walking tour with one
of the great guides from The Quiet Man Museum in Cong and see
if you can get on one of the tours with Gerry Collins who runs
the business that his daughter founded! If you don’t know
the film, be sure to see it before your trip so that you’ll
recognize all the places pointed out to you along the route
from the place where the fight by the river happened, to the
bridge location and the church where some of the most important
scenes took place. And now you can visit Pat Cohan’s Bar,
which until July, 2007, was never a bar on the inside but was
previously a grocery store and later a craft shop! Now it’s
reopened with a new owner who has created the bar as it was
shown in the film giving those who are devotees of the film
one more reason to visit Cong.
You’ll need a place to stay nearby so let
me offer two unique suggestions. Firstly, for the big splurge,
you might want to stay at Ashford
Castle. The grounds of the castle, along with the exteriors
of the houses in Cong, served as the set for the filming of
The
Quiet Man and once you’ve seen the film you’ll
recognize the driveway road and the spots along the river where
the film’s action was shot. If you haven’t had a
chance to see the film before you arrive at Ashford Castle,
note that the film is shown continuously on closed circuit TV
in the guest rooms! If you’re a golfer, you’ll find
the golf course convenient and challenging on the castle grounds.
Just a few months ago, on a portion of the grounds
of Ashford
Castle, a modern, trendy, downright sexy hotel has opened
that combines 21st century-chic accommodations with stylish
public rooms housed in a traditional and historic stone building.
The food is excellent, the bars are happening places, the décor
is sophisticated, and the accommodations are modern and offer
incredible comfort and amenities. You’ll find the room
rates much more affordable than the castle accommodations and
you have access to the castle grounds plus the convenience of
being able to have tea, cocktails, or dinner at Ashford without
even taking your car out of its parking space if you prefer
walking!
If it’s more than you can deal with
to get Fido ready for a trip to accompany you to Ireland, mark
your calendar to visit when the sheep dog competition are in
full swing! It will make it so much easier for you to be traveling
unaccompanied by your own furry friend!
Taking your dog to
Ireland:
If meeting and greeting lovely pups along the route isn't enough
to quench your thirst to be with your own furry friend, then
the only solution for you is to take Fido along with you. If
you go through the six-month process, which includes insertion
of an identifying microchip under your dog's skin here at home,
you can take Fido right through Immigrations and Customs in
Ireland, thus avoiding the six-month quarantine process. For
complete information on that process, visit my website at www.sabrams.com
and enter keywords: "Pet Scheme" into the SEARCH box.
Gotta Fly Now! sm
Stephanie Abrams
www.FidoFriendly.com
• June 2007
Related Photo Galleries:
More images from the Clonbur Sheep Dog Festival 2007 here.
More images of traveling pets here.
More irish photo galleries available here.
Related Site Links:
Fido Friendly Magazine Homepage
The
Traveling Pet Homepage
Additional
Fido Friendly Editorial's by Stephanie
Related External Links:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm
