Normally when someone wants shots taken of their dog(s), they are looking for your standard portrait, or a dog on point or some other creative pose.  The reality is, most of my contacts are hunting dogs, and people want to remember their dog doing what it does best.

A couple weeks ago, I was privileged to be able to shoot a few border collies at work.  These dogs live to herd sheep.  If you have one, and don’t let it work out its natural abilities, you are doing yourself and the dog an injustice.

 When I was approached about this shoot, I really could not wait to just go witness these dogs at work.  Even had I not been able to photograph it, I still would have gladly made the trip to watch non-hunting breeds doing what they love to do.  The first dog I got to watch was named Emmy.  She is a ball of energy and she loves those sheep.  She would barely approach me when I met her at her home, but once she saw me in the pasture, she decided I was alright.

 It really was amazing to see a dog so dedicated to its craft, that it would barely take its eyes off of the sheep even for a moment.  Even when taking a break, you could tell that she just wanted to get back to herding those sheep.

Well, it turned out that Emmy has a littermate sister that likes to work sheep as well, and with her came her brother and older sister who also wanted their time in front of the camera to show off their skills.  I was more than willing to stay in the field and watch each dog put on their display of talent.  First up was Wren.  With the same energy as her sister, she immediately took command of the flock.

Next Moss hit the field.  He immediatly made wide sweep along the border of the field to “sneak” up on the sheep.  He is an incredibly intense dog, and kept his purposeful low stance the entire time.

Finally there was Abby.  She is an older dog that moves a touch slower, but when she works the field,  you would never know her age.  She was the friendly one, and even came back to walk with me out of the field when we were finished.

  This truly was quite the experience.  I really hope I get the chance to go back and see it again.  On a side note, it was humorous to watch all the cars along 119 pull off the road and get out and watch as each do worked the flock.  I really can’t blame them, though.