Teak, gentle soul

Teak on vacation

In 1996 a repeat litter of Satchmo x Jazz produced a special little girl that my mom was calling Blue Star.  She convinced me the pup needed a special home since she was such an active, bright and independent little pup and that I really needed her.   So Star came home with me and became Teak.    She was a year old when I started taking herding lessons with her and she did really well.   She tended to bark when frustrated or excited, but otherwise she did a really nice job.   She was one of the sweetest dogs I have known and her forte was therapy dog visits.  She always knew which resident needed her attention the most, and in her gentle but insistent way she would get them petting her.  

There was only one time I can remember when she bit or pulled wool on a sheep, and it happened at our first trial at James Bergert's farm.   She was not more than 20 feet from where the judge sat along side the fence and she jumped in and grabbed some wool off a sheep's back end, then stopped to spit it out with great dramatics.     "Thank You!"   It was a very short run.   The next day we tried again and made it around the course without incident.  

Showing off "wave"

Holmberg's Tequila Mockingbird OTDsd, RTDs

 She was a good sheep and duck dog, but unfortunately did not inherit the toughness of some of her relatives that would have made her a cattle dog.   She did not want to take them on if they charged at her or looked threatening, and therefore I did not breed her as I didn't want to pass that on.   It didn't stop her from being one of my favorite dogs, though.   She and I performed in a dog trick demonstration with Dr. Patricia McConnell at the Dog Expo in Madison.   She loved being a star and the center of attention.    I miss my Teak, sweet girl.