Tag came into our life on January 1st 1991, after losing a young Border Collie bitch to a severe epileptic condition that left us devastated.

       In the search for a new pup our travels took us to Wigan, to the home of Jean and Jimmy Entwistle whom at the time had a litter at 7 weeks old, one of which was a white faced dog pup affectionately known to Jean as her "little white bull". Faced with a Border Collie of that age melts the heart of any dog lover, so trying to remain objective and level headed we went through all the questions that we had in our heads concerning the
breeding and the like, it didn't take us long to realise that we weren't dealing with just any old dog breeder, but with people that had an overwhelming passion for the breed, and that this litter was quite possibly something rather special. I remember Jean remarking that we wouldn't get a timid pup from her, (Understatement!). It didn't take us long to make up our minds that this pup was the one for us and we duly embarked on our journey back to Ripon with one extra life in the car than we started the journey south with.

       At the time we lived in a a fairly large farmhouse set in 400 acres of land, this was to be Tags playground for the first three years of his life.

        We were active committe members of the Ripon Dog Training Society at that time and our interest in obedience and agility mean that as well as sheep work, Tag thoroughly enjoyed his evenings at training classes and his progress was remarkable even with the handicap of a beginner handler. I decided to enter him into begginers at the forthcoming York Open Show in the summer of '91, both Tag and I made mistakes but were thrilled to return home with a seventh place rosette. Bitten by the competition bug, we entered two more shows that summer and won them both, one in Otley and the other in Darlington.

       
Tags' character was really starting to shine at that point and his self confidence in all things (though never really lacking) was at an all time high.

        At this point I remember on several occasions that if the farmyard was a bit boring for him, Tag would sneak quietly off to the fishing lake on the drive to re-acquaint himself to his 'many admirers'  who 'sat around the waters edge' all day to wait for him to come...In reality I would regularly hear shouts of surprise from the direction of the lake as the pace and repose of the waters edge (not to mention the fishing) was rudely interrupted, by a fast and furious cannonball of white and black fluff careering with great speed and agility around several bemused anglers who ended the encounter minus several yards of fishing line and sometimes their packed lunch.. but every person there would leave their fishing trip with cleaner faces than when they arrived!!

        Although Tags' talents were being shown off in the obedience ring his real love was agility, though this didn't come apparent until he was of the age to start serious training.

        For the first eighteen months of his life he had been made to stay behind bars in a kennel run and watch the other dogs learning their way around the agility equipment. Even though he had been well exercised previously to the agility classes starting,  he would still sit and look enviously at the other dogs and should I take a quick glance up at him he would leave me in no doubt as to his feelings at being made a prisoner by means of a well timed bark! His time came one sunny Sunday morning when after the classes had finished and the other dogs were being led away that I thought I'd give him his first lesson on the equipment before I packed it away into the shed. Being prepared for the usual problems of teaching the novice dog, I let him out of the kennel for a leg stretch while I contemplated on which piece of equipment I could start him off on. However Tag had other ideas! Before you could say "impatience of youth" I turned round to see him perched on top of the "A" Frame (at full height) and disembarking from it with a leap that would have Olympic long jumpers feeling like they just weren't trying! From that day on Tag taught me all that he had learned from his time as a spectator and though our attempts at the open show circuit needed a scoreboard more befitting the Lords Pavillion, we had an awful lot of fun. Incidentally Tag had managed to perfect the art of completing the weave poles faster than you could press the button on you stopwatch!

        Tags days at training classes wre now sadly begining to cease as I had taken a new position as farm manager in Market Drayton Shropshire, our two children had arrived and with a combination of longer working hours and more hectic family life, together with the absence of a good local club, we started to take all of our  pleasures through work on the farm. The farm contains a total of 800 breeding sows all kept extensively outdoors in fields, contained in their correct places by means of a well planned electric fence system.

        This was the first obstacle that Tag had to master as many a good working dog has been put off for life by having a shock from the fence at a critical time. I should have known this lad better...He did get the odd shock or two, but to my amazement he learned very quickly what it was that caused the pain and in a very short space of time had taught himself to expertly avoid the wires by means of an agile clear jump or a well timed "duck".

        To those people "not in the know" summer time is a critical time for outdoor pig keepers as the sows that are suckling litters (200 sows at any one time) tend to prefer to lounge about in a muddy wallow for long periods, (including nights) and not want to return to their hungry, waiting piglets. So as a result, inorder to avoid starving piglets, Tag and I would make a visit each evening to remind the so called mothers of their parental resonsibilities and drive the individuals back into their little arcs and shut them in for the night.

        It became quickly apparent to Tag that these big old girls were not going to be the pushover that a dizzy Masham ewe was and so taught himself some nifty new manouvers in order for the sows to take him more seriously! Firstly the nip on the snout worked wonders, similarly did the sideways body slam! But by far the best manouver was a combination of the two. With this skill learned, Tags confidence grew and soon could gather large groups of sows together, fetch them over considerable distances and lessen the burden on the legs of the poor pigman. This job for Tag was possibly the best that he had ever done and seeing him operating in obedience, agility and now in the field, leaves me in no doubt that this is what life is all about for a Border Collie.

       
Tags talents for his trade grew almost daily and his wide range of tricks that he taught himself were of constant wonder to me and so, was thrilled when a passing journalist saw what he could do and enquired as to if he could write an article about him for a dog magazine. This was probably our greatest moment, to have a photo and write up in the working dogs publication "The Working Sheepdog News".

        Tag was my constant companion whether in the field or in the back of the Landrover, his sense of belonging was unparalleled and the team of pigmen were constantly reminded of his level of importance by his insistance that he could do it quicker and better than averyone! (He never did learn though, that sometimes the softly, softly approach was more befitting of the circumstance, hence more than once he would have to make  a hasty retreat from a grumpy maternal sow who would mistake him for a fox!)

        Nevertheless Tag was a dog that lived a life that had the best of both worlds, he enjoyed a full working career and also lived inside at home making the most of home comforts whilst not on duty, he was pulled around and jumped on by my children and never did the thought cross his mind of using aggression towards them, he had a talent for making friends wherever he went, but most of all, the most wonderful part of this big handsome dog was his loyalty towards me and his utmost trust in my unreliable opinion never once waivered. These things along with the image of his white face and only one ear that managed to stick up will live in my heart forever. He has left a gap in my life that will be impossible to fill, he was a wonderful companion, a best mate, my only wish is that he may have been granted a few more years to enjoy his old age and maybe to have helped to teach a youngster a little of what he knew.  My wife Helen became concerned about a small lump in Tags abdomen being a veterinary nurse she acted quickly and took him to the surgery where a suspect splenic ulcer was diagnosed after a body scan.  The resulting operation confirmed this but the worst was yet to come.. The tumour was not restricted to his spleen but had spread to his liver in a severe way, Helen knew then, that this severity of cancer was inoperable and so Tag was put to sleep there and then.

        We were naturally heartbroken as a seemingly fit, healthy dog that I had to leave at home that morning never did return from that visit to the vet.

        To finish on a happier note we have just booked a puppy sired by Tags litter brother Fraser, we haven't yet seen him, but are looking forward to the day that we can bring him home with us.

        Tag can never be replaced but we can take comfort in the knowledge that his line is on going and perhaps his nephew may have the chance to do the things in life that Tag became the master of.

MARTYN & HELEN ROWLEY
© M.Rowley 2000