Woolgather Farm -- Bess

WOOLGATHER FARM

BESS
FDX CGC
ABC 34844
b. January 27, 1993

Left, above, and below right and left, Bess' sire,
Francis Raley's Imported Moss (ABC 24804)

Above, left and right, and below, left and right, Bess' dam, Francis Raley's Imported Bess (ABC 32104)

Bess was bred by Francis Raley of Crawford, Texas, and was born in 1993. She comes from imported Welsh working lines and she is currently my only real working dogs. She can herd both sheep and poultry, and she would herd the llama if he would let her. She is also very ball-crazy and is the only one of my dogs who has ever been able to consistantly catch a ball on the fly. She seems to watch where it's going and instinctively know where she will cross with its trajectory. Bess has earned her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) award and her Flyball Dog Excellent (FDX) title as well, and would have been a great flyball dog except that I started her at 5 years old and she could never manage the speed that was required for the sport. She is currently (2008) "retired" and celebrated her 15th birthday on January 27th of this year. Bess has an excellent temperament and is very sensitive and bidable. I always thought she was the perfect dog, for me, anyway, and originally thought I would breed her, but then I got involved with Border Collie rescue and decided that breeding and bringing more puppies into the world wasn't the best option. She has been my favorite of all the dogs I've ever had. The photos are in random order.