Description
Hazel is a 10-year-old female border collie Mary acquired from Amanda Milliken. Mary appreciates Hazel’s passion for work—she loves working sheep whether on a daily basis on the ranch or at a sheepdog trial. Hazel is very intelligent and athletic. Her dam is Amanda’s Dorey (Soldier Hollow Gold Medal winner) and sire is Amanda’s Howell (Soldier Hollow Bronze Medal winner). Hazel is “a card” approaching the post—you’ll see her dance, spin, and even bark in joy for her upcoming run. At first it was unnerving to Mary as a handler, but as soon as Hazel puts one step forward on her outrun, she is ALL business. Hazel had to take a year off for diagnosis and treatment of Heartworm disease, made an incredible recovery, and landed as reserve champion overall at the Kingston Sheepdog Trials the following year. Most recently, Hazel won last year’s Trailing of the Sheep double lift, run on the freshest range ewes coming down the Wood River Valley of Idaho.
cMary Minor is from Dayton, Nevada. Border collies run in her family’s previous generations. She acquired her first open border collie, Feist, in 2013 and has been competing ever since. Mary has run in most of the “Big Trials” across the continent and made the semi-finals in most of the larger trials. Hazel won the Kingston Sheepdog finals in 2022 and was reserve champion two years ago. Mary has not missed running in a USBCHA National Finals since her first year in open. She and her partner raise registered Angus and purebred Merino sheep, plus a mixed commercial flock designated for dog training. Mary is focused more on working ranch dogs than trial dogs. She is a semi-retired veterinarian currently working as a relief veterinarian. Mary is a board member of the Nevada Agricultural Foundation and the American Border Collie Association.
