Ziya is a 7.5-year-old female, home bred from Mary’s Feist by Patrick Shannahan’s Jock. A very athletic honest dog, she has a somewhat carefree, albeit “ditsy blonde” attitude. Working sheep whether in a trial situation or helping move the big flocks to new pastures, she is all in. No bad days in Ziya’s world! No matter how hard the work or how difficult the situation, she always has a big smile and often flips over and gives herself a backrub—just like another day in the park. She is a good trial dog, but no matter what the scores might say, this dog gives her ALL every time Mary asks her to. Ziya has by far the most “try” and the biggest heart of any working dog Mary has ever known. Ziya consistently finishes her open runs and has logged a good number of open trial wins.

Mary 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 a board member and recent past-president of the American Border Collie Association.