Noonbarra Max X Noonbarra Molly
Black & Tan Male Born: 13th Mar 2004
Owned by John Morey
"Hi Mary and Stephen. This is just a short note to let you both know how Nugget
is settling in, in his new home. I suppose he started to settle in when we left
your property. He had a quick look at the scenery, had a chew, and then promptly
fell to sleep. He only woke up when we hit a rough patch of road."
"His introduction to Jessie the cattle dog was very uneventful thankfully. Jessie had a sniff, gave a low growl, and Nugget rolled over. He has done that ever since. What a smart little fella!"
"The first night we worried if he was alright as he never let out a squeak at all, however the next morning he let us know that he had to go pretty urgently. What a lovely quiet first night. And they have been the same ever since. There is a lot to be said for crate training. "
On Monday Nugget went for his check up at the local vet. All was well (as expected). John’s vet had a look through the folder that you gave to John. Justin, the vet, was most impressed with the information and said that it was the best folder of info that he had seen from a breeder. I don’t suppose that you need to be told this, as you have both probably been congratulated before for your professional approach. I will keep you updated with nuggets progress and also send pictures when I can throughout his development
"I would also like to thank you both for your hospitality on Sunday. It was great to find 2 people who care as much for their animals and pets as we do for ours. I could have watched your Kelpies work all day!"
"We would be interested to purchase your book when it is released, if you let us know how much? Years ago I purchased your Noonbarra video which I had put away “carefully”, and which I found again the other day. No doubt it will get plenty of showings again, especially when friends ask about Noonbarra Kelpies."
By for now, and thanks again, Best regards, Mark Nicholls
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He seems
to grow so much each week. He has been getting his adult teeth for a little
while now, wow, what a set of “choppers”. Nugget is such a happy pup. He still
has his moments when Jess lets him know who the boss is, (and other moments when
John lets them both know who the boss is) but on the whole he is a great dog who
will only get better as he grows up. John has been doing his training with
Nugget, and at times it may seem a battle of wills, but in the end Nugget does
the right thing. - Mark
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Well, Nugget has certainly shot up. I just can’t believe the temperament of him. He is just as loyal as Jess (which puts her nose out of joint sometimes) and it is a sight to see Jess sitting on one of Johns’ feet and Nugget on the other. He watches what Jess does a lot of the time and takes a lead from her (thankfully not her bad habits).
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Noonbarra Nugget with Toby and Millie
NOV 2004
Hi Mary and Stephen, Here is another instalment of the Nugget update. I think that he has just about finished growing (up at least) as I haven’t noticed too much of a difference in my visits. My brother and I took our 2 Kelpies, Millie and Toby, to visit Nugget a few weeks ago. ...Well, Millie and Toby are so close now that they fret if they are separated for too long.
Anyway we decided to introduce our 2 to nugget. We would have done it earlier but other things conspired against us. Here I was worrying about how they would all get on. Jessie is boss of them all, so she wasn’t a problem. Millie and Toby ran up to Nugget on arrival. Nugget gave them both a lick on the face and that was that.
A few things happened after that. Millie gave a startled look, Toby sat down with his ears back and a pleased look on his face, and Jessie went to bed. I suppose she thought that “others” could entertain the boy while she had a rest. The day was a complete success. I have included a few pictures.
We have also taken Nugget on a few day trips in the truck. Jessie has always enjoyed riding in the cage and Nugget seemed quite pleased with the trips too. Different sights, sounds, and smells kept him busy.
John and I hope that all is well with you both and the dogs. Bye for now.
Regards, Mark Nicholls
Noonbarra Nugget with Toby and Millie
A DOG'S LIFE
Noonbarra Nugget and Jessie.
Just a short email to keep you both up to date with Nugget's progress. He has grown into a wonderful companion for John. Jessie is now content to sleep in the sun/shade most of the time so Nugget follows John around the yard, (helping whether he thinks John needs it or not). He loves his rides in the cage on the ute, so a day out is appreciated by everyone. Nugget especially likes it when Millie and Toby come to visit, as they all fly around the yard like mad things. - Mark Nicholls
Noonbarra Dusty III X Capree Dyna
Owned by Cameron Turner
Bronte is a companion Kelpie owned by Cameron at Engadine in Sydney.
This was a very good litter for us and Bronte
was a wonderful little pup with the nicest nature you could wish for and a very
faithful pup.
Others in her litter include Noonbarra Mate in Germany, who is a cattle and sheep worker and has won and placed in Trials. There was also Noonbarra Bee Jay in America, Noonbarra Blitz owned by the Merrynvale stud in Victoria and Noonbarra Kayla and Daisy both companion dogs in Melbourne.
"Sorry its taken me so long to write to you, I’ve been pretty lazy. Thanks heaps for your letters and information.
Bronte is doing well, it didn’t take her long to learn sit, down and stay The Frisbee is her favourite toy, she will drop it at my feet while working in the garden and even drops it in front of the lawn mower (cheeky) so I have to pick it up and throw it for her. Bronte will chase it all day, sometimes I have to take it off her so she will eat her dinner and she is not much better with the tennis ball.
Everyone comments about her soft shinny coat, even the vet. Bronte loves the water! We took her to the shore at Botany Bay (you are allowed to take dogs to that beach) we threw the ball in the water and she dove straight in after it. She doesn’t like to put her head under and if she can help it she wont swim. The soft sand tire’s her out, she’ll come home and sleep for a couple of hours, same as with the Frisbee at the park.
Jumping is something that she is really good at, that and catching the frisbee, she has a really good eye.
Bronte is the only dog I have ever known not to roll around on the ground after she has had a bath (which is a good thing). She has been good for toilet training, after about 5 weeks after we got her there were a few accidents, (mostly our fault) but she really does understand the word toilet. She doesn’t really like to be held, because she wants to get her ball or Frisbee but every now and then she loves a hug and a big belly scratch.
We have just come back from a week’s holiday, Bronte went on a holiday too. Three days at a friends house and 3 days in Orange where she was introduced to sheep. A friend of Mum’s has a Kelpie cross named Jed, who she puts into sheep trials and trains him on a property in Orange. Her name is Karen Vader and she tells me you might have met her. Bronte ruffed up her coat on the back of her neck when she first came into contact with the sheep but Karen said she went well.
That’s about it for the last 8 months, I will get her into training and agility very soon. Sorry again for not keeping in touch, I hadn’t forgotten you, I will make more of an effort in the future.
Best Regards, Cameron Turner.
Noonbarra Dusty III X Noonbarra Cassie
Owned by Tracey Pethick Victoria
This was one of the loveliest litters we have had in a while. Cassie is such a nice combination with Dusty. Two dogs that are terrific dogs in their own right.
Brontee had a great personality and plenty of charisma. Tracey used to take her for a walk in the morning when her children went to school so she got plenty of socialising and became well known in the community.
Unfortunately in 2003 she was bitten by a spider and after 3 weeks of intensive Veterinary care she passed away.
Noonbarra Max x Noonbarra Chloe
Owned by Chris and Vicki Wade. NSW.
Cody III was another very good working dog from the Max X Chloe litter. There were three Cody's in this litter. We didn't name them, our customers did. This pup was originally going to be Noonbarra Paddy but the customer changed their mind so we ended up with the weird situation of having three Noonbarra Cody's in the same litter and have never had one in all the years before or so far since that litter.
All these pups were nice friendly pups and showed a lot of the intelligence and personality of Noonbarra Max and of course bringing in Noonbarra Dusty III as both grandsire on one side and great grandsire on the other so nicely linebred to him too.
Futura Ned X Noonbarra Sarah
Owned by Ron and Sue Stuart
Dear Mary & Stephen, Clancy had a good trip home to Milton. We took him out at Katoomba & Albion Park for toilet breaks & a drink, but apart from that, the trip was unbroken. For the most part he was quiet, although in one playtime, he managed to turn the radio on & tried to pulverise Susan's knuckle.
He slept through the night & in the morning he managed a perfect score, by urinating & having a bowel movement on cue as he was taken out onto the grass. I thought I should E-mail you then while he appeared perfect.
Where he stood in the pecking-order, was explained to him, by the resident cat, with a not-too-serious belt on the head - lessen learnt, he still navigates around the cat with adequate clearance. Alpha dog came home from his weekend away - to find the new boarder. Other than when Clancy became a little too familiar, the Maltese chose to ignore him ( & with his nose out of joint, ignored us too)!
Yesterday, day two, the two dogs decided it was time to play, & now they are good mates. We were doing some work in the crush & Clancy was tethered. in the shade, at a safe distance. He watched everything that was going on & was far enough away, not to be scared. When he had seen enough, he went to sleep until we finished. We had to move a small herd so he helped, mounted on my lap on the quad bike. He wasn't concerned by the noise of the bike & again watched intently as the cattle passed by.
We are both impressed with how quickly he has taken to following us around the farm & his obvious alertness.
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Noonbarra Clancy was coming along very well and Ron was more than pleased with him when he was accidentally hit by a car and died at the Vets. The loss was devastating for the family.
".... He was just maturing & was a beautiful dog. Your excellent breeding was obvious & we were constantly complimented on him. I am missing him terribly already & don't know whether I could have another dog - if I did it would have to be a Noonbarra Kelpie." - Ron Stuart
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"I'm having to learn to handle a Ferrari after driving a pick-up truck, as Sessho is so fast and responsive to my cues." |
Noonbarra Max X Noonbarra Molly
Owned
by Carol Kendell Illinois U.S.A.
Sessho was sold to America as a companion dog and competitor in Dog Sports. Carol his owner has Shiba Inus which are a guard dog from Asia and a fairly dominant dog breed and needed a dog that could fit in with them.
"Sessho arrived at O'Hare this morning, clean and lively. The folks in LA said he had been a very good puppy for them and really liked him. He's been a good puppy for me as well, and has already met my Shibas. Yasha loves him, Tenshi likes him. Kido is not impressed, but Sessho is doing the submissive roll and kissing him, so Kido is just ignoring him. I think we will all get along fine.
I'll write more once I get back to my own computer, but just wanted to let you know that everything had gone well and that I love my new puppy!! Carol
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Sessho has integrated well with my Shibas. Kido, my old
male, keeps him in line, but otherwise ignores him. Tenshi, the female, is
incredibly tolerant of him and has even defended him when she thought Kido was
getting
too grumpy. (Poor Kido, he never knows what to expect: Tenshi, the lowly omega
dog, or Tenshi the alpha female!) Yasha enjoys having someone to play with most
of the time, although some days even he has had enough and has had to be rather
emphatic to convince Sessho to leave him alone.
He's doing the best at the agility. I see what you told me - he is a confident puppy, but not a foolhardy kamakazii like Yasha was over the scarier obstacles.
Certainly he has been meeting many new people and puppies and is very outgoing and friendly. One of the ladies here who does herding has invited me to bring Sessho over to see what he thinks of sheep, goats and ducks. I'd like to, as I think I see many herding behaviors in him while he's playing. Certainly he has the "border collie slink" and "stare".
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Sept 2004
Hi, Yes, it looks like we will be adding duck and sheep
herding lessons to everything else. Unfortunately the herding sessions are
mostly on weekday mornings, which I can't get to, so Sessho will only get to
herd every three
weeks or so. But he is showing lots of talent.
Yesterday he got to work sheep, this time in a paddock, and with him off leash, and the lady working him was very impressed by the way he could feel when he was entering the "flight zone" of the sheep and would stop there.
Then she would encourage him a bit and he'd move up on them slowly. Being a pup, he did break once, scatter the sheep and chase one sheep around the paddock twice, but when the instructor tossed a rake his direction, he stopped.
She thinks
Sessho is very quick to learn and to offer a different behavior when he is
corrected. I'm sure he'll soon figure out he's allowed to chase a runaway, but
shouldn't create those runaways!
In these lessons, an experienced lady has been taking him in and working him,
while I just watch. She's going to bring one of her trained dogs to the next
session I can make, so that I can start learning my part with a dog who already
knows what to do. Makes sense to me!
From what I could see, comparing Sessho to the other two young dogs that were
working yesterday, he tended to stay farther back and move more slowly, either a
walk or trot. I gather this is good; I hope it is something that he will
continue to do, and not forget once he gains more confidence.
cjk
Hi, Mary and
Stephen,
Sessho had an opportunity to meet sheep Saturday. You probably see this all of
the time, but I've never had a herding dog before, so it's all new to me.
There was a herding clinic last weekend, and because I had mentioned seeing if
Sessho had any interest in herding, my friends convinced me to go and watch part
of it. There was another Kelpie there, a very petite female, and although I
didn't know it at the time, the clinician, Larry Painter, also has some
Kelpies. ( I think I have only seen five Kelpies in my entire life.)
So I
watched about two hours of the morning session, until they stopped for lunch.
Because I had some other errands I needed to run, I asked Larry how long they
would break for lunch, and how long the afternoon session would last, wondering
if I could get back in time to see some of that session too. He asked me what
type of dog I had, and, upon hearing it was a Kelpie, what breeding it was. It
turned out that he had done a clinic in Europe a week or so ago that had two
Noonbarra Kelpies in it! (He didn't know their names, but they were 6yo and 2
1/2.) So he asked me to go home and get Sessho and we could see if he was
interested at the end of the clinic.
Most of the dogs at this clinic had been started at least, and were working
sheep or goats in a paddock, learning control the sheep without stressing
them.
I let Larry take him into that same pen, rather than myself! I wouldn't have
had a clue what to do. Stephen, Sessho needed no help to move the five sheep.
He stared them into a corner, and when Larry would move Sessho closer to the
side fence and give the sheep an escape route down the other side, those sheep
absolutely bolted for the other end of the pen.
I'm not sure how long they worked, maybe 5-10 minutes, but by the end, Sessho had figured out that he wasn't supposed to charge the sheep and Larry had him off leash and the sheep turned out in the paddock. .. Obviously Sessho has herding instinct! So now I'm signing up for some lessons on ducks and sheep, in addition to agility, obedience, conformation and tracking lessons. cjk
Jan 2006
"Sessho is now a year and a half old, and I really like him. He earned his first two agility titles with very limited showing. He earned three Novice herding titles, on goats and ducks, and has been worked on sheep and cattle too. we don't have many Kelpies around here but the Border Collie people really like him. We started learning a 'shed' this week. The expression on Sessho's face was priceless. He was sure I was crazy. Sheep on the left, sheep on the right, and I want him to walk between them and split them up for her ?!?
At home he gets along well with my Shibas. He's number two in the pack, but still very submissive to my elderly male Shiba. He sometimes gets in a tiff with my youngest Shiba, but that's because Tasha wears out long before Sessho. I just make sure I give Sessho extra exercise. Sessho is certainly affectionate. He and Tenshi make sure I am well covered in dog kisses. Happy new Year. Carol.
23rd July 2007
"Here are some pictures of Sessho in an agility fun match, a tune-up for some shows I was planning for next month. I tell people I'm having to learn to handle a Ferrari after driving a pick-up truck, as Sessho is so fast and responsive to my cues. Which means I can also send him off course just by twitching at the wrong time! But most of the time we get it right. Then we're usually first as he's so fast.
We're still herding as well. Sessho has caught onto driving although he still thinks it's stupid. If I'm not paying attention, he'll wear a little further to each side and eventually flip around to the head and fetch them all back to me. All the while wearing this big doggy grin that says 'Gotcha!' He obviously has his ideas of how things should be done, but he does try hard to do what I ask, So I can't get mad at him when he sneaks a trick by me. I hope Stephen is doing okay. Yours Carol Kendle.
May 2008 on Kelpie-L
internet forum
I imported my guy in 2004, and the cost of shipping was $1200. It'd be
much higher now, with the weak dollar. For me it all went smoothly. My
guy flew by himself as an 11 week old puppy, and his breeder (Noonbarra)
handled all the paperwork. All I had to do was pick him up at O'Hare. He
flew from Orange to LA, where he was health-checked, then on to O'Hare.
Mary Bilson called when he left Orange, the shipping service called to let
me know he was fine at LA. I had a bit of a time finding him at O'Hare
since he was sent to the cargo office, not the baggage office. But after
a few laps around the airport, I found the right place. For about $100
less, he could have flown Orange to Seoul to New York to Chicago. I
thought he would be safer coming straight to the US.
Noonbarra Roy III X Noonbarra Megan
Owned by Andrew Abel
This was a nice friendly pup from our great brood bitch, Noonbarra Megan. This family already had a nice Kelpie from the Koonawarra Downs Stud so Noonbarra Daisy will have a friend to play with.
Dear Stephen and Mary, Sorry I have take so long to get back to you, but have included some info on Daisy for inclusion on your website.
Noonbarra Daisy II came to live with us almost a year ago. Our motivation to get another Kelpie arose out of a desire to provide a companion for our, now 3 year old, Koonawarra Downs kelpie "Digger". We all fell in love with Daisy immediately. Digger & Daisy took to each other before we even left Stephen and Mary's place.
Once home on our small acreage Daisy set about making herself welcome. In the beginning the size difference was enormous, Daisy could walk clean under Diggers belly with room to spare. However, the size differential didn't interest Daisy as she set about "rough housing" Digger, with no fear. We often commented that she didn't know her own size.
Initially,
Daisy was very "standoffish", preferring to watch proceedings from a distance
and be little Miss Independence. As time passed she warmed to us and really has
become quite affectionate. Daisy is also very friendly with visitors, first
jumping up to eye level to say hello and then offering the shake of her paw. We
currently don't run any stock, but she will set and stalk almost anything,
including Digger, and on occasions even us. We have taught her nothing of stock
control etc, it is all instinct.
The latest chapter is that we have recently had a little boy, of the non-fury variety. Both Digger and Daisy have become very protective of our son, often found sitting at the base of his rocker or his cot, but at the same time they are both so gentle with him. Daisy has developed a real mothering instinct and takes great interest in all of our son's comings and goings.
Daisy has become an essential part of the family and we look forward sharing many wonderful times with her in the future.
