Twenty years after buying his first Border Collie stock dog, Alberta dog trainer Scott Glen and his two dogs, Pleat and Tala, will travel to Ireland this summer to compete in the World Sheep Dog trials.
Ever since Glen saw his first sheep dog demonstration on his way to a sheep shearing class, the Alberta handler has been hooked on dogs and the sport of dog trials. He bought his first dog in 1984 and in 1997 began training dogs and competing in dog trials full time.
“I was struck by their spectacular intelligence,” said Glen of New Dayton, Alta.
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In September, he won the 2004 U.S. Border Collie Handler’s Association national championship in Sturgis, South Dakota.
“It’s the Super Bowl of dogs,” said Glen, who took first and second place at the North American championship.
It’s the first time a Canadian has won the event, the first time two litter mates won first and second in the championship and only the second time a handler has won first and second place in the same event.
The association, which was founded in 1979, is the sanctioning body for sheep dog trials throughout Canada and the United States.
Just like Olympic athletes, Glen said his dogs’ performance peaked at the perfect time for the event.
“They shaped up at the right time. They’re just athletic,” he said about Pleat, a five-year-old male that won the national open championship, and Tala, a five-year-old female that won reserve national open champion. Glen leases Tala from an American woman for the trial season.
He said even though other handlers thought the dogs weren’t performing well last summer, he was pleased with their progress and training.
Pleat is named after the cowlick in the hair between its eyes that looks like a pleat in a pair of pants. It’s a son of Dan, which was Glen’s trial dog for many years and Canadian national champion. Dan is the grandson of Sweep, one of Glen’s original dogs.
Glen said Pleat is a “very pushy and strong dog” and isn’t for a weak handler. He described Tala as “honest and easy to handle.”
He said an unusual bond exists between handlers and their dogs. Unlike a horse where the connection is through the reins, Glen said the connection with a dog must be mental because sometimes the dog is almost a kilometre away.
Both dogs are taking a “winter vacation” and resting before the dog trial season begins again in the spring and Glen flies to the World Sheep Dog Trial in Tullamore, Ireland, in mid-July.
Glen has also been invited to compete in the Champion of Champions in Ireland, a week before the worlds. The competition pits the world’s top three handlers from continental Europe, North America and Britain against each other. Glen is representing North America.
To get to Ireland, Glen must raise about $10,000 for air fare and accommodation for himself and his dogs. Friends have donated money for the trip and British Columbia stock dog handler Wendy LeGare has taken on the task of helping raise the rest.
“I’d like to see him get the chance to go,” said LeGare, who was inspired by Glen’s determination and drive.
“He is the gold winner in North America right now and he has the chance to be the gold winner in the world, just like at the Olympics.”
About 10 Canadians have qualified to go to the world championship by earning enough points throughout last year’s dog trial season.
“He’s our best chance at getting there,” LeGare said.
“It’s really exciting to see someone who has had these kind of goals and dedicated his whole life to doing this.”
