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GOLD CREEK RANCH

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Why we chose Border Collies


In 2003 we lost both of our ranch dogs, an Aussie for herding and a Jack Russel Terrier whose job was varmint control. We had been breeding JRT’s but when we suddenly had no dogs we decided to check out both Aussies and the breed that had intrigued us for many years, the Border Collie.

 

With all four children grown and gone we found ourselves very short handed when it came time to gather, sort or doctor the cattle and while one Aussie was a great dog when pushing was needed, we needed both the push (and bite) as well as the gather. We were very lucky that friends of ours sent us to Ann Baumgartner of Woodinville, Washington who had a lovely 3 month old Border Collie bitch that she declared was exactly the dog we needed.    

 

We asked Ann how she came to breed Border Collies. She explained that she grew up in eastern Montana on a 5,000 acre cattle ranch and still goes back twice a year to help move the cattle. Her brother who runs the ranch has Australian Shepherds. When she goes to help she takes one or two of her dogs. She said she will pack a lunch, coffee and a good book and take off with the dogs after the breakfast dishes were cleaned up and the 7 men and 4 or 5 dogs are long gone. She heads out in a different direction leaving the gates open as they continue to the far realms of the ranch looking for cattle. At the last gate she finds a tree, sets her lunch up and reads her book sipping coffee until she hears the sound of cattle coming. She follows the large herd her dogs have gathered, closing the gates along the way. When she gets home she makes dinner, takes a shower and cleans up and eventually the men will come with with noise, dogs barks, cattle bawling and dirt flying. The men, horses and dogs exhausted, filthy and some banged up a bit.

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Border Collie Ranch dogs for sale by Gold Creek Ranch

Creekside Skye

Our Creekside Skye and first Border Collie. Skye started us on our journey to a friendship with Lynn and Joan Mason of Mission Falls Ranch and the origins of our breeding program. Skye was brilliant, silly, a superior cow dog, great breeder and produced wonderful litters by MFR studs Badger and MacDuff. Rhett and Cinch go back to one of Skyes breeding to Badger and one of those pups was bred to MacDuff who produced the litter these two dogs came from. Cinch is out of a full sister to Rhett. Great line breeding with excellent out crosses is how a breeder can produce consistency and keep high bred vigor. Now we bring in bloodlines like our BCW Texas to move us forward as we blend a strong US foundation with top international lines. We are confident that our litters in the coming years will continue to do us proud and have our clients very well pleased. That is the goal of every breeder in the pedigrees of our dogs. To continue to protect the origins and integrity of the many breeders of the border country between Scotland and England in producing a breed called Border Collie.

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Herding Border Collie Dogs for sale in Montana

Our granddaughter Kendal with our first Border Collie Creekside Skye

heading out in a snow storm to move our cattle.

My husband Lee and I left their place with a gorgeous tri/black/white/tan we named Creekside Skye.  Skye was everything we had ever heard or seen about Border Collies and so much more. She was delightful as a calm and loving companion, smarter than either Lee or I and she easily replaced five or more workers in any job to be had. The fun and brilliance of the Border Collie had us hook, line and sinker. Over the years Skye was bred to top dogs from very well thought of breeders to the north.

 

Every client to this day love the dogs from those litters.The next wonderful gift in our journey of becoming Border Collie breeders was when I contacted Joan and Lynn Mason of Mission Falls Ranch Border Collies. Initially it was to get some training points so that, ignorant humans that we were, with some help from Joan perhaps Skye would have teammates who would not constantly be making her work more difficult. Ultimately a wonderful, loving friendship was established that is still vital today.Joan has become such a blessing to us and a dear friend to me. When I first spoke with her and was sharing my life on the ranch, we found out we both had the same line of Arabian Horses, Straight Egyptians. When I pulled up to their home for the first time what did I see on the front porch but a Flame Point Siamese cat exactly like the one I had at home! We found that we both had a deep and abiding love of the Lord and even went to the same denomination church. There was no way we wouldn’t become fast friends. All these years later I still learn something new from the Mason’s on a regular basis as well as from so many other wonderful people across the country who share the same passion as for these amazing Border Collies.

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